You really are a MORON

 

The Toyota hybrids use a special kind of compressor. It is important not to add refrigerant with oils or stop leak. I tested the pressure and found my 2006 Highlander Hybrid was getting a bit low so I bought plain refrigerant 134a. I then added a can of it. The A/C got cooler and then stopped working. I was afraid I had broken the A/C somehow. But after driving the car a mile, the A/C came back and seems to work well now.

On reflection, if I add pure 134a with no oils, there is nothing in theory that can ruin the system.

What I used was: Johnsen's R-134a A/C Refrigerant -

You also need a refill kit and an A/C pressure gauge.

I'm sure the dealer would love to have you depend on them to do the servicing. If you have a serious leak, that might be a good idea. But for an 8 year old car getting a little low, the oil has not leaked out so adding plain 134a should be okay.

 

My 2008 prius last summer got hot right after I moved to Florida. Baught R134 a put it in. Its been a yr no issues. Just don't buy it with the oil. I went to school for hvac, pure refridgerant should not affect your system.every system will leak some over time and that will just be the Freon.

 

ZOMBIE THREAD ARISE!!!!!

There is no "should" about it. Straight R134a with NO dye, oil or sealant AND using uncontaminated filling equipment (low side hose or manifold gauges) will NOT increase the risk of failure.

85-95°F ambient
Run A/C full blast on fresh air setting for 5 minutes
R-134a to low side until bubbles disappear in sight glass (by the high side connection)
You should add 50-100g more refrigerant to get it truly full, but once the bubbles disappear in the sight glass, the A/C will perform well.

All 3 of my Priuses (03, 07, 08) have needed refiling with about 8 oz of R134a. The 07 needs it annually. Works great here in AZ summers.

Steve

 

@infael
"On reflection, if I add pure 134a with no oils, there is nothing in theory that can ruin the system."
This is mostly true but if you don't at least check the pressure with a guage you can potentially overfill the system and cook your compressor. Just fyi.
PS one reply said the refill cans you can get at auto part stores etc... can have stop leak in them whether they say so or not is completely false. They list ingredients and if they have stop leak they WILL say so and even if by some remote blue moon occurs and a price tag has been out over the stop leak statement or it's gotten scratched off or something it'll still be listed in the ingredients and if the can does not have an ingredients statement that only says r134a or hfc-r134a refrigerant don't buy it.
PPS if you are referring to the cans that already have a short hose and connector on them in your question hen no they're not all the same. Some have no guage at all, some have a red yellow and green guage, and some have a real numbered pressure gauge on them. If you ever do go this route don't ever try to max out the pressure or get to the top of the green section as you risk over filling the system and that's bad mmmm K?
LoL. Good luck to you and whomever else reads this.

 

@SoulSnatcher

Bro... double zombie resurrections! You're replying to the OP on a... 16 yr old post on a 7 year dead thread...

It sounds like you're not actually familiar with the Gen2 Prius A/C system the OP was posting about.

It has a sight glass. The instructions are to fill at 85-95°F ambient with the A/C operating at max steady state with condenser fans running. Once the bubbles are gone, add an additional 50-100g.

 

My bad I didn't realize how old the post was but that doesn't change my response. No matter how much it says to add if you're not checking the pressure with a guage you can still add too much so what's the problem?