Air Con Recharging?

[cootuk]

Looking at a recent ATS aircon recharge deal, hybrids were specifically excluded.

I think this may be to do with the fact that the Prius uses a special non-standard lubricating oil.

Anyone had experiences of taking theirs into the various chains that do system checks/regassing/full cleanouts?

[Duffryn]

Had mine a/c overhauled recently when my dealer 'convinced' me it was to be recommended - car had covered 37K miles - for around £90, completed at the same time as a 4yr service.

90 quid well spent? Who knows.......but can't say I've really noticed any difference. Comes into 'preventative maintenance' category I suppose.

[cootuk]

http://www.autoserviceprofessional.com/article/93187/Hybrid-vehicle-air-conditioning-service?Page=3

Compressor oil

The biggest difference (beside the obvious electric versus belt-driven design in Gen II/III) is the type of lubricating oil used in the system. While PAG or Ester oil is primarily used in traditional A/C systems, POE (polyolester) type oil is used in hybrid vehicles. The specific type used and mandated by Toyota is ND-11.

ND-11 oil provides high dielectric properties, which helps to maintain the integrity of the compressor’s electrical windings.

According to Robinair, with just 1% of PAG oil in the system, this can lower the insulation resistance of a compressor from over 10 mega ohms to under 1 mega ohm.

If PAG oil is used to completely fill an electric compressor system, the insulation resistance can essentially be reduced to zero. Based on recommendations from Honda, Toyota, Ford and GM (again, according to Robinair) it is unacceptable to allow even the slightest amount of PAG (or other oil) into the system. Honda even goes so far as to recommend replacing all A/C system components if the system is cross-contaminated with the wrong oil.

In June 2010, the SAE published a revised version of the SAE J2788 standard that covers the operation of an A/C recover, recycle and recharging (RRR) machine. A machine suitable for servicing both vehicles with a high voltage electric compressor that uses POE oil and traditional PAG oil systems must:

• not have an on-board automatic/manual oil or dye injection, and

• be capable of charging refrigerant into a system with less than 0.1% by weight of any residual oil.

A way to tell if a machine is certified as suitable for servicing vehicles that use high voltage electric compressors is to look for a marking that features a yellow triangle with a lightening bolt, accompanied by the words “Certified for High Voltage Compressor Service.” This alert should appear somewhere on the machine either as a separate decal or on the decal that indicates SAE J2788 certification. An example of such a machine is Robinair’s 34788-H machine (which does not feature on-board oil injection). ●

[A T4]

You may find the thread here of interest http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/152488-air-conditioning-or-air-con/