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Aircon Warm Air!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Sam Dean, Jul 2, 2013.

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  1. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    damn

    what equipment is needed?

    couldn't i fill the system with oil anyway and see if it retains the pressure? It would be a cheaper bet than have a crazy local mechanic touch my car ?
     
    #61 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  2. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    You could just try filling the system with gas hoping the oil in the compressor is still there and ok, but if there is any moisture in the system this freezes in the valves blocking them the system stops working they melt and the system then works again. This is not good for the compressor as it relies on the coolant gas to cool the electric motor that actually runs in the gas as part of the sealed compressor. I can tell you how but the risk must be yours. The parts are not cheap to replace.

    John
     
    #62 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  3. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    damn

    okay - i dont know what to do, because this sounds like a job that a mechanic will love to charge heavily for

    i can see aircon vacuum pumps on ebay but obviously i wouldn't know which one to get. Instructions on evacuating the AC system are all over youtube, and so i'm happy to give it a go.....

    the repair work on the car has been poor and so it's too risky to assume that there are not any cracks in the system

    what shall i do John?

    this prius episode just seems to be going from bad to worse :(


    there must be a DIY technique somewhere.....i'm gonna get researching on my side too
     
    #63 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  4. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    i dont think there's any oil in the system.....

    but then again - there could be and the air has just left the system during the repair work of the car - OR - they replaced all of the front side of the car with "new" parts and just didnt fill any of it with anything
     
    #64 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  5. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    came across this too:

     
    #65 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  6. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The oil used will be a particular problem. It must be ND11 it is only a very small amount "from memory 5ozs in an empty system". On no account let anyone put PAG oil in the system as that will cost £thousands to put right.

    I would ask your local dealer for a price on evacuating leak detecting and refilling before going down the DIY route. It may not be as expensive as you may think and they will stand behind there work.
    Buying the gauges and tubes is not that expensive but then you need the evacuation pump a large bottle of gas and the oil that I have yet to find a supplier for small quantities.
    You could just try gassing the system using my method to see if it holds pressure then take things from there.

    Do not under any circumstances use compressed air as this is full of water vapour!!!!

    John (Britprius)
     
    #66 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  7. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    Okay.

    There's no cap on the H valve and although the valve itself looks okay - I'm unsure if it is okay....especially as I just read somewhere that 80% of AC leaks occur at this valve.

    I will probably get a quote as you suggest and then I may just go down the route of re-filling the system with refridgerant and hoping that it holds

    i'm exhausted
     
    #67 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  8. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Do not remove the fuse modification as this is 100% a wiring problem on your car. The second wiring mod may or may not be required we will not know until the system is pressurized. But it can do no harm.
    Filling the system using my method will cost £20 unless you can find the gas cheaper, and take at best 1/2 hr.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #68 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  9. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    Okay

    are there any downsides of filling the system as is, apart from it all leaking out ?
     
    #69 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  10. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    One you could have a leak needing repairs/replacements to cure the leak
    Two there could be moisture in the system and it works intermittently needing to be evacuated and refilled.
    Three there may be low oil in the system.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #70 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  11. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    sorry - i just re-read your post on the risks.

    so basically - i could potentially damage the compressor

    in which case, it's probably not worth it - let me find out how much this evacuating process will cost and i'll take it from there i guess
     
    #71 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  12. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    what if i just filled the system with the gas and then put a bubbly soap solution on and around the compressor and valves to check for leaks?

    then if there's no leaks - i could turn it on the next day....atleast this would be one less thing to worry about (leakage)

    RE: the moisture in the system - with it being so hot these days - I would have thought that if i left the valves open for a day - this would dry it out?


    just some ideas
     
    #72 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  13. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Perhaps moisture is a bit misleading. The air we breath contains water vapour (humidity). When you compress this the vapour turns to liquid and this is what happens in an A/C system. The compressed gas (now a liquid) with small quantities of water in it pass through a small hole and is allowed to decompress evaporating thus freezing (school science evaporation uses up heat) any water passing through the hole freezes blocking it so the cooling process stops. Ice melts process starts again. Simplistic but basic method of A/C system with added water.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #73 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  14. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    hmmm - well explained

    ok will stick to the plan of getting a quote for evacuation
     
    #74 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  15. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Try companies in your are that specialise in A/C work they may be cheaper than the dealer, but do make sure they know about the correct oil. There work may be perfectly ok but if they have not worked on a hybrid before there is no reason they would know.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #75 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  16. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    just a thought but how do i check if my compressor is working? i couldnt see anything the last time i checked....
     
    #76 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  17. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    You cannot see any moving parts on the compressor you can however hear it out side the car when you turn on the A/C it is very noticeable. Do not run it for long with no gas in the system as the electric motor requires this to keep it cool.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #77 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
  18. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    actually - the prius compressor is that silver pump unit with an orange tube coming out of it - which blows the air. This was working otherwise the aircon wouldnt even switch on....

    it looks alittle different on other cars shown on youtube
     
    #78 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  19. Sam Dean

    Sam Dean Member

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    yeh - i havent run the blower motor for any more than 2 minutes in a row, because it would always just blow warm air
     
    #79 Sam Dean, Jul 17, 2013
  20. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Yes cars on Utube will mostly be engine driven compressors and they use PAG oil. The Prius compressor is electrically driven (from gen2 on) because the engine is not always running when the car is moving, or at traffic lights.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #80 Britprius, Jul 17, 2013
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