Transaxle overheating

Is the inverter coolant pump working ? Look for a swirl in the reservoir. I suggest being very circumspect about driving the car until the problem is fixed. Inverters are *real* expensive to buy and install.

 

What is the odometer reading?

What is the accident history and service history of this car especially regarding the inverter and transaxle?

It sounds like the DC/DC converter within the inverter, and the AC compressor inverter are overheating, which causes the symptoms that you described in your message.

You should not find "pink foam" in the reservoir. You should find pink Toyota SLLC coolant fluid in the reservoir. Depending upon the history of the car, perhaps the foam is evidence of contaminated fluid.

If you think that this is likely, then the existing fluid should be drained and replaced with Toyota SLLC. You will need around 3 US quarts, and must bleed air out of the system (find the bleed nozzle located under the black plastic radiator cover) until you do not hear air bubbles (listen to the inverter coolant pump behind the driver's headlight assembly, it should sound like an aquarium pump without bubbles) and can see turbulence in the reservoir. Good luck.

 

There are two fluid types:

1) inverter/transaxle coolant, which is the pink Toyota Super Long Life coolant. This goes into the translucent plastic reservoir mounted on the side of the inverter. The drain plug is on the bottom of the transaxle, closest to the engine, and requires a 24 mm socket to remove.

2) transaxle ATF fluid, which is Toyota ATF WS and is reddish in color. The fill plug for this is located on the side of the transaxle which faces the radiator, and requires a 24 mm socket to remove. The drain plug is on the bottom of the transaxle and requires a 10 mm hex key socket to remove.

So please tell me, what fluid did you put into the translucent reservoir mounted to the inverter?

<Hint: If you added ATF fluid to that reservoir, that was the wrong fluid to use, and this must be immediately removed. Fill with Toyota SLLC to flush, then drain, then fill again with Toyota SLLC.>

 

You are confusing us with your terminology.

There is no bleeding the transaxle. Do you mean dumping the transfluid? The term bleeding infers removing trapped air bubbles which is no issue on trans fluid replqacement.
Do you mean crawling under the car and removing the hex head bolts and dumping the trans fluid and putting fresh fluid in the side hole? Your not talking the Inverter coolant reservoir up top right?



When you say bleeding that must be done on INVERTER coolant replacement:

The reservoir up top in the engine compartment with the Pink fluid next to the big silver box is the INVERTER coolant. The silver box is the Inverter. Although there is a very small inverter coolant loop that goes into and out of the transaxle it cooling impact is so negliable its not even worth mentioning. But when the INVERTER coolant pump fails the INVERTER overheats and throws a code. Is this what your calling the "transaxle is overheating"?

By the time the overheated Inverter throw's a code it has gotten so hot its crowbarred and shut down.
You most likely have a failed coolant pump. Easy to tell. Must have good circulation in the reservoir when car is in ready. Thats the most reported issue here I think.
And have heard of pink goo if in that reservoir reflects possible corrosion most likely in the Inverter itself.

Please post back and clarify. Better yet go to an autoparts store and pull the code it has thrown and we will know exactly whats up.

 

And please verify that you didn't drain both the inverter coolant AND the ATF out and only fill up the coolant...

 

Oh man ... wrong fluids would be one heck of a mistake to make.

 

Do not drive the car; you are now in danger of destroying it. Have it towed to a dealer to get *all* the fluids checked and corrected.

 

Good detective work! This explains the mysterious "pink foam". Thanks and good luck!

 

Yeahh, but the overheating codes prior to the mistaken fluid top-off have not been explained. The best answer is not enough inverter coolant, but then OP should search for a leak. The other possibility is the inverter coolant was low from overheating caused by the inverter ..