Inverter coolant is showing that it is low and I was wondering if I should get it replaced? My 2001 Prius has 89k miles on it and got the 60k mile maintenance done by Toyota. Should I get the Inverter coolant replaced? If so, about how much does Toyota charge for something like this? Thanks alot!
If it's low, you almost certainly have a leak and you need to have it taken in just for that. When they find the source, they'll probably have to replace the fluid anyway. If it's a minor leak that they can patch, they may just top off. In that case, if it was not done at 60k, do it now. If the leak is from a faulty hose or something like that (mfr. defect, not a rock through your radiator), it may be covered under the emissions warranty, since the inverter is an integral part of the reduced emissions. I've seen conflicting info about whether the hybrid warranty for non-CA cars is 80k or 100k. If you still have the original warranty booklet (or ask to see one when you take it in), see if your hybrid warranty is still in effect.
My toyota dealer charges like $75 just to look at something. Can I request that they take a look at the inverter coolant under the Hybrid Warranty or do they have to charge the minimum inspection cost? Not sure how this works but I know that Toyota Prius comes with 8yr/100k warranty which I'm well within.
If you can give them good reason to suspect it's a warranty issue, they might be willing to charge the $75 to Toyota or eat it themselves for "customer service". Maybe you can look around the compartment with a flashlight and check hoses for bulging and the inverter side of the radiator for holes. If the fluid is just low, and the car isn't shutting down, it's probably something slow and you may not find anything without a trained eye. If you take it on long trips, you don't want the cooling system failing catastrophically and frying the inverter. It might well be worth the $75 in that case. It also might be worth the $75 if it turns out it is related to something more expensive that would be covered under warranty. The worst thing would be to let it limp along until your emissions warranty expires, then be saddled with a huge repair bill. Good luck.
first things first, check your hose connections for leaks. make sure the hoses aren't cracked. hoses are only covered under the 3/36 warranty. now if it's something like the inverter case leaking... that's hybrid warranty territory. the federal emissions warranty won't come into play here. there are a very limited number of components in a car that are covered by this warranty. not even the whole evap system is covered.
Go get some SLLC, top up the reserve tank, and keep an eye on it? If the coolant that's in there isn't old and yucky, there should be no need to *replace* it wholesale just to fix a low level. . _H*
Maybe just maybe they changed the coolant at 60k and did not do a perfect job purging air. Now, all the bubbles have let themselves out, and you see low fluid level. If this is the case, then a top-off would be the only thing needed. However, be watchful of the reservoir level and alert for drips underneath. Hobbit suggested SLLC (which is sold diluted) and that's what I would use, but your original fill was LLC (which is sold undiluted). They are fine mixed together, but you would not want to add too much undiluted LLC because then your %water can drop below 50%. Its happy place. If anybody is ever out on the road and sees a low inverter reservoir level, it would not be a great sin to borrow some temporarily from the engine overflow bottle (the turkey baster trick). Both loops use the same stuff.
Where can I buy SLLC? Is it actually called SLLC and if so, should I go to the toyota dealer or can i go to local autopart like autozone or oreilly's?
It's only available at a Toyota dealer. Don't use any othe brand of coolant. LLC (used in the 2001-2003 models) is good initially 50,000 miles (then only 25,000), SLLC (comes with the 2004+ models) is good initially for 100,000 miles and then every 50,000 miles. JeffD
