2002 Prius appears to be leaking A/C

It's not okay, unless the air is scuba grade, it can be full of contaminants ie water, oil, dirt which shouldn't be injected into the a/c system. If you fix your leak, you'll at least need to have it vacuum evacuated, have an oil charge, and then freon. If you introduce a bunch of crap into the system you'll need to have it flushed as well.

You can get a sniffer tool from Harbor Freight to look for the leak. Alternatively, you can put a dye charge in and then inspect the connections with a u/v light (there are flashlights for this that are inexpensive.) If you don't have an actual A/C service manifold and a vacuum pump, you're gonna have to have it done at a shop. My best advice is to take it to a shop like Midas and have them do the diagnosis and repair the leak, probably needs some o-rings. The shrader valve almost never develops a leak. If you decide to do the work yourself, you'll have to buy o-rings (the green ones) and a can of ester oil of which you'll use probably about 10 grams.

 

Before your do the repair $hop thing, is the A/C light blinking on the climate control panel? If so, it's a sign that the A/C clutch may be slipping, and the repair is one, maybe two parts: (a) first replace the drive belt (a $10 part and maybe 1 hour of your labor) and (b) inspect and perhaps clean the A/C magnetic clutch faces (a process described here)
(A/C Clutch Diagnosis and Replacement | PriusChat)

Let us know...

 

The forum software chopped it and nothing came t hrough

 

How many miles on this 15 year old car ?

It is not unusual for the compressor to be shot at that age, which can also cause loss of refrigerant.
If you have been driving it around for TWO YEARS with no refrigerant, that means no lubricant either and almost guarantees a high repair bill.

And it is not unusual for a complete rebuild to run more than $500 at an independent shop.

 

The vacuum pump is fine. The manifold is kinda expensive and you'll have to buy the R134a fitting for extra money. there's this, you'll still need to acquire a can tap, tho.

A/C R134A Manifold Gauge Set

 

You THINK you stopped using it.
Many models turn it on automatically under some conditions......like high humidity.
Even if it didn't run at all for 2 years, just sitting there in exactly the same position might mean that it is now frozen in place.

 

Where did he say that it hadn't worked in two years? If it's suddenly not working, first thing to check is if adding refrigerant will bring it online. Ester oil does leak out, but sufficient oil will remain in the system to keep the pump lubed. I never add ester oil unless the system has been opened up, closed up and evacuated. But also, if the refrigerant is low, the low pressure switch & relay will keep the clutch from engaging.

I suggested before that Paul let an A/C tech that he trusts have a chance to diagnose it. Sometimes the cheapest way is to leave it to an expert. I (an old shadetree mechanic) could diagnose it fairly quickly, for about $30 in materials. But he's there, and I'm in Tucson.

 

Post #1 in this thread was made in August, 2015......a bit shy of two years.

 

Poor logic, it could be that between the time you recharged it, the compressor failed or a sensor died.

So if you recharged it and if it still blows hot air, you could conclude that the problem is mechanical (bad pressure sensor, worn out compressor.) I think I'd invest in a couple of cans or R134a and toss a dye charge in (first) for good measure. You can probably get a little battery operated U/V lite at a hardware store (like Ace) or at Amazon.

 

picture share

It has everything you need except the hose and fitting for the refrigerant cans. It's similar to the one I use, except a lot newer. For a home mechanic, the quality is adequate. Same with their electric vacuum pumps.

 

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almost any autoparts store has them. I have these tools (actually a bit better.) They aren't necessary for topping off your system, but if you plan to do repairs that require evacuating they are indispensable.