Air conditioning takes a long time to kick in

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by bpham2, Jun 24, 2020.

  1. bpham2

    bpham2 Junior Member

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    So I just finished an engine swap on my 2010 Prius. Now I notice that the air conditioner just blows warm air when the AC is turned on until about 10-20 minutes of driving, then it kicks in and blows out ice cold air. I can turn the AC off and on(without shutting off the engine) and the AC remains ice cold. But then I go into a grocery store for 5 minutes and come back out, when I turn AC on it takes another 10-20 minutes to get cold again. AC lines and compressor were not disconnected during the engine swap. Any ideas or troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated.
     
    #1 bpham2, Jun 24, 2020
  2. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Sounds like you missed connecting a sensor? You should recheck every connector.
    You could remove them and check to make sure the pins are not bent or pushed in.
    And make sure they are securely fitted. It is working at times, so you know it's not the compressor.
     
    #2 ASRDogman, Jun 24, 2020
  3. bpham2

    bpham2 Junior Member

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    I'll give it another once over. My train of thought is that if it is missed then it would not work at all.
     
    #3 bpham2, Jun 24, 2020
  4. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Or hooked up wrong?
    If a wire is pinched, and grounded, it could be giving the computer an incorrect reading.
    Telling it that it is colder outside and that's why it doesn't come on until later.

    If everything was working correctly before replacing the motor, and not after, then it's a good chance
    that something is not connected, connected correctly, or a pinched wired, or a sensor or harness was
    damaged when removing or installing the engine.
     
    #4 ASRDogman, Jun 24, 2020
  5. bpham2

    bpham2 Junior Member

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    The thing is I'm not sure it was working normally before as the car was a bit abused. I got it with a blown engine. Just trying to get it ready for my son's first car. When you set it to LO, doesn't it bypass temp and call for MAX AC?
     
    #5 bpham2, Jun 24, 2020
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Are the condenser fans kicking on? At a stop, you should be able to hear them immediately when the a/c button is activated. I'm thinking it's only cooling while driving due to the air flow passing thru the condenser.
     
    #6 fotomoto, Jun 24, 2020
  7. bpham2

    bpham2 Junior Member

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    fotomot, condenser fans aren't coming on.
     
    #7 bpham2, Jun 24, 2020
  8. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Check connectors, fuses and relays. Probably overlooked the connectors during the installation.
     
    #8 fotomoto, Jun 24, 2020
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  9. bpham2

    bpham2 Junior Member

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    Will do a more thorough check this weekend. Thanks fotomoto and ASRDogman!
     
    #9 bpham2, Jun 25, 2020
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  10. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    You're welcome. Hopefully, it's just a connection. And not something previous.
    Do you have access to techstream?
     
    #10 ASRDogman, Jun 25, 2020
  11. bpham2

    bpham2 Junior Member

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    Yes, I have access to techstream.
     
    #11 bpham2, Jun 25, 2020
  12. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    You should use it to check the ac. It could tell you what the problem is, or point you in
    the right direction.
     
    #12 ASRDogman, Jun 25, 2020
  13. Jan_Marcel

    Jan_Marcel Junior Member

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    Did you got fix your problem ? Do you remember how? I have the exact same problem after replace the engine.
     
    #13 Jan_Marcel, May 9, 2024
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