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A/C not cold...no codes

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Timmoth, Jul 24, 2018.

  1. Timmoth

    Timmoth Junior Member

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    Loveland, Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
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    Touring
    I have a 2007 Prius with 179,000 miles on it. The AC stopped working two summers ago and after checking the forums here I saw that you can't just use a recharge kit from the store to fix it. Now I will be selling this car to my sister hopefully soon and I'm wanting to get it in good shape for her. Now that I'm looking into the possible problems with the AC I'm a little bit scared! I've got an appointment tomorrow and they said they could recharge the AC for $129.

    My question is this: if there was a serious problem like say the compressor would it throw codes? I have T-Mobile syncup drive in my car which constantly monitors for error codes in the vehicle. As far as I know if there were error codes they would be showing up through my app. I'm just curious as to what it could be before I spend any money on it.

    Is there anything else I should know going into this? Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 Timmoth, Jul 24, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    try torque, or something more prius aware.
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 24, 2018
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Use a refill kit and do it yourself. Get one that's pure 134A without oil. The car uses a special ND-11 oil so don't mix it with anything else.

    If it gets cold, check for leaks.
     
    #3 JC91006, Jul 24, 2018
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You don't need OBD to check the HVAC codes. Just hold AUTO + RECIRC while turning the car on, and read the two-digit codes off the MFD.

    -Chap
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Jul 25, 2018
    SFO and fotomoto like this.
  5. scottberggren

    scottberggren Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Yeah, AC problems typically won't give a check engine light or create any codes in an OBD2 app. Use the advice of ChapmanF above.

    OBD2 codes are typically engine/emissions related, though a lot of systems are now covered in diagnostics. There's some AC electrical items that may be monitored and show up on an OBD2 scan, but I haven't seen any yet.
     
    #5 scottberggren, Jul 25, 2018
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    IV
    If you have Techstream, it will pull the HVAC codes over the OBD port and display them for you in all their five-character glory. (At least, on Gen 3 it will, could 2 be different?) It's just that more generic code reading tools don't even know there's an HVAC ECU there for them to talk to, so they don't. But you can always read the abbreviated two-digit versions on the MFD.

    -Chap
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Jul 26, 2018
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