hello PC friends! i have a 2001 w/ 77 k miles throwing a code 3125 (inverter/converter malfunction) the story: - was driving on highway and felt a slight loss of power and warning lights came on. car quickly resumed back to normal driving conditions and i drove home another 30 miles with no problems. - scangauge 2 gave me a code 3125 - car has been making a weird sound when i come to stops in past few weeks (see/listen to attached video) - checked inverter coolant pump and seems fine. i see fluid movement in resevoir and feel it moving through hoses, and i hear the pump making a sound. - i checked my 12 volt aux. battery and the voltage IS NOT dropping when car is started. voltage RISES to 13.96 or so as it should (leading me to believe inverter/converter is not the problem?) - 100A dc/dc fuse looks fine do you think i'm leaning more towards a bad transaxle (burnt stator)? mechanic with better ODB computer couldn't get any sub-codes only the 3125. he thought the sound of the car coming to stop sounded like a bad transaxle. my next step is to drain the transmission fluid and see if it looks/smells burnt and see if there are any suspicious particles in the pan. thanks!
If the hum exists while coasting in "N" and changes pitch with speed, the transaxle is failing with a shorted stator, usually MG2. To confirm the diagnosis, load the XGAUGEs for MG1 and MG2 temperature: ICE > MG1 > MG2 = should be OK MG2 > MG1 > ICE = MG2 is burnt and dieing MG2 > 100C = MG2 is badly burnt Bob Wilson
"scangauge 2" temperature readings after driving 6.5 miles today: MG1 Inverter Temperature TI1 = 113F MG2 Inverter Temperature TI2 = 105F MG1 Temperature TM1 = 125F MG2 Temperature TM2 = 163F i'm going to drive 90 miles tonight and will get a better temperature reading. do ya's think it's a bad idea to drive it that far? bob, i forgot to try your test ("If the hum exists while coasting in "N" and changes pitch with speed, the transaxle is failing with a shorted stator, usually MG2.") i will try this when i'm driving next. thanks!
MG2 > MG1 is not good but not as bad as I've seen in the past. A truly burnt unit will exceed 212F. I have not studied inverter temperatures with a failed, MG2 stator. When the stator fails, it causes a short and sucks energy from the turning rotor. It is consistent with but no definitive for a shorted MG2 stator. On your trip, configure your ScanGauge to watch ICE temp, MG1 temp, and MG2 temp. If you see MG2 going over 212F, it is really not good. Bob Wilson
Latest update after driving 100 highway miles: MG1 inverter temp - 105 MG2 inverter temp - 86 MG1 temp - 154 MG2 temp - 233 MG 2 temp was hotter on back roads than it was on highway. Also the noise exists while coasting in neutral as well.
