Air Conditioning System: Precaution

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2004 Toyota Prius. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

CAUTION: Because the compressor has a high-voltage circuit, wear insulated gloves and pull out the service plug to cut the high-voltage circuit before inspection.

Fig 1: Standard Setup

Courtesy of © TOYOTA, LICENSE AGREEMENT TMS1002

DO NOT HANDLE REFRIGERANT IN AN ENCLOSED AREA OR NEAR AN OPEN FLAME
ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION
BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET LIQUID REFRIGERANT IN YOUR EYES OR ON YOUR SKIN
If liquid refrigerant gets in your eyes or on your skin:
1. wash the area with lots of cold water.
  CAUTION: Do not rub your eyes or skin.
2. apply clean petroleum jelly to the skin.
3. go immediately to a hospital or see a physician for professional treatment.

Fig 2: Always Wear Protection When Working With Coolant

NEVER HEAT CONTAINER OR EXPOSE IT TO NAKED FLAME
BE CAREFUL NOT TO DROP CONTAINER OR APPLY PHYSICAL SHOCKS TO IT
DO NOT OPERATE COMPRESSOR WITHOUT ENOUGH REFRIGERANT IN REFRIGERANT SYSTEM
If there is not enough refrigerant in the refrigerant system, oil lubrication will be insufficient and compressor burnout may occur. Necessary care should be taken to avoid this.
DO NOT OPEN HIGH PRESSURE MANIFOLD VALVE WHILE COMPRESSOR IS OPERATING
Open and close only the low pressure valve. If the high pressure valves are opened, refrigerant flows in the reverse direction causing the charging cylinder to rupture.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERCHARGE SYSTEM WITH REFRIGERANT

Fig 3: Correct Refrigerant Charge
Courtesy of © TOYOTA, LICENSE AGREEMENT TMS1002

If refrigerant is overcharged, it causes problems such as insufficient cooling, poor fuel economy, engine overheating, etc.
NOTICE FOR INITIALIZATION:
1. When disconnecting the negative (-) battery terminal, initialize the following systems after the terminal is reconnected.
Fig 4: Initialization Notice Chart
Courtesy of © TOYOTA, LICENSE AGREEMENT TMS1002
NOTICES FOR HYBRID SYSTEM ACTIVATION:
When the warning lamp is illuminated or the battery has been disconnected and reconnected, pressing the power switch may not start the system on the first try. If so, press the power switch again.

With the power switch's power mode changed to ON (IG), disconnect the battery. If the key is not in the key slot during reconnection, DTC B2799 may be output.
PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED WHILE SERVICING

NOTE:

For the electric inverter compressor, use the ND-OIL11.
Electrical insulation performance may decrease significantly if even a small amount of oil other than ND-OIL11 is used (or enters) in the refrigeration cycle, causing the DTC to be output.
If other oil is accidentally used and a DTC is output, collect the compressor oil in the compressor and replace it with ND-OIL11 to increase the ND-OIL11 ratio amount.
Replace the main components (evaporator, condenser, and compressor) if a large amount of oil other than ND-OIL11 enters the system. Failing to do so may cause electrical insulation performance to remain low, causing the DTC to be output.

CAUTION: Wear insulated gloves and pull out the service plug clip before inspection, as some of the procedures require disconnecting the high-voltage connectors (see DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING ).