Major Prius Malfunction; Coolant Pumps?

[Prakash]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the help on the posts.

Indeed it was the Pump for the inverter coolant cycle?

At any rate, everything is operating fine. Except that now I need a new set of Goodyear Integrity's

Still though, Warranty covered the work for the pump, and now its my job to dish out for the tread, blah.


Have a great day ya'll!

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Just a recommendation. Goodyear Integritys are a very fast tire to wear out. That's why they are cheaper and have a below average wear rating of 460. Save yourself some money over the long term and get a tire that last a lot longer. Look at the wear rating (ranges from 200 to 800). Look for something above the 700 range to get good bang for the buck.

[9G-man]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prakash @ Jul 2 2007, 09:43 PM) [snapback]471967[/snapback]</div>

Hi again.

I was able to confirm today that it was the Pump for the Inverter Coolant that needed to be replaced. As JeffD said there is bleeding that still needs to be done for the Inverter Coolant Pump.

Like Galaxee said there will be a Compression Test done to check out how the Inverter is doing.
I wonder what my chances are of needing a new inverter.... I havn't been told that this is the case, so I hope that it is now.

Thanks again!
[/b]

The compression test is to identify any possible ICE damage (warped head/blown head gasket) from over heating. Any possible Inverter damage from overheating should just be evident in poor hybrid system operation.

Was your prius ever wrecked, or experienced front end damage?

[Mossman]

Just found out today that I got the same problem with my 05 Prius. Dealership says it would cost almost $400 to replace it. I just paid the $95 diagnostic fee today. It is only covered by warranty if the car is below 60k miles. I see where the pump is located and it looks like it is not that difficult to replace. I'm just wondering where I can purchase a replacement pump, other than the dealership. I can't even find anything on eBay. Anyone have any ideas where I can get a replacement coolant pump? Any assistance provided would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[jayman]

Properly bleeding the Prius coolant loop is a major PITA. You may want to reconsider a DIY approach. Get the bleeding process wrong, motor is toast

Not to say it's impossible, just very very difficult to get right. Now try bleeding the brakes, that is *impossible* without the Toyota diagnostic tester. Don't even try

[yoyoman]

Mossman, what is the reason you take your car to diagnose? I might have the same problem in my 05 prius. Do you hear any high pitch noise when power down your car?

[Mossman]

Started out as all of the warning lights coming on like a christmas tree. It then only failed to the triangle with the exclamation mark and something else (I forgot). I borrowed an OBD2 reader and it came up with the code P0A93 (Inverter coolant). I cleared it and it went away for a few days. It came back, so I took it over to the Toyota dealer and they said it was the inverter coolant pump. It looks very simple to replace. It was just an electric water pump connected to 2 sets of hose with a couple of hose clamps. The pump alone cost about $165 from the dealership. I just have them do it since I am not sure on how to bleed the lines. Overall, it cost me about $300 bucks for a simple water pump replacement. There were no noise coming from the pump, which indicated that it was completely dead. So, FYI, for those who have the P0A93 code. It could just be the inverter coolant pump and it is located directly behind the driver side headlight. Good luck. If anyone knows how to bleed that system, please provide some info. So if mine happens to die again in the next 60,000 miles, I can go ahead and do it myself. I'm sure, by then, there will be an aftermarket part that I can replace it with and hopefully it would last longer.

[galaxee]

Originally Posted by Mossman

Started out as all of the warning lights coming on like a christmas tree. It then only failed to the triangle with the exclamation mark and something else (I forgot). I borrowed an OBD2 reader and it came up with the code P0A93 (Inverter coolant).

yep, codes are set if the pump fails completely.

If anyone knows how to bleed that system, please provide some info. So if mine happens to die again in the next 60,000 miles, I can go ahead and do it myself. I'm sure, by then, there will be an aftermarket part that I can replace it with and hopefully it would last longer.

it's a major pain even for someone who's done a bunch of them before, that much i know. i think DH relied heavily on his specialty bleeder tools for that one but i don't recall off the top of my head.

[tochatihu]

To bleed inverter coolant, you put plastic tubes on the 2 bleeder taps and run their other ends into the top reservoir. Or, put the tube ends into a bottle of SLLC down on the floor. Then you open and close the taps, run the engine, keep the reservoirs full of SLLC until all the air is out. Yea, sort of a pain.

The electric coolant pump sounds 'different', when it's pumping bubbles. The top reservoir has two distinctly different fluid levels (front and rear), when the pump is running good.

Even when you think you're done, check and fill the reservoir over the following few days.