Help with AC Please. 2009 Prius. Blowing not cold air.

The AC power drawn is shown as kw.

I believe it's in one of my photos, In the "hybrid control" ecu tab? I'll take a look again.

Yup, right in the middle of the screen. "A/C Consumption Pwr". Pretty sure it was the hybrid control live screen.

 

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. You don’t know why the shaft broke. The possibilities still include “because the pump is now a welded lump of slag.”

I’d say it’s even probable.

 

Pretty sure it was in Auto, set to MAX COLD, fan was running on high speed, but outside air temp was around 75 at the time.

If the compressor has failed, it's not going to be anywhere close to a DIY repair, other than perhaps replacing the compressor with a used one.

 

Spinning like crazy and pulling no current/kw. Means there is no resistance to the spinning. Perhaps the compressor is broken internally and the motor is just freewheeling. Or it's just not turning at all and those RPM numbers aren't true for some reason. Are you able to actually hear the AC motor spin? At 9k rpm, it seems like it should make some noise.

 

I think that puts the A/C inverter off the hook, and pretty well condemns the compressor.

Get the gas recovered, flush out all the powdered former compressor that is likely in the lines, and install a secondhand compressor.

Then get it oiled, vac’d and filled back at the pro shop.

 

I wouldn’t bother with the inverter or amplifier. I might replace the condenser though, just to not have to clean the old one. I’ve never done a cleanout like that before, not sure what to suggest.

 

yeah, change the drier sac while it’s all open.

 

No. Nonononononono. The, motor, which is three-phase, would not turn at all, if you weren't feeding it a three-phase AC waveform. Feeding it DC would not make it turn at full speed, or at any speed. It would be stationary and make smoke.

 

If you’re doing the fill yourself, be precise. A little low = half the cooling power. A little high = busted compressor again.

 

*

 

If you open the system (as you will) you ought to replace the drier. If it's easier to replace the whole condenser than just the dryer, then fortune is steering you in the direction of replacing the condenser instead, which might be doing you a favor anyway, sparing you from trying to get all the compressor powder out of the old one.

A list that long of things to research suggests the outcome at a shop might be more dependable.

 

Charge 15.9 oz (450 grams) of R134a while you are under vacuum. Weight your refrigerant canister gross before you start and again when you finish. The difference should be how much R134a went in. Since each canister is about 12 oz you should do that for 2 canisters.

 

For those without the means, @lech auto air conditionin suggests using 99+% Isopropyl for cleaning hoses, gauges, etc.

Check out his posts, as there is a bunch of knowledge to be learned.

The links below might be of interest, as they mention cleaning with Isopropyl as an alternative, and DIY testing of equipment.

A/C issue | PriusChat

Adding R134a to Prius AC question | PriusChat