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2008 with AC issues - Trying to diagnose exact issue

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by crooner, Jun 9, 2020.

  1. crooner

    crooner Member

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    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I have a 2008 Prius with 270K miles which has proven extremely reliable over the years. Unfortunately, the AC has been blowing warm air since last december. With summer fast approaching, I am trying to hopefully fix it without too much $$$.

    The blower works fine as it has a new motor. The heater works as well. When in AC mode, aside from not cooling, I see that the condenser fan is not coming on. Related fuses in dash and fusible links in the engine compartment are good. I replaced the AC amplifier, since it was cheap ($10 on eBay) to no avail.

    The sight glass shows oil inside. No bubbles. The condenser appears visually ok. I tried to retrieve the codes by pressing the AC and circulation buttons on the steering wheel, but unfortunately the spiral mechanism is damaged, so they do not work.

    Any recommendations on getting an android based app and OBDII adapter to read the codes? I am hoping it's a leak and not the compressor that is damaged.

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Sure. That is everybody's objective most of the time.
    Alas, it is not always possible.
    AND with a 12 year old vehicle, approaching 300K miles, it might not be practical either.

    I suggest that a professional diagnosis of the AC system would be money well spent and give you some actual data upon which to base your plan of attack.

    Taking wild guesses turns out BAD as often as it turns out good. Maybe more often.
     
  3. crooner

    crooner Member

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    Two
    Thanks Sam. Good advice. I'll have the system checked at a shop. It may not be practical to replace the compressor given the age and high mileage of the car...


     
  4. smokeGTI

    smokeGTI Member

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    2009 Prius
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    N/A
    Firstly, you can check when switch on A/C, listen to the engine bay, you should hear a click sound and follow by a
    hi-pitch electric motor sound. That's the A/C compressor starting to roll.
    If you don't hear it, there should be something before the compressor.
    Like pressure switch, and fuse or relay. If it's low on refrigerant, the compressor would not start.
    Also, have someone scan it with TIS if possible, it has connection to the A/C compressor.
    There should be a code store in the ECU if it's low on refrigerant.

    One more point to check is the electric inverter coolant pump , A/C would disable if the pump fails.
     
  5. crooner

    crooner Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks for your reply smokeGTI. I don't hear anything coming on in the engine bay when the AC is turned on. I also have a 2015 Gen 3 and the condenser fan in the radiator area immediately comes on when the AC button is pressed.

    And yes, I am hoping it's low on refrigerant. This why I was asking for some sort of software to scan for codes before I take it in to a shop. Dr. Prius perhaps? Techstream?

    I don't think it's the inverter coolant pump. There would be other issues with the car, it runs fine otherwise.