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A/C Compressor Noise

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Seth Bruns, Apr 13, 2015.

  1. Seth Bruns

    Seth Bruns New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2015
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    Location:
    Kansas City
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Just got a new 2010 Prius III with 78,000 miles. I recently have had the car out when its been warming up outside and I noticed that when the AC is on every now and then it will make (in my opinion) a very loud electrical noise. I took it to the Toyota dealership and they said that the noise is normal (I even showed the person that checked my car in this exact video) however I question if they really heard the noise I was complaining about because it doesn't always do it (which is another reason I wonder if it isn't normal). Can anyone tell me if this is normal? Keep in mind my phone is close to the source of the noise so with the hood closed its not as loud but its still VERY noticeable.

     
    #1 Seth Bruns, Apr 13, 2015
  2. PriusInParadise

    PriusInParadise Member

    Joined:
    May 24, 2012
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Sounds normal to me.
    My 2011 sounds like that when the a/c system is working near max capacity, that is to say the interior and ambient temperatures are high, and the selected temperature is much lower, or at max cold.
    The Prius a/c compressor operates at variable speed, based on among other things, the amount of cooling requested. It can be quite noticeable at max speed.
    If the noise really bothers you, and you can tolerate reduced a/c cooling capacity, there is a customization setting that the dealer can perform to reduce the a/c compressor noise.
     
    #2 PriusInParadise, Apr 13, 2015
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    same.
     
    #3 bisco, Apr 13, 2015
  4. Christian_cool

    Christian_cool Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
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    Mine does exactly the same
     
    #4 Christian_cool, Apr 13, 2015
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