1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

P0A94 & P0A78 inverter issues

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Priusdriver06, Apr 11, 2024.

  1. Priusdriver06

    Priusdriver06 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2024
    7
    0
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    My 06 Gen 2 threw the red triangle of death while driving and the car and some white smoke for a short time after I parked. Turned off the engine and looked inside the hood for anything and nothing. Started the car back up but was only on electric and could only go 20mph for a short time then died. Scanned codes and it showed only a P0A94 and P0A78 code. Did some research and found it may be a inverter issue. I ran down to my local junkyard and pulled a '05 inverter from a wreaked Prius as a backup. Any way to get the engine to run to recharge the hybrid battery before I work on it?
     
    #1 Priusdriver06, Apr 11, 2024
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2024
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    10,373
    1,792
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    So you've read the codes I have to look up the codes I don't know them all by just looking at them still If they're inverter related. The first things you want to note when you have the car ready in park just sitting there triangle on or not when you get out of the car and touch the inverter pump is it vibrating and making the noise it always makes? If not have you looked at the AM2 fuse in the fuse box is it burnt destroyed whatever? If so there's a black plug behind the inverter that if you slide it apart you'll find a picture of it here somewhere that is like unplugging the pump right at the pump which that plug is hard to get at without things removed from the car If you unplug that black pump and replace the AM2 fuse and it doesn't blow You can now drive the car in the engine will start more than likely you'll know very quickly If you plug that black plug back up and you feel the inverter pump running for a minute stay there for a second see if it continues to run if while you're standing there it stops running again look at the AM2 fuse again if it blew the fuse then more than likely there's a short or the pump is fubar and needs replacing because it keeps blowing the AM2 fuse You can replace the AM2 fuse again leave that black plug undone and drive around and 80° weather just don't beat on the car generally nothing will die unless you're going to drive it into Oblivion like out into the desert or something that hard on the car. It'll give you a day or two to round up an inverter pump and put the three screws in and the two hoses on and plug it up then you'll be back to good as gold.
     
    Priusdriver06 likes this.
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,904
    16,213
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Yes, both codes point to components inside the inverter box.

    I didn't see a P0A93 code (which would indicate overheating, possibly because of the pump). I would go confirm the operation of the pump anyway because it's easy, and certainly if you go to the trouble of changing the inverter you want to make sure the new one's getting cooled well.
     
    Priusdriver06 likes this.
  4. Priusdriver06

    Priusdriver06 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2024
    7
    0
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks everyone as my inverter was the problem. The junkyard inverter swap fixed it and is running just fine again.