2002 Toyota Prius Flood

[cygnusx1]

I have a 2002 Toyota Prius that flew off the road and ended in a creek resulting in about 6" of water on the floor. The car powers on with the Heater/A/C, stereo and odometer stuff all working fine. I removed the HV Control Unit (engine computer) from the underneath right side of the dash and opened it up and it looks trashed so I've ordered another one. My question is what other computers am I looking at and what precautions do I need to take before I try to start this car. No water got inside the engine but not sure about the inverter or tranny. The inverter cooler is damaged but the radiator is okay. I am not sure where to begin??

[Patrick Wong]

The hybrid vehicle (HV) ECU is located under the carpet on the passenger side of the car, and this would be the most likely to be damaged in a flood. The engine ECU is located behind the glovebox, hence it is higher up and may not have been affected.

Regarding precautions, my suggestion is that you repair all visible powertrain damage, especially the inverter radiator. Then try to start the vehicle. If warning lights come on, then it is likely that DTC will have been logged. If you can retrieve the DTC then you will be able to determine what other faults remain.

Considering that the car has 120K miles, it is possible that the cost of repairs will approach or exceed the car's market value - unless you have access to a good supply of salvage parts.

[tochatihu]

That was a pretty hard smack - hope you and passengers are all OK!

A new inverter coolant heat exchanger means changing that fluid, which means bleeding air from the coolant system afterwards. You chould learn this procedure and the way to confirm that coolant is being pumped effectively.

The electronics are certainly going to require close examination, but I also guess that the frame rails are bent. This may not be a good candidate for repair.

[cygnusx1]

Actually the frame rails are fine as is the radiator and fans... the inverter radiator has a crack... which is $94 from toyota so I'm not too worried about that... My problem now is I replaced the HV control that is under the right side of the dash (mounted on the floor)... The car now shows a triangle on the dash and the master alarm and the hybrid alarm... when I turn the ignition switch to on. Do not have a single burned fuse in all three fuse box, and the battery fusible link is fine. I have no idea what to do now???? I have completed cleaned the carpet/seats etc. and let them airdry in the 100 degree kansas sun for 4 days and painted all the parts but afraid of where to go next... feel like I might get electrocuted...!

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by cygnusx1

... The car now shows a triangle on the dash and the master alarm and the hybrid alarm... when I turn the ignition switch to on. Do not have a single burned fuse in all three fuse box, and the battery fusible link is fine. I have no idea what to do now????

When you installed the hybrid vehicle ECU, did you first disconnect the 12V battery? If not, try disconnecting the negative battery terminal for 10 minutes, then reconnect. The point of that is to hopefully reset the various ECUs and erase the stored DTCs.

Then, if you still get warning lights, you need to retrieve the stored DTC to find out what faults the various ECUs have noted. If you have access to a generic OBD-II code reader, try it and see if it picks up any DTC (it may, or may not work).

If the code reader does not work, then you will have to have the car towed to your local Toyota dealer for the Prius tech to retrieve the DTC for you.

[cygnusx1]

Ok, I opened up the battery today and see evidence of damage everywhere... My big question is what is the possibility that I screwed up the inverter/converter? I have found another battery for $400 and am going to go with that if there is a good possibility that the inverter is fine... otherwise I think I'll go with a parts car... any experience with what or how the inverter gets trashed?

thanks

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by cygnusx1

Ok, I opened up the battery today and see evidence of damage everywhere... My big question is what is the possibility that I screwed up the inverter/converter?

Which battery are you referring to - the 12V battery or the large traction battery?

What evidence did you see - is this water damage?

Regarding the inverter, the main way to determine its electrical condition is to make the car READY (or IG-ON, if it refuses to become READY) and see what fault codes exist. If you are concerned about water damage, you could remove the top of the inverter to see if water entered it.

[cygnusx1]

Okay... I have replaced the HV control and got a new Big battery with the battery ecu and all the other stuff... Now all the warning lights are gone and running it in generic obdII on my snap-on scanner I get absolutely no codes--reades -0000 no failure, okay to drive... However, I don't hear the converter running when I turn the ignition on and it doesn't say READY on the instrument cluster... Anyone have any ideas.... I will pay if the solution fixes it!!!!

Thanks,

Nick

[cygnusx1]

Forgot... I opened up the inverter box under the hood.... and looks absolutely magnificent inside... untouched and not a spec of dust anywhere... The inverter radiator is bent but also holds coolant... so don't think overheating is a possibility...

[thepolarcrew]

Have wondered just how much (hight) water a person could drive slow in without damage. Like when a storm sewer doesn't work etc.

I know from past experiences (regular cars) that as long as it doesn't get up to the spark plugs they run fine. Have to check rear end for water, but thats about it other than a greas job.