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Combo meter good, am2 fuse good, 12v good. What’s next?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by thomus, Feb 13, 2018.

  1. thomus

    thomus Junior Member

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    I forgot to mention it seemed like the air was going out prior to all this. That points to the inverter yeah?
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You need to decide if you are serious about a DIY repair or not. If you are, the first step is to verify that all fuses are good. Since you report that several devices are not working and you don't have power at the OBD-II connector, wouldn't that indicate to you that you have one or more blown fuses?

    "check" fuses means that you actually remove each fuse, one at a time, and verify continuity using an ohmmeter.

    You can obtain the electrical wiring diagram at techinfo.toyota.com which is a subscription website. Good luck.
     
  3. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Overheating Inverter is usually due to a failed inverter pump. Assuming the AC was functioning correctly before, it will cease blowing cold air when the inverter overheats, due to the failed inverter pump. As stated in earlier posts, when the car cools down (Inverter coolant loop that is), the AC will once again blow cold air, until it the inverter begins to overheat, causing the AC to stop blowing cold air. This cycle will repeat until indefinetly, until the inverter overheats critically. The inverter pump is easy to replace and the part itself is relatively cheap.

    Was this car a salvage by chance?

    Given the mileage, other reported problem, probably best to just junk the car to a salvage yard as you stated earlier.
     
    #23 exstudent, Feb 17, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2018
  4. thomus

    thomus Junior Member

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    No reason to pull the fuses there are dimples on the top that you can hit with an ohm meter. The car isn’t salvage. I shouldn’t have said no power, the headlights, fourways, and dome lights work. I haven’t checked relays though. I’ve looked at a diagram but i didn’t see any sort of resistance or amount of power that should be going to the inverter pump. It might be because I’m not a great wire diagram reader. Anyway tomorrow is another day.
     
  5. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    1) Remove Inverter coolant overflow cap.

    2) Observe what NO fluid movement in the Inverter overflow container loos like. Place you hand on the overflow contianer, feel what no vibration feels like.

    3) Make car IG-ON (press power button tice, foot OFF brake), or READY.

    4) Do you see movement of the fluid in the Inverter overflow container? Some people say "turbulenece" to describe the fluid movement, which is a horrible descriptor. Think of a gentle, tranquil, flowing stream, this is what you will ovserve. To me, turbulence = adrenaline fueld white water rapids. Flashlight might be helpful to observe, if you check when it is dark outside. If it is VERY QUIET when you check, you can hear a low audible "hum," that sounds like an aquarium airnpump. If you place you hand on the Inverter overflow container, you'll feel a gentle vibration.

    5) If you see fluid movement, the inverter pump is working. If no fluid movement, inverter pump needs to be replaced. When was the last time this pump was replaced? The inverter pump doesn't last forever, but it does last a long time.
     
    #25 exstudent, Feb 17, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2018
    SFO likes this.