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I think I just messed up my AC Compressor

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TIFUMyPrius, Jul 20, 2016.

  1. TIFUMyPrius

    TIFUMyPrius Junior Member

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    Hey guys,

    So I have a 2006 Prius and one of the problems I had was that the air conditioner wasn't blowing out colder air like it used to.

    I bought the wrong type of refrigerant (Interdynamics AFK-11CS Arctic Freeze Ultra Synthetic Recharging Kit) on Amazon and didn't know that I was supposed to use another type of refrigerant specifically for vehicles that use electric compressors until AFTER I used an entire can of the wrong refrigerant on my Prius.

    How badly is my compressor messed up?

    I feel really sick to my stomach. :sick:
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! i think you need to take it to an a/c shop and have the lines cleaned, then add new ref ridge. all the best.(y)
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    My (limited) understanding is the Prius takes the usual refrigerant, but a special oil. I'd agree, cut your losses, get professionals to look at it. Dealership safest bet?
     
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  4. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat! I'm so sorry to learn of your predicament, but I think you've come to the best place to get good advice! I'm sorry that I don't have the expertise to advise you, but I think I would have come here first of all, and asked a few questions before I opened my tool-box, or took out my credit-card! Good luck, and I'm sure you'll get it sorted out! (…I'm sure you're not the first to have been fooled (…damned amazon)) - hope this helps - Wil (…hang in there! (y))
     
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  5. TIFUMyPrius

    TIFUMyPrius Junior Member

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    Yes I think that is it. The refrigerant that I used in my Prius contained oil that conducts electricity, I think.
     
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  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Yep the Prius takes non conducting oil. No damage may have been done if you do not have a big red triangle on the dash. Thats a master caution alarm the car would throw if the compressor was shorted.
    Stop using the compressor/ ac system leave it off and take it to an ac shop. The prius is a very common car and most ac shops should know about the special non conducting ND-11 it uses. Inquire.

    Don't feel bad. Those home kits have ruined many a car ac system. What no one seems to understand is if the car is low on refrigerant its because it has a leak. if you don't fix the leak your just throwing more refrigerant into the atmosphere. That and it is really easy to overfill the system with the home bottle which is just as bad as it being low.
    AC shop will flush the system and fill it back up with ND-11 and add a die to it. Then they will either try to sniff out the leak or use special glasses that enables them to see the leaking die. Sometimes its just a loose fitting. Sometimes its bad and the e-coil under the dash has a leak.
    Sometimes the car has been in a front end accident and the op neglects to mention it in the post. We see many front end accidents that have poor installed front condensers or cheap china condensers that leak down the road.
     
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  7. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Every time I have tried to charge the system myself -- including this year. I have regretted it. .... One of those things I hate to admit, but it is better to take it to the shop and spend the $125 to have it done "perfectly."
     
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  8. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    I save money by doing all of the maintenance that I can on my cars so that the professionals can deal with the stuff that I cannot do myself.

    I'd find a good A/C shop and tell them what you did and see what they say.
    If they immediately try to sell you a new compressor without trying to save the old one (which has not failed yet) then they're likely "dealer trained" and you might want to try another A/C shop.

    Take the product that you used.
    It might not zorch your compressor motor before they can get it replaced with the proper agent.
    As stated above, they'll also be able to determine why you needed the freon in the first place. ;)
     
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Considering the Prius uses a proprietary lubrication oil in the lines, maybe best to stick with dealership? Or a place fully cognisant of this, able to get the proper oil.
     
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  10. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    …not to mention dealer's work done is usually warranteed, so I won't! ;)
     
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  11. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Can you elaborate? I know it's embarrassing but it could save a lot of headache for people as a warning.
     
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  12. TIFUMyPrius

    TIFUMyPrius Junior Member

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    Just wanna give a huge thanks to everyone who replied to me on this post.

    I just came back from the shop.

    When I went there I was so thankful for the knowledge you guys have given me about the problem I had. It made it so much easier to explain it to the technicians because of everyone here.

    They did a flush of the ac system and replaced the system with the proper refrigerant.
    And now my Prius is back to blowing cold air again :)

    Thank you all for getting rid of my anxiety, I really appreciated everyone's input. (y)
     
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  13. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    So often, the "new" members post with a problem, get lots of replies and we never hear a word back from them. Thanks.

    As for my latest problem, cold air was not very cold. I have a quality pressure gauge for this type of work, not the plastic thing you get on top of some of the refrigerant bottles. Refrigerant was down about 2/3s.

    I bought refrigerant ONLY -- nothing else -- and hooked it up through the gauge, immediately upon cracking the can of refrig., the gauge red-lined.

    I pulled off the can of refrig, got mild frostbite on one hand doing it and the rest of the refrig. can merrily went spewing into the atmosphere. My mechanic said that is common. They fixed me up for $125, including the proper oil and dye. No leaks that we can see....

    Time before, someone (????) misidenntified the high and low lines -- this was about 20 years ago and they were not marked as they are now (mostly). Luckily the hose exploded and not the can....Again, mild frostbite....

    There was another time before that, but I was 16....that was in the dinosaur days....
     
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  14. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    This post really makes me thank my sister who married an A/C mechanic and this is one thing I've never had to mess with.

    Good to hear the OP got the mistake fixed before damage was done.
     
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  15. b100

    b100 Member

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    I have 1cc of the wrong oil in my system too, but its in there for 20.000miles so i dont worry any more...its running fine