I successfully replaced the HV battery on my own (well, the boyfriend helped me pick it up, etc.) and it was so easy even this girl to do it! I drove the car about 300 miles when I got the triangle of death warning light again yesterday. I took my 2002 Prius to the dealer to read the codes because I have no idea how to borrow a scanner (or whatever) from Autozone and do it myself as others talk about on the forum. The dealer said "bad inverter = $3,500 repair" along with electric assembly water pump ($155). I have seen Russ' idoneitmyself blog for replacing the inverter and am confident I can do it myself but I need help finding an inverter. I live in the Houston area so no shortage of salvage yards. Any advice????
Also, the car is running fine and I do very little driving as I live 3/10 mile from my office. How long do you think I have before it is a MUST to replace the inverter and what symptoms do I need to be on the lookout for from my car to determine it is really time to replace it?
Call the dealer and ask them for the specific codes and subcodes (don't take no for an answer, you paid for that service). Once you get them, post them here. The reason why is that its very hard to imagine a car that runs fine with a bad inverter. I can think of one scenario where that's possible but your 12V will quickly die.
I totally agree with Usnavystgc. The inverter is is the heart of the transmission, without it the engine cannot start and the two electric motors in the transmission cannot run. The high voltage battery would not be charged and neither would the 12 volt battery. Get those codes. I suspect the inverter coolant pump may be your problem. John (Britprius)
If you are still driving the car, look at the resevoir to the left of the inverter. Are you seeing turbulence? I believe there is an extended warranty call on the inverter coolant pump but that might have been just the NHW20. Regardless, there is a new inverter and the old ones are known to fail. Replacing the inverter pump is a good job, even a dealer should be able to handle with replacing the coolant at the same time. As for the inverter itself, if the car still drives, it ain't broke. A failed inverter and the car won't move. Sad to say, the Autozone code readers are not Prius-aware and the inverter is one part where there are important INFO codes. Getting your own reader is entirely feasible even if you go with the Chinese knock-off, miniVCI (search forum messages.) A better driver's solution is the ScanGauge II since you'll be able to use it driving around and read out the codes with some XGAUGE programming. Bob Wilson
The only code that is printed on my receipt is P3130 (I asked for the codes, didn't know to ask for sub-codes, but I can call the dealer back and ask). But upon further research, i.e., google, I found this on Luscious Garage: Luscious Garage | Blog | Gen 1 Prius code P3130: Inverter System Cooling Malfunction I checked the reservoir and not only is the coolant at the "Low" line but there is no turbulence. I put my hand on the pump (behind the driver side headlamp assembly) and I did feel a slight vibration but the pump did not seem "noisy" although that is a subjective term so I really can't be sure. At this point I'm plan on calling the dealer and telling them I'm bringing the car back to just replace the pump and fill & bleed the coolant system. I wish LG had a shop here in Houston! And the service people checked for recalls and didn't say anything about there being a recalls on the 2002 water pump but I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask.
Do not ask to fill and bleed the coolant system, they will likely charge you to do it when it is already part of fitting a new pump. Do insist on new coolant being used this again should be done anyway as debris from the old pump bearings will be in the coolant. It may be worth topping up the system and bleeding it yourself, as air may be trapped in the system the reason your seeing no turbulence as from your description the pump is running. John (Britprius)
I do not know how to bleed the system. I watched a youtube video of a guy bleeding his system but I don't have hoses or clamps or really even the time to figure it out at this point. If you know of a step-by-step guide for me to DIY it I am game to try but I have little to no mechanical skills. I'm a lawyer so I'm really good at following directions and smart enough to figure most things out on my own if pointed in the right direction.
Not having a gen1 Prius but a gen2 I cannot give precise instructions., but I can guide you as the systems are similar. At the front of the inverter there are one or two bleed niples. You need to find some pipe to fit these "preferably clear"this should be long enough to reach into the top up point of the fluid container. With the pump running top the container up fully and after fitting the hose(s) open with a suitable wrench the bleed niple(s). You should see air bubbles rise through the tube(s) and the fluid level go down. Keep topping up till no more bubbles appear, squeezing and moving any rubber hoses in the system will help remove the air. When you can see turbulence in the container job done. Hopefully Usnavy will confirm or modify these instructions. John (Britprius)
Good instructions Brit. There are two bleed nipples on the Gen I. If you want to do this maddawo, we could guide you through it. I have a Haynes manual that has excellent step by step instructions with pics that I could send your way if you want. Let me know if you want that. The main thing is to get coolant flowing to the inverter again. You obviously don't have that. I cannot believe the dealer is trying to sell you an inverter. I would not let them touch my car amymore. They have proven untrustworthy and willing to take advantage of you. What's to stop them from doing that again? If you don't want to take this on yourself, is there another dealer near you?
