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Display going wacky, AC goes on and off by itself

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by cricket, Jan 16, 2018.

  1. cricket

    cricket Junior Member

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    On a recent trip I noticed the AC kept going on by itself, I'd turn it off and it would soon turn itself back on. Finally the display started flashing randomly on and off. Since then I am still having the problem of the AC with a mind of its own, the panel hasn't gone wacky again but may when I drive it a distance again. Any idea of what I'm looking at? My mechanic says best to go straight to dealer with this one, which makes me nervous! 2008, 89K .
     
  2. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Your complaints suggestyto me, you might issues with either the AC circuitry in the MFD, or there's a partial contact problem with one of the AC connectors.

    Have the fuses looked at.

    Do you have a scantool? If you do, you might have an AC system related codes logged in the AC ECU of the car.
     
  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I agree that you should get the codes and find out what complaints your car has. Not hard at home with inexpensive tools. Dealer will charge to read the codes, but that's the quickest way to find out. The auto parts stores do not generally have scanners that read Prius specific codes, but I've seen reports that some do.

    Also, from what I've experienced and read about here, a low 12V battery can generate a wide range of mysterious symptoms in the Prius. So I think the first thing I'd do is check its condition. It only takes a minute and costs nothing to eliminate it as a problem. Then get after those dtc codes.
     
  4. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Exactly
    Perfectly right.
     
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  5. cricket

    cricket Junior Member

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    OK thanks for all those replies. I'll ask my mechanic to scan it and will check the battery!
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Be sure that your mechanic can read all the Prius codes. It has a bunch that are not programmed into generic scanners.
     
  7. cricket

    cricket Junior Member

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    Well, nothing showed up on the scanner, and the 12 V battery was good, so guess it's off to the dealer ~
     
  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Hope you get solid answers there. And inexpensive ones, too!
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it was the speedo display, (multi function display = MFD) you may have a bad solder joint. if the dealer confirms, it is very expensive, but there are rebuilt options much cheaper.

    how old is the 12v? not every mechanic really knows how to test them properly.
     
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  10. cricket

    cricket Junior Member

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    Ha, what are the chances ! ; )
     
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  11. cricket

    cricket Junior Member

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    Only a couple of years, and I feel my mechanic tested it properly, but then again how do I know?