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Air Conditioner is dead-- could it be because I just had both batteries replaced?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by ElizaDay, Sep 26, 2008.

  1. ElizaDay

    ElizaDay New Member

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    Remember me? I posted here about three weeks ago. I had a dead main battery and auxiliary battery and Toyota wanted 5k for it. Well, I ended up getting both replaced and now the A/C is dead. It's not just dead in the sense that it's blowing out warm air. It's dead meaning that it won't run at all.

    Any idea if this could be tied into the whole battery drama? Anybody have a clue what a new A/C for a classic Prius goes for?

    Any advice is always appreciated.

    And thanks for getting me through the last Prius episode. It helped. The car has been wonderful to me for the first two years and then boom! problems, problems, problems!
     
    #1 ElizaDay, Sep 26, 2008
  2. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Wow, *both* batteries?? That's pretty hairy. But batteries
    shouldn't affect the A/C in an '01 since it still runs on a belt
    from the engine. Unless they just screwed up the wiring to it
    in the process of doing the other work...
    .
    _H*
     
    #2 hobbit, Sep 26, 2008
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Ok, I assume you mean no fan and that includes if you try to use the heater?

    First, check the fuses.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Sep 26, 2008
  4. ElizaDay

    ElizaDay New Member

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    No fan. No heat. Nothing. It's completely dead.

    According to Toyota it was both batteries. Who knows. As someone said to me: when a mechanic sees a woman in a prius, they see dollar signs.

    Fortunately, I went to Toyota and they cut me a deal and it only set me back $1300 (instead of the 5k my local Toyota wanted).

    How do I check the fuses? I'm mechanically illiterate (sorry).
     
    #4 ElizaDay, Sep 26, 2008
  5. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hi Eliza...,

    The bad fan motor could be the reason the small battery died. A partial short (short in one of the several windings) in the fan motor would cause excessive current draw, that would go unnoticed if the motor started each time. If the fan stops on that bad winding, which is like a dice roll, then when it starts back up it will be stuck. And all that current going through the motor commutator (due to the short in the winding) might cause the comutator to stick permanently in that shorted position. And also blow the fuse to the motor.
     
    #5 donee, Sep 26, 2008
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Eliza,

    If the cabin air blower is not working, then one or more of the following components is having a problem:

    50A HTR fuse
    HTR relay
    Blower motor
    Blower motor controller
    A/C amplifier

    It would be reasonable to ask your dealer's service dept for assistance. The traction battery replacement is unrelated to the air conditioner failure.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Sep 27, 2008
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