How long before the end?

k5rcr · 07-12-2009, 07:21 PM

Greetings;

I have a 2004 prius that I am afraid has a potentially terminal inverter problem. The car has 128K and has worked flawlessly since new. On a trip from Baton Rouge to Columbus OH [between Memphis and Nashville. ie., the middle of nowhere] some very serious warning lights appeared on the panel, including the VSC, ABS control out, etc. Simultaneously, the A/C shut down. The car remained drivable for about 2 more hours. However, on the outskirts of Nashville, the braking and steering got very dodgy and the car essentially shut down. After turning it off and restarting, all the panel light errors cleared [for a minute or two]. This pattern repeated itself several times until I pulled into a Toyota dealer. I rented a car from them and continued. Next day the diagnosis was inverter coolant pump. Apparently replacement of the pump cured the problems and the car is apparently fully functional. [I have not returned to pick the car up yet].

The question is: assuming that the inverter is functional NOW, how long does it have to live?

Thanks

northwichita · 07-12-2009, 09:40 PM

[
I've put on around 40k since mine went out (the inverter pump) in somewhat similar circumstance's . I haven't read of inverter's going out in general, outside of the temporary overheating problem. I monitor mine for overheating with a temp gauge, this is mainly a concern in summer. My car was dead on the road when mine overheated , I can't risk that again.

As a general rule to anyone, their temperature doesn't go much above 120 degrees during the summer, so if your having car problems and the inverter is too hot to touch, that may be the problem.

richard schumacher · 07-13-2009, 12:22 AM

I'd say that you got lucky: driving for two hours in this heat without a working coolant pump could have fried the inverter. But apparently it didn't, so I would not worry further about it.

By The Way, it is possible for overheating to cause one the computers to lose part of its memory. Don't be surprised or alarmed if you get a further problem and the dealer says he has to re-flash it. If so that really should be the end of the matter (assuming that he did not already do it while replacing the pump).

dogfriend · 07-13-2009, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k5rcr

How long before the end?

No one really knows the answer to that question, do they?

07-12-2009, 07:21 PM	#1
k5rcr Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Clinton, LA Posts: 2 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #4 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	How long before the end? Greetings; I have a 2004 prius that I am afraid has a potentially terminal inverter problem. The car has 128K and has worked flawlessly since new. On a trip from Baton Rouge to Columbus OH [between Memphis and Nashville. ie., the middle of nowhere] some very serious warning lights appeared on the panel, including the VSC, ABS control out, etc. Simultaneously, the A/C shut down. The car remained drivable for about 2 more hours. However, on the outskirts of Nashville, the braking and steering got very dodgy and the car essentially shut down. After turning it off and restarting, all the panel light errors cleared [for a minute or two]. This pattern repeated itself several times until I pulled into a Toyota dealer. I rented a car from them and continued. Next day the diagnosis was inverter coolant pump. Apparently replacement of the pump cured the problems and the car is apparently fully functional. [I have not returned to pick the car up yet]. The question is: assuming that the inverter is functional NOW, how long does it have to live? Thanks

07-12-2009, 09:40 PM	#2
northwichita Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 149 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #6 Thanks: 16 Thanked 17 Times in 12 Posts Friends: 2	Re: How long before the end? [ I've put on around 40k since mine went out (the inverter pump) in somewhat similar circumstance's . I haven't read of inverter's going out in general, outside of the temporary overheating problem. I monitor mine for overheating with a temp gauge, this is mainly a concern in summer. My car was dead on the road when mine overheated , I can't risk that again. As a general rule to anyone, their temperature doesn't go much above 120 degrees during the summer, so if your having car problems and the inverter is too hot to touch, that may be the problem. Last edited by northwichita; 07-12-2009 at 09:42 PM.

07-13-2009, 12:22 AM	#3
richard schumacher Destination: Eschaton Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5,510 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #6 Thanks: 99 Thanked 93 Times in 66 Posts Friends: 0	Re: How long before the end? I'd say that you got lucky: driving for two hours in this heat without a working coolant pump could have fried the inverter. But apparently it didn't, so I would not worry further about it. By The Way, it is possible for overheating to cause one the computers to lose part of its memory. Don't be surprised or alarmed if you get a further problem and the dealer says he has to re-flash it. If so that really should be the end of the matter (assuming that he did not already do it while replacing the pump). __________________ Copyright (C) 2009. All rights reserved. Last edited by richard schumacher; 07-13-2009 at 11:12 AM.

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