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2005 Prius AC problems.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Saithus, May 5, 2014.

  1. Saithus

    Saithus Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2013
    17
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    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    My problems in my ac begin last year around Summer. My ac was blowing hot and not cold and once it even blew some kind of smoke out of the vents. It only did that once and hasn't since. I went to good year and put some freon in the car. And it started to blow cold again and I was good for a while. Well I didn't need the cold air for the last few months till the heat started up again.

    Long story short. Its not blowing cold. Just a little bit. And not only that once the ac just wasn't blowing at all and I turned it off and on and it started blowing.

    Any suggestions as to what I should do? I'm willing to take it to a shop. But I don't want to go to the dealer since they charge an arm and leg for anything. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks
     
  2. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    988
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    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Just remember that a fly by night shop may not use the proper oil when they refill your AC. Your problem is your refrigerant has leaked out and needs a recharge. The only way this could happen is if there is a leak somewhere. The dealer usually doesn't charge too much for this and this is one case where I have to recommend the dealer. The main reason is the special oil required for the Prius AC system. If the wrong oil is put in the car's AC system, the only fix is to replace all AC components (likely costing more than the car is worth). The proper oil to use is called ND 11 it is normally put in with the refrigerant.