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08 Prius turned off on freeway

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by alex rodriguez, Mar 17, 2019.

  1. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    I have a 2008 Prius that has 156k miles on him. The Hybrid battery was replaced two a half years ago at Toyota. I have a 12v optima battery that is around two and half years old. Inverter coolant pump was replaced at 97k miles.

    Today i was driving down the freeway and my Prius just completely went black when i was going 75 mph and turned off. I had to end up coasting to the side of the freeway were i couldn't get it to turn back on. I had the car towed back home. Checked all the fuses and they all seem fine. I called toyota but their service team doesn't work sunday so they pretty much told me "call back tomorrow."

    The hazard lights turn on and blink, the red door is also lit when the door is open other than that the whole dashboard is black and screen. The car beeps nonstop when any door is open until they are closed. Its stuck in Neutral. The doors lock and unlock with the keys. That is pretty much all i can do at the moment.

    Does anyone have any clues or leads as to what could be happening?
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Check the inverter pump functionality. If it is not running then check the 15A AM2 fuse.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Mar 17, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2019
  3. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    Double check the AM2 fuse and it is burn out. My question is will something cause it to burn out again or could it just be the age that caused it? Im going to auto zone and buying a couple of them right now
     
  4. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    No, most likely the inverter pump is out (common failure) and the fuse blew to (hopefully) protect the inverter from damage. The pumps aren't much money and relatively easy to replace by those comfortable with tools.

    Replace the fuse and see if there's turbulent flow in the coolant tank with car on. If none, then the pump is definitely out.
     
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Disconnect the inverter pump before you replace the fuse. The pump motor is shorted and blowing the fuse.
     
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  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Disconnect the pump here and replace the fuse. That'll allow you to run the car a short distance. Don't drive far without replacing the pump Screenshot_2018-06-16-13-14-02.jpeg
     
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  7. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    I just blew two of the fuses so i am thinking it is the pump. gonna go out and unplug it and see if that helps. ill have to call auto zone and see if they have any on them
     
  8. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    How far do you think i could drive it like that? I live in an apartment complex and don't really want to do it out on the street but if i could get it to my dads i could work on it there in his yard. he is about 9 miles away
     
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    9 miles is OK.
     
  10. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    dropped it at my dads and brought one his trucks home. Im going to order the inverter but is there anything else i should order with it that i will need?

    BTW thank you to all of you who have responded i appreciate it
     
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  11. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    The best way to replace the pump is by removing the driver side headlight. A new pump from autozone is going to run you around 150. You can get new toyota pumps online for half that.

    Watch some youtube videos on how to swap the pump. You can do it by using hose clamps instead of draining all the fluid. I do it that way and it works very well. You'll need just a few ounces of fluid and it's very easy to vent out the small air bubble created by the new pump.
    The hose clamps come in a pack of 3 (small medium and large). It's best to use 2 medium clamps. They have them at autozone, but they also have them at Harbor Freight for half the cost. Totally identical. You'll need a small length of tubing to connect the bleed valve to the reservoir. You'll see it in the videos.

    This is a job that would run over $500 at a Toyota dealership, yet you can do yourself for under $100, depending on where you buy the pump.
     
  12. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    Thank you! Im placing an amazon order as we speak. would a 1/2 inch clear tube work for the bleeding? Ill have to go to a Harbor Freight if I can find one near and grab some clamps nothing is showing on amazon when i type in hose clamps besides the round metal ones
     
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I don't think you even need to use a bleed tube, but if you are going to use one, 1/2" inner diameter is way too big. Find the bleed valve so you can see what you need, 1/4" inner diameter is probably more like it.

    I suggest that you replace the inverter coolant fluid as part of the repair. If the fluid was replaced at 97K miles, it needs to be replaced again now. The fluid should be changed at 50K mile intervals after the factory fill has been replaced at 100K miles.

    Here is my thread about how to replace the inverter coolant pump:
    How to Replace the Inverter Coolant Pump | PriusChat
     
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  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    To change the coolant, just let it drain out from the tube when you take off the pump. No need to go under the car

    SM-N900P ?
     
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  15. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    How much should be be expecting to come out? A couple gallons? Also I think I read that I will need 3 gallons total of the coolant that I can purchase at a Toyota dealer is this true?
     
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There is only that little reservoir that holds the inverter coolant. It'll be under 1 gallon.
     
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You would need 3 gallons if you were planning to do the engine coolant as well as the inverter coolant.
     
  18. alex rodriguez

    alex rodriguez Junior Member

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    UPDATE:

    I just want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone on here, after about an hour I was able to save myself over 500$ for a simple job i feel like most people could do. The car did have the red triangle appear for about 5 minutes but i did let it run for awhile and it went away :)

    Very excited my Prius still lives! Hope to get many more trips out of her.
     
    #18 alex rodriguez, Mar 19, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
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