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AC repair

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by jrb_02, Jul 24, 2019.

  1. jrb_02

    jrb_02 New Member

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    What's done is done :(, made the mistake and put Freon in without proper research and have contaminated the system with either a dye or oil that shouldn't be there. A couple questions:

    Will this require all AC components to be replaced? This is what one hybrid shop has recommend and estimate is a little of 6k.

    If Toyota dealership says I do not need the entire system replaced, but later on it is determined that was bad advice, would I have any recourse with that dealer/service center? The Toyota service advisor is saying she's never heard of that, when I asked if they have a separate AC machine for hybrids got a no, asked if they had a filter on one and still got a no, but we have a hybrid certified tech. I have asked for the tech to give me a call.

    Thanks in advance from a rookie who's already learned a valuable lesson!
     
    #1 jrb_02, Jul 24, 2019
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Just leave it alone as long as ac works
     
    #2 tankyuong, Jul 25, 2019
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  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    First, tell us what you put in it. Otherwise we're guessing.

    The concern is the AC compressor motor. The motor windings are exposed to the refrigerant and oil. ND11 oil is OEM recommended as it won't affect the winding insulation. Other oils/dyes/etc? maybe or maybe not.

    If non-ND11 oil (or whatever) is already in there, you have a couple choices.

    1. Let it be. It could take days, weeks, months or years to cause a problem. If someone wants 6k to replace everything, I would have to tell them thanks anyway and try a different route. You can always pay 6k later in life if it fails.
    2. Have a rapid, uncontrolled loss of refrigerant, which will also tends to remove some oil. Then recharge it with the right stuff and right oil. I hate it when accidents like this happen 3 or 4 times, but it would do a great job of diluting any of that bad oil in the system. ( a slow leak rarely causes a loss of oil, and will only require pure refrigerant to be added for a top off)
    3. Remove the compressor, do a bit of disassembly and flush the system yourself. Install a replacement compressor.

    Is the 2013 still R-134a? If so, many places sell cans for 5-6 bucks. Pure refrigerant with no additives, but you'd need to acquire the ND11 oil.
     
    #3 TMR-JWAP, Jul 25, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2019
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    And just to clarify, it's probably not "freon", it's the newer gas?
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Jul 25, 2019
  5. Threej

    Threej Member

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    My face while reading this: o_O:confused::unsure::eek::eek::cautious::sneaky::LOL::LOL::LOL::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::sneaky:(y);):whistle:
     
    #5 Threej, Jul 25, 2019
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  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I don't have a link at the moment, but PriusChat has somewhere linked to info on the amount of wrong oil needed to damage the compressor insulation. It was quite small. I don't think 'accidental dilution' would accomplish enough to be useful.

    There's also been an article recently linked about a flushing technology (HECAT?) that ought to do the trick, with much less extensive replacement of parts.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Jul 25, 2019
  7. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Still waiting to hear what was actually added to the system....
     
    #7 TMR-JWAP, Jul 25, 2019
  8. jrb_02

    jrb_02 New Member

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    Thanks everyone so far for the comments. As far as what else was in the can besides the 134a, the bottle doesn't say. I'll have to reach out to the company via contact info to find out. It does (and I did not read everything before starting, my fault) say not for use in hybrid/electric vehicles or with electric compressors.

    Yes it takes 134a.

    Toyota dealership hooked it up to the machine and found that about twice as much refrigerant was in the system. They pulled everything out and let the machine correct everything, even the oil. They found no leaks, just an overcharge on the system. At least that is what was stated to me from the person at the front desk.

    It is currently blowing out air at about 56-60 degrees with temps in the upper 80s, still waiting on those 90s though.

    One last clarifying question, if damaged was caused and the compressor fails in the future, a flush/cleaning of the system and new compressor should handle the issue or would all components need to be replaced? It seems like the contamination only impacts the functionality of the compressor. I guess the main concern with other components is that they may hold some of the contaminates that impact the new compressor?

    Apologies for the delay and again thanks in advance!
     
    #8 jrb_02, Jul 26, 2019
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    They probably did evacuate the system enough, so hopefully you're out of the woods. That's one service I leave to the pros, too much riding on it, and only about $150 for them to do it.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Jul 26, 2019
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