Prius (2004-09) :: AC Can't Take The Heat / Compressor Conks Out
May 22, 2012
The AC on my 2002 Prius works fine, as long as it's cool outside and I'm running it on low. As soon as I stress the system -- either it's above 75 degrees outside, or I'm running it on maximum, or driving on the highway for more than 30 minutes -- the compressor conks out. Fan's still blowing, but no cold air. The light on the a/c button starts flashing. If I turn it off for a few seconds, the cold air comes on again, but usually only for a few minutes, and then we repeat the cycle. The Toyota mechanics claimed they couldn't replicate the problem, but I bet if I forced them to ride with me up and down the highway on a 90-degree day with the windows up and no a/c, they'd believe me.
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So I was doing my coolant flush yesterday and turned on the heat, both front and rear, to move any old coolant out of piping and cores. I notice that the rear was not blowing as "warm" as the front.
I did notice that the compressor was clicking on and off the whole time. A/c pipes coming off of accumulator were freezing up/getting cold/frosty.
Is it normal for the compressor to do this when the heat is on?
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Ok so I have another issue. This is one of three right now. Had the truck flat bedded home due to a seized rear caliper. Carrier bearing is causing vibration, will replace that this weekend. My question is does the ac compressor spin even if the ac or heat isn't on? Mine wasn't spinning today when the truck was idling. Should it always spin and just not be "engaged " my ect was quite high too but I thought that was due to the locked up brake.
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I have a 2001 Mazda B3000. The a/c compressor is coming on while I'm running my heat. The air coming out while the heat is on stays warm. However, when I was running the A/C during the summer the air would start blowing out warm after it had been on for a while. Several people told me it may have something to do with the blend door or blend door actuator but both appear to be working fine. What it could be?
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I recently purchased a 2005 Monte Carlo, it has the 3.4l V6. I live in Pa. and like others our winter has been real cold, I was waiting to pick up my wife from work the other day, while sitting in the car i was changing the heat selections from defrost to floor to bi-level and realized that the A/C compressor clutch is engaging when the selector is on defrost and floor, it disengages on bi-level. I know that it is supposed to engage on defrost. Is it normal for this car to activate the A/C on floor? if so it is a first for me.
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When I turn the control to heat the AC compressor kicks in. If turned to vent it does not kick in. Was this just a design flaw.
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I have a 2008 Prius. In 2009, I got into a collision, and the car required extensive body work. This week, I took my car to the mechanic to repair the air conditioning system - only warm air was blowing out. According to my mechanic, the compressor went out because the auto body shop put in the wrong oil in the air conditioning system and re-installed the fans backwards. I got my car back today, and the air conditioning works really great!
However, my family spoke to their mechanic (different person from my mechanic), and he indicated that used compressors are dangerous due to the high likelihood that contaminants will be leaked. This sounds completely ludicrous to me. My mechanic said that the other mechanic's concerns are unfounded.
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I have an 05 Prius with 53k miles and the ac just recently stopped working. The blower fan still comes on, but neither the compressor nor condenser cooling fan will come on. I've checked the fuses and relays, and they check out ok. I'm hoping there may be one I missed? It just stopped working with no warning signs. What could be causing this? If the compressor was bad, the condenser fan would still work, right? I'm fearing it's the ac inverter. Do the symptoms match?
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Quick back story, bought the car a year ago, seller told me it was in an accident and the radiator was replaced. He let me know that the discharge AC hose was missing and that the other hose was disconnected. I also noticed that the low pressure cap is missing. I recently ordered and installed the discharge hose with the intention of filling the system later.
I have always noticed a noise/vibration coming from the passenger side when braking at low speeds. I havent noticed at higher speeds but maybe there is more road noise. The best I can describe the noise is that is sounds like a compressor running. I have a hunch it's the AC compressor and might be related to the regenerative braking, but I am no expert.
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My wife and I have had a 2005 Prius for a little over a year now. When we bought it, the previous owner said the A/C system was new. Once the spring/summer hit, we realised that wasn't true- apparently the blower motor was replaced, but the compressor was bad (dealer confirmed). We just lived with it last summer, but I am wanting to replace it now before it warms up.
I am home mechanic- no professional, but I have done everything from engine rebuilds to engine swaps at my house before. There are very few jobs that my cars have needed that I haven't done myself. The Prius is one thing I haven't done much to, and am not completely familiar with. I looked at a diagram, and the compressor seems easy to access from below the car. I have ordered a service manual for the Prius, and will use that.
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Unplugging the Ac compressor, what the voltage reads on the three orange leads that run the compressor (one lead from voltmeter to ground, AC voltage). Test with Ac off then on.
