Pretty sure I have a leak in my 2007 AC because blowing warm air. I've watched many videos on recharging but all seem a little bit different from each other. Is there a best one to watch? For some reason I get sent to the youtubers whose camera skills give me vertigo tbh. - Some advice is that's common to "top it off" with refrigerant and others say don't do that? Which one. - If I use a R134a and leak detector/dye to recharge should the AC system be evacuated first? Is it necessary to attach a vacuum pump to a set of manifold gauges? I have seen both that its necessary and its not necessary - Where is the most likely place that a Prius AC may be leaking with 250K miles? - Are there any signs of leak locations PRIOR to testing it with dye? Either in the interior or in the engine compartment for Prius' specifically?
It's a variable pressure system so the people who refill based on pressure are at risk of causing damage... Seems the people who top off just a little don't have much problem. But its properly done by evacuating entire system and then putting in a specific weight of lubricant and specific weight of refrigerant.
isn't the ND oil lubricant only necessary if the compressor is affected? I can't remember someone mentioning adding lubricant otherwise.
I've not done this job before but I suspect there is more flexibility on being a bit off on lubricant compared to being off on refrigerant... Looks like prices are coming down on equipment though and a repair shop can get one with a library of settings for most vehicles for as low as $1K but most still selling for $4K. As for us shade tree mechanics lowest price point would be one of these and then putting your tank on a scale to measure it: https://www.vevor.com/s/3,4-HP-portable-recovery-AC
The AC system in the prius is pretty delicately balanced and wants a precise amount of refrigerant to deliver real results. Save topping off for the last summer trip before you sell/crush the car. If you're just trying to get it to leak so you can spot the leak, you probably don't need to pull a vacuum. Save that for after you've really fixed it and you're doing the real charge. Condenser. They take rock hits, people back into them, and sometimes they just corrode. Beware cheap aftermarket condensers; there are some really crummy counterfeits out there that cost little to buy but your system will have much less cooling capacity, especially on the hottest days. When the refrigerant leaks out it won't leave marks, but when it pushes the ND11 oil out with it that will leave a mark and the oily spot will attract dirt quickly. So you're looking for oily dirty spots on the AC plumbing. Remember, it's a finicky balance. You want to use a very accurate scale to weigh the refrigerant as you feed it in for the final fill- try to get within a few grams for full performance.
