P0AA6 526 614 AC ISSUE FIX

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021.

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  1. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    Unfortunately I was in a hurry to get the car done but I grabbed some pics to help fix this AC issue so many are having across the Toyota Lexus products.

    There is a pressure / vacuum relief hole in the plug, which is a perfect place for ingest especially if you wash your engine like most of us have done..

    unfortunately the bolts used are a PITA!!! but I got around them with a 5.5MM and 7MM 12MM and a 3MM HEX (Allen) Key, and a PH2 driver.

    Also you will need soldering skills if you want to do a professional job and guarantee success.

    I fortunately have a full electronics workbench so I was able to fix / complete this job in 6 hours.

    My compressor had about 1/2 cup of water in it, the AC still worked fine, but it was throwing the dreaded triangle and pull over check hybrid system.

    You will need to desolder the plug, and the wiring connection ( 4 bigger solder joints, needs some serious heat to remove )

    as you can see there was some serious corrosion and damage but it all reflowed without a hitch and cleaned up perfectly in the ultrasonic bathtub. It also helps to include a rubber ducky and blast some hank Williams jr to remove the crud..

    ask questions and ill answer if you need help. im exhausted and ill update after I wake up.

    IMG_20210716_185903259.jpg IMG_20210716_185926297.jpg IMG_20210716_191711722.jpg IMG_20210716_192042500.jpg IMG_20210716_201216200.jpg IMG_20210716_220556680.jpg IMG_20210716_220601594.jpg IMG_20210716_220613318.jpg IMG_20210716_231902414.jpg IMG_20210716_232809055.jpg
     
    #1 Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2021
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  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Nice work!

    What did you end up reflowing? Only the joints you had to desolder to take it apart, if any? How many were those?

    What did you use for heat sink compound, and how did you select it and decide how much/how thick to apply?
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2021
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  3. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Hard to believe there are that many parts in there....
     
    #3 Tim Jones, Jul 17, 2021
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    There aren't in the Gen 2. :) There's essentially just a three-phase AC motor to turn the compressor, and a DC-to-three-phase-AC inverter or variable-frequency drive circuit that receives speed commands from the A/C amplifier and generates the drive waveforms for the motor. That's what that circuit board is.

    In Gen 2, that circuit was inside the car's main inverter assembly, and the compressor was just a dumb three-phase motor. Gen 3 just moved that circuit out of the main inverter assembly and into the compressor itself, where it can be cooled by, hey, actual refrigerant being pumped over that heat sink.

    ... and that's kind of the story of why the Gen 3 main inverter assembly had a price drop compared to Gen 2, and the Gen 3 compressor had a price increase of about the same amount. :)
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2021
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  5. tony_2018

    tony_2018 Member

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    What thermal paste and where did you get the replacement gasket? I still have my old compressor so I might take this on.
     
    #5 tony_2018, Jul 17, 2021
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Does the rubber ducky go in the ultrasonic bath with the circuit board?

    How clean does the duck get?
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2021
  7. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    I reflowed the whole thing just because I can, but most likely you won't need to reflow anything other than corroded parts, LV connector (CN100) / HV wire connection (CN501, TP501, TP730) and HV AC W,V,U connector. I used 60/40 Sweet Juicy LEADED solder, acidic rosin flux, and high ph alkaline cleaner, then bathed in an ammonia based ultrasonic cleaner. I used non conductive thermal paste, its an industrial company that went out of business years ago but I have a TON of it from my old job. the grease that denso uses was dried up and crusty and water based.. like AvE says, the bigger the gob, the better the job..
     
    #7 Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021
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  8. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    nope used the original gasket after I cleaned it completely as its not under pressure or vacuum, its more of a dust shield / insulator.. the cases aren't even lapped..
     
    #8 Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021
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  9. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    the rubber ducky unfortunately didn't last the war and is swimming with angels.. /Play Taps
     
    #9 Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021
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  10. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    what's hard to believe is how many revisions of this style of compressor there is. the more I look the more I find..
     
    #10 Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021
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  11. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    yep, that's why I tried to post up as much info as I could without doing my normal meth style 100 page reverse engineered summaries that I usually do for work.. my 2nd gens make me so happy after dealing with this stupid 3rd gen.. good news is my 2007 decided to throw a cat code 2 days after I finished the 2013.. looks like I have to drive the 2009 touring for a bit ( I hate putting miles on her )
     
    #11 Brucetafer, Jul 17, 2021
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  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Comparing that to Toyota's instructions for the thermal grease on the main inverter IPM, I have to say AvE's approach sounds more fun!

    gob.png
     
    #12 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2021
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  13. Brucetafer

    Brucetafer Member

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    good lord what a skimpy bit.. I remember reading build sheets that showed absolutely mind boggling designs, thinking, no freaking way this is going to work / last beyond warranty... yet those are usually the products that last the longest somehow..
     
    #13 Brucetafer, Jul 18, 2021
  14. privilege

    privilege Active Member

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    cool ! thanks for the hot_to_fix_pressure_washed_ac_problem !
     
    #14 privilege, Jul 18, 2021
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  15. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I've always kind of assumed they're going for the minimum layer that, when the parts are clamped together, will fill the micro-irregularities in the metal surfaces, but without being thicker than that or holding the surfaces apart. The thermal grease may be better than potato salad at conducting heat, but you still might not want an unnecessary thickness of either.
     
    #15 ChapmanF, Jul 18, 2021
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  16. tony_2018

    tony_2018 Member

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    I see that too but I believe that the same compressor was used for the C, V and the regular prius. They just used a different cover. The cover I'm talking about is the one that faces the passenger side. The Denso I bought had a smaller opening and the Prius Four ac line didn't fit it. I said **** it, swapped them both and it worked out fine.

    In a couple months when the weather is cool I'll be draining the compressor and putting fresh fluid.
     
    #16 tony_2018, Jul 18, 2021
  17. tony_2018

    tony_2018 Member

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    And the thermal paste?
     
    #17 tony_2018, Jul 18, 2021
  18. lech auto air conditionin

    lech auto air conditionin Senior Member

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    And that’s why when customers allow their AC refrigerant level to drop that nice cool stream of refrigerant stops being supplied to that heat sink and motor windings.
     
    #18 lech auto air conditionin, Jul 18, 2021
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  19. lech auto air conditionin

    lech auto air conditionin Senior Member

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    It looks like there was some leakage water intrusion causing corrosion on the circuitboard.

    What type ultrasound solvent cleaner was used or did just use plain water deionized or distilled.

    I assume like the rest of the world they’re using leadfree solder which sucks and more fragile.

    Did you re-flow using leaded solder ? To make it easier and more reliable. Or just re-flowed what was there ?
     
    #19 lech auto air conditionin, Jul 18, 2021
  20. lech auto air conditionin

    lech auto air conditionin Senior Member

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    Answered my question
     
    #20 lech auto air conditionin, Jul 18, 2021
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