The one complication on the Gen 1: from the nipple nearer the fender, air bubbles will indeed rise through the tube, returning fluid to the reservoir and bubbling the air out. The nipple nearer the center of the car is on the suction side of the coolant loop and when you open that one, fluid (and air) will tend to be drawn in if the pump is running, rather than flowing out. Drawing in air at this point will frustrate your bleeding efforts. To complicate matters, nothing special was done to seal around the bleeder threads; as soon as you loosen the nipple the threads are not airtight, and air can be drawn in that way even if you are sure there's none in your tube. The service manual procedure is to only run the pump with the bleeders closed, then turn off the pump and let any bubbles out at the bleeders, then close them again and repeat over and over. It's very tedious. It would be less fussing to keep a constant outward flow from both bleeders while the pump runs; however, while one of them will do that naturally, you'll need a way to apply a constant negative pressure at the other to overcome its tendency to flow the other way. It doesn't take much; anything better than a ten inch water column drop is enough. One way is to route that tube not back up to the reservoir, but down into a jug sitting on the ground and prime it to siphon. With that approach you have to be extra careful to keep the reservoir topped off (and the jug on the ground emptied). You could do that with a hand pump to return fluid from jug to reservoir. There's still the issue of air leakage around the threads, which can break the siphon and send you back to square one if not sealed off effectively. What ever you do, I find it also helps to squeeze and shake all the hoses you can reach, jostle the car, and so on, while circulating the coolant. -Chap
Thanks for the assistance Chap. As I said not having a gen1 does make it difficult to offer complete advice. This lady however is getting a raw deal from the dealer and needs all the help we can give. John (Britprius)
You all have given me a lot to consider. I think I'm going to skip out on my appointment tomorrow to replace the pump and attempt to bleed the lines this weekend. Thanks for all your help & I will likely be back for more advice on the bleeding if I run into trouble!
If you have a Gen1 with over 100k miles I think replacing the inverter pump is a great preventative maintenance item, even if you think the old one is working fine. If it saves your inverter and/or tranny from being cooked it is well worth it. We replace 1-2 of them every week. (lot's of old Gen1's in Boulder/Denver area) and the pumps the dealer currently sells are supposedly "new and improved".
Well, I was supposed to take my car in this morning but I'm still on the fence about bleeding or replacing. I think I'll follow 3prongpaul's advice and get it replaced since my car has 145k on it.
Yeah, if there's no turbulence, it probably needs replacing. BTW, 3prong offers good advice to others regularly.
So...I'm at the dealership and have told them to only replace the pump. The service guy just comes in and tells me that the mechanic told him the inverter was leaking fluid and it was bad and that only replacing the pump is a waste of time. I said, I'm not replacing the inverter, just do the pump. And when I first arrived I talked to the service guy a little about air in the lines and maybe that's why the pump is generating a fail code because I can feel that the pump is vibrating so *perhaps the pump is not bad. That said, I still want to replace the pump. I know they think I'm a ditzy cute blonde girl who doesn't know what the hell she's talking about and it's annoying. Is it possible my inverter is leaking fluid? I haven't looked very closely at it so I really don't know but I do know that there is NO fluid or drip spots in my garage or at the spot at work where I park. He also told me that I don't need any extra fluid because they will save what is in there and just replace it. Which was my cue to tell him, "Ummm...the reservoir with the inverter pump fluid is all the way on Low." Sheesh. I wouldn't have brought my car back here but there is no closer Toyota Dealer and even though I don't really trust them here, I REALLY don't trust any other mechanics. My Dad is a mechanic - 'nuff said!
<GROAN>This is why we hang here. Please update your profile location, just city and state. We can then help you find independent mechanics who can give a credible, second opinion. How fast do you need the car fixed . . . long enough to learn how and do the work yourself? Bob Wilson
I got the pump replaced and the reservoir has turbulence so I guess I'm good now. To top off my experience with Fred Haas Toyota in Houston, TX, when I got home to double check their work, I found that my windshield wiper fluid reservoir was almost bone dry. I had the oil changed there just last week! Geez!!! I also did find evidence of leaking around the inverter. I'll try to upload the pic from my phone now. If it doesn't work I'll get it on tomorrow.