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I have a 2001 F-350 S/D w/7.3. Question is... Is it possible for the mode switch ( one controls floor/ defrost and A/c ) to not function or should I say leave the a/c on even if it is not in a/c position? What I have noticed was that when it is in the floor mode or the vent mode (not the floor/vent) the compressor does not come on. When it is in vent/floor or either a/c modes it does. Is this normal... I don't think so though I do know anytime the a/c is switched on compressor should come on but no time without a/c being on.. Maybe I'm wrong
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I just found out that the air conditioning compressor is broke in my 2006 prius and its going to cost $1800 to fix it.. I am not in the loop here but that seems ridiculously high. I mean i save money at the pump but all that money just went out the door if i get this repaired. I am really contemplating trading the car in rather than deal with that expense..
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a while back I had found and bookmarked a page here with info on how the dealer could program the A/C compressor to not be forced on when the front windshield defrost is on; but the page is now missing.
I want to disable the compressor being on during defog because it causes the air to be extremely dry and causes severe problems with my asthma; and as soon as I turn it off or switch to normal foot/front vents, all the water that had condensed on the A/C coil then spews out and fogs up the entire car badly. It's a vicious cycle that is dangerous.
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It's one of those days again when the temps are starting to get hot here in Austin, Tx. My AC started acting up during the Spring and first started working fine then after about 10-15 minutes of driving the air starts to blow warmer. The air doesn't go back to cold unless the car has been parked and off for several hours or overnight, and even after that it only blows cold for 10-15 mins again.
Well, I didn't have the time/money to mess with it. The recent May it stopped cooling completely. I recently took it to a local shop and we look at it together. Drained the system and the mechanic was saying it's pulling some air and a little refrigerant. Well, we recharged the system and we could only put in 0.5 lbs and the Low side just maxes out. The system is supposed to hold 1.06 lbs so we were left scratching our heads.
Decided to check for leaks, discharged the system again and hooked up a vacuum pump and see if the gauges will go below 0 for negative pressure and they never did. So the shop doesn't think my system has a leak. They could have used a dye to check but didn't have any on the shelf at that moment.
I also have a DTC code of B1476 and we followed the shop manual. Fans blow into the engine and sometimes we had the bubble but couldn't add more refrigerant due to the Low side being maxed.
My father thinks I most likely have a blockage somewhere in the system. If so, how I can check for this? Is there a specific place or two I can look to find out the system is blocked?
Some people on the form seem to have AC problems, including some with the B1476, and others that couldn't find the problem very well. I'm worried that replacing the compressor wouldn't solve the problem, especially if there is a blockage or something. I usually do a lot of mechanic work but I've never actually worked on an AC system before. I would love to dive into this, even if I can only do part of it and then send it to the Toyota dealer for a flush and charge.
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I have a 2003 ford ranger xlt 4.0L and here recently my ac compressor has been making a loud click noise engaging even though i am not using heat or AC, so when it engages the rpms drop and almost wants to stall and it does this in about 10-15 sec. intervals, but when I am driving it acts fine. What is going on here, I recently had a vacuum leak and i found it and fixed it, and now this issue just started.
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Just rescued this 2004 from a driveway death. While checking out a no A/C condition I notice that the A/C compressor cycles on for about 10-15 seconds then stops, does this 4 times and then ends. System shows low pressure but doesn't run long enough to build up any. Need to get the OBD-2 tester on it.
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Had A/C go out while in Vegas almost 2 weeks ago. Dealer said compressor dead, replaced at my dealer back home, now having loss of power issue's, poor acceleration, 29mpg, & bad smell like transmission fluid or catalytic converter... Problems noticed after picked up car, then went away, now back.. No codes on the scantool, no lights etc.
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I recently picked up a 2005 Prius with 129k miles that seems to be in gFor any codes.
With most cars this would usually point to a faulty thermostat but I'm not sure on a Prius. I checked the coolant level and it's fine. I don't hear any gurgling in the dash so I'm guessing there's no air in the system.
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A few weeks ago, I received the triangle light in my 2007 Prius with 125k miles on it. When I took it to the dealer, they said that the hybrid battery needed to be replaced. A new battery was ordered & installed by the dealer, which took a couple weeks as the battery wasn't in stock. When I picked up the Prius this week, within driving it a couple miles, it was apparent the A/C wasn't working. I took it right back to the dealer who said they'd look into it. When the Service sales guy started it again, it made a very strange noise as well, which it never did before. The dealer has come back and said that not only has the A/C Compressor out but the ABS actuator is also failing. They are saying this has nothing to do with the battery replacement but both these items were working fine before having the battery replaced
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I have a 2009 Prius with about 56K miles on it that I absolutely love. Now I know from reading in the forums an my own experience that when the A/C compressor starts running you hear an electric whirring sound. My question is... is it a cause for concern when the sound it makes seems different -- the pitch sounds lower to me now. The A/C still works fine, but I didn't know if this changing sound means the compressor was on the way out.
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