OH CRAP!Red Triangle + Check Engine + (!) Lights Just Popped On!!

Right front headlight: Do you have HID headlights (you would also have fog lights). It may be unrelated.

Best advice is to visit a parts store like Autozone or OReilley's and get the codes read. If it is salvage title, it is possible that you have a bad connector that either got wet (been to a carwash lately?) or disintegrated.

 

this is excellent advice and costs you only a trip to an auto parts store, let us know what codes pop up.

 

yeah, most towns have a little 'strip' that has all the auto parts stores and used car dealerships within a mile of one another. I assume you are at a hotel on vacation, either ask the front desk or use your smartphone or laptop to figure out where this is and go there. autozone will scan for free, if one place won't then just drive a block to the next place.

 

It would be unusual for the inverter coolant pump to fail on a low mileage '09.
This is something that might be a concern at 90-100k miles.
There was a inverter coolant pump recall on the 2004-7's but the new,
improved pumps were OEM starting in '08.

That said, it can't hurt to check.
With the car in READY, open the hood.
The Inverter coolant reservoir is back towards the firewall near the centerline
of the engine bay.

....................................................... This is it: \\\///



The pinkish coolant color shows through the reservoir.
Take off the reservoir top and look inside.
The pump runs constantly when the car is in READY.
If you see any kind of waves or undulations on the surface of the coolant,
the pump is working.

Also, what is the level of the coolant in the reservoir?

Unless the 12V battery has been inadvertently discharged, (ever needed a
jump start for any reason) it should still be good. However, to be valid
the battery tests need to be run after the car has been unused 6-8 hours.

I may be wrong on this, but IIRC, you get the red triangle and check engine
lights if the gas cap is not tightened until it clicks. It's worth checking anyway.

First thing on Monday morning you should call the mechanic and find out what
work was done before the trip, it might have some bearing on the issue.

 

Well, you've got an inverter coolant issue.

We still need to know if the pump is working.

Goes the pump make unusual sounds?

It may not be the actual pump, maybe a loose electrical connection
or low coolant level.

Here's a thread with some discussion:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/91146-P0A93-code.html

On the outside chance the pre-trip service included some inverter
service, there is the possibility that there is air in the system. A
thread on this:
http://priuschat.com/forums/generation-1-prius-discussion/83163-changing-inverter-coolant-fluid.html

I don't know where it is, but there has to be a fuse for the inverter pump.
It needs to be checked. Hopefully another member will chime in on this.

This may be a difficult subject, but it has to be mentioned. Salvage title
Prii are infamous for problems cropping up well after, years after, the
repairs were made. Frequently the problems are electrical (broken wires,
split connectors, etc) and very difficult to diagnose, find, and repair.

You said you're away from home and your papers, but can you say what
the nature and location of the damage was that resulted in the salvage
title? And better yet, what the repairs were?

 

Where are you in Arizona right now, several people can probably give recommendations of where to take it, but only if we know where you are.

For example, myself I have only worked with Precision Toyota in Tucson, and my parents have used both Desert and Precision in Tucson, and we have been reasonably happy with both.

I don't know any of the independent Toyota shops around here, but have worked with Stuttgart, which is mostly German vehicles, and have been happy with them.

-Harry

 

I think you should sit tight for a while on this. Typically, West Coast
members check in during the evening hours out there. I for one
would like to have a few more technically/electrically oriented heads
working on this.

FWIW, I was editing my prior post when you last posted. You should
read it over again.

 

Yes your pump has failed as evidenced by no motion in the reservior.
Not sure why the coolant is clear also but thats bad too as there has been no corrosion inhibitor and could be the reason the pump failed to begin with. Lots of corrosion going on there as it coolant is circulated through aluminum components.

But do not drive it as it will overheat the Inverter...unless the dealer is really close.

 

It shouldn't be either blue or clear, it should be pink SLLC (toyota super long life coolant).

You need to get the invert coolant pump (sometimes called the HV coolant pump) changed and the coolant flushed and re-filled with toyota SLLC.

The wrong coolant may have caused corrosion that wrecked the pump. It might have also caused corrosion issues in the inverter. It sounds like you're getting some pretty dodgy maintenance there that mightn't really be saving you any money in the long run.

 

Yup, pretty much what everyone else has said: Go to the nearest dealer, have the pump replaced, and the correct fluid installed. Choice of dealership does not matter because this is the most common Gen II repair. It should be about a $250 or less repair. You can make it to the dealer on a cold start without worries. When my pump went out in '09, it was 90F and I still went another 30 miles, with no lasting consequences.

 

$250 in an ideal world, maybe. Dealerships will want a diag charge, mark up the pump, then probably 2 hr of labor. I can't see him getting out of there for under $450- $500.

 

Had to replace the coolant pump today on my '07 (150k+ miles).

Sucked...I gave two rideshare rides early in the morning, made $45, then the triangle of death and check engine light came on. I was thinking, "Couldn't my car have had the courtesy to wait until after I made a couple hundred bucks before smart up?"

: $400 at a good shop....dealership wanted $600

 

Sounds like you never had it replaced under the free tsb. When was the last time the car was at a dealer and scanned? So your using the car commercially do you stay up on the maintenance? Inverter coolant...engine coolant...trans fluid...?