Airconditioning stopped putting out cold air?

I have 102,000 miles on my 2006 Prius. It has been problem free. Today, I noticed that the air conditioner did not put out any cold air. I looked at the sight glass and I can see bubbles. The fan noise is rather loud. In fact it is very loud. So I ordered a new fan housing with both fans. However, I am still wondering about the air conditioner not working. Anyone out there have some ideas on what I should check out? The serpentine belt seems ok. Are there any fuses that I should check? The interior fan is working ok. Could it be that I am low in Freon?
Thanks,
Manny

 

As I understand the second generation Prius uses a drive belt. It is only the third generation that went to an electric compressor? Has anyone out there topped off their Freon?

 

I took the car in to Tustin Toyota. They evacuated the system then recharged it. They also added dye to check for leaks. The ac does not provide for cold air. I have noticed that only if I am driving does the inlet feel cool. If at a stop there is a feeling that the air is warm suggesting that something is not right. I was thinking that the fan in front of the radiator is not working as well as it should. I ordered a new unit with both fans. However, now I am thinking that perhaps something is wrong with the compressor. Anyone out there have issues with their compressor not working correctly. What were the symptoms?
Thanks,
Manny

 

1. yes
2. 74
3. 68
4. auto
5. auto
6. yes
7. ok
8.no
9.yes

 

Yes when I first get in the car and start off the air conditioner is in the recirculate mode. I verified that the fans both work and blow in the correct direction. I did notice today that the weather was warm about 72. We got into the car and started off. The air conditioning unit would only blow warm air. Normally when you start adjusting the temperature of the air closer to the stated temperature the blower speed drops. In this particular situation that was not happening. It was gaining in speed. We drove about 5 miles and then stopped. When we got back into the car all of a sudden the cooler air was coming out of the outlets. Very strange. As long as we were moving the air stayed cool. As soon as we would come to a stop the air would warm up. That sounds like the fans must not be on? Perhaps the information for outside temp, inside temp is not being processed correctly. When I got home I went to eBay and found a used air/heater amplifier unit for about $40. I ordered it thinking that perhaps this is the ECU for the air conditioning system. I had read in a couple of posts where folks mentioned this device. What do you think? I think it is located next to the cabin filter assembly? I am going to try and swap to see if that makes a difference. Otherwise I am thinking that either something is blocked (unlikely) or my compressor is not longer able to perform well. Would you agree?
Thanks,
Manny

 

Well good news and bad news. I was having a hard time locating the position of the AC Amplifier. Finally last night I saw that it was under the center of the console. So this morning in between the rain I got out and started to pull stuff apart. It has been so long since I took out the bottom center piece that I kind of forgot how. Anyway I put a switch for turning the phone on while driving and I did not allow for much slack. So I had to pull that out and eventually cut the wire. Then I could not see the ac amp. I suspected that it was at the bottom. There was a plastic air connector that seemed right in place. I was trying to get it out but the carpet was holding it in tightly. Finally I just cut a line in the carpet towards the armrest console. Still was not enough to pull out this air connector. Finally I started pulling the carpet on both sides of the car. Eventually I got the damn thing out. Then I realized that I did not need to do that. The AC Amp was just on the other side. There were two of the three screws holding it in place. I undid the two wire connectors and then undid the screws and pulled it out sideways. You can not tell if it is good or bad by looking at it. So I decided to put the used one in that I got from the junk yard (Parts Recycling Facility). Anyway hooked it back up and debated if I should put everything together or wait. Who knows they could have sent me a bad one. Well in order to drive the car I had to put the carpets back in as they were pulled away from the firewall on both sides. Of course before I could do that I had to put that air connector back in. Wouldn't you know it that was the hardest part of the job. I had to really work at it to get the connectors on both sides on properly and connect in the front. And of course I never needed to take the damn thing off in the first place. So that was the bad news! Once that was done I decided that everything would go back together so that I could drive the car. I started the car up and felt the familiar cold air coming out of the vents. But of course that is normal when it first starts. I then tried the heat and watched on the climate menu what was happening as I increased the temperature. For the first time everything seemed coordinated. I started to drive and put the heat on. For the first time in a long time (even before I thought I had an air conditioning problem) the heater put out warm air. As I took it up and up in temperature beyond 86 degrees it goes into high and the heater was really putting out the heat. As I took it down in temperature the fan slowed down and the temperature began to cool till I hit the 65 degrees and it goes into low. So I think this was the issue. The AC Amp must process all the information from the sensors and then send signals to the compressor and the radiator fans etcetera. I am so pleased with my self. Especially since the part cost me $40 shipped to my house and it worked. Go figure. I must thank all who have discussed their issues relating to air conditioning as I tried to read them all.

Manny

 

I tried to check to see if there were any error codes. I have an Autoenginuity unit that I have used on the NSX. I tried to read error messages on the Prius. But I could never properly connect. I wonder if it even works on Prius. Anyone out there try using the older Autoenginuity unit?
Manny

 

I ended up reading a p1150 error code that deals with the a/f ..... This could have been triggered when I changed out the water pump and had to refill the radiator. On another note, the air conditioner continued to work intermittently. I took it back to Toyota of Tustin and had them do a diagnostic. They came back and said that the compressor was no longer working properly. When cold it would work but as it go hot it would not perform properly. This kind of supports what I had feared before. So I decided to go ahead and have the compressor and dryer replaced. Toyota was kind enough to help with some of the costs. We have after all purchased 4 new Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Never the less it is still expensive to replace the compressor. The bill to me will be about $1300. I guess I could go out and buy a new one for $600 and the dryer for $70 and then do the install. I would have to expel the Freon to the atmosphere which is not the right thing to do. Then I would have to make sure I got it back to a Toyota dealer or someone who would use the correct oil and then add the Freon. I might save $400. But this time I think I will go with Toyota and have the peace of mind that they did it correctly. So in retrospect. I have noticed that the air conditioner has not performed as well over the last few months. It then began blowing warm air or air that had a lot of moisture. So I looked for something wrong. There were some bubbles in the sight glass but not too many. I had it filled by Toyota. They put a dye in to see if they could spot any leaks. I could hear the compressor from inside the car. It was loud enough that it was evident even while listening to the radio. Outside the car it was really loud. I had never recalled hearing it before. So perhaps that was the real indicator. When I put my hand down on the radiator fan shroud I could feel vibration which made me think it might be the fans. But upon further thought I also really felt the vibration when my hand would touch the compressor line that comes up from compressor. That in retrospect is the give away. The loud noise is probably a bearing or other item inside the compressor. When I get the car back this afternoon I will again listen to see if the compressor makes much noise and report back here.
Manny

 

Well I have had the car now for a couple of days. The air conditioner works as it should. The loud noise that was coming from the compressor is not gone. I can hear a hum when I stand outside next to the hood. So apparently that loud noise was a key indicator that the compressor was not working properly. We have had weather in the low 90s and the air comes on and cools pretty well. It cost me some money but I feel much better knowing that it is ok. If we sell the car I can feel comfortable knowing that everything is running as it should.
Manny