Inverter replacement worth it?

Maybe working reverse 156K on a generation 2 is absolutely worth fixing That's number one take your 12 volt and get it tested and/or charged at like advance Auto or AutoZone and find out if that battery is in fact good If it in fact is failing this could be some of your issue with code throwing inverters on the generation to are very stout they don't just stop working You need to get real codes from these people especially a dealer that you're paying for diagnostics you deserve a printout of the real PB&C codes or whatever the suffixes are you deserve the full codes not explanations of and all that dealersplaining. You shouldn't put up with any of that You want your codes and that's the end of that then you can post them here We can go from there usually the inverters in these cars don't mess up If they do there are millions of them in salvage yards all across the country for anywhere from $35 to $150 that's the spread of cost that you can easily deal with the brake actuator can be the same situation You can find a used one in a car sitting in a yard for 50 bucks or pay 350 bucks on eBay and maybe get a 30-day or 60 day warranty It is possible It's a $1,400 part otherwise Can you drive without the break actuator operating properly absolutely I drove one for almost a year and I'm driving another one that just started these antics about 3 months ago drive it everyday no problem to stop Go to get coffee go to Walmart go to work do whatever I want to do on the highway on City roads in my neighborhood haven't hit killed anybody or done anything I don't think the Prius can not stop It's not like an old car where you go to push the brakes and you just are flying down the road like Mr Magoo nope not happening least so far.

 

Generally speaking, Gen 2 Prius inverters are pretty reliable and it turns out to be the hybrid vehicle (HV) battery not playing well and causing the inverter to throw a code or two. Physically diagnosing the HV battery will confirm.

 

Based on what the dealer says and the cost the car is not worth keeping. But without knowing the dealer or the specifics I still think they are out of line. Inverter cooling pumps fail, inverters don't. Eventually all batteries need replacing, so that statement translated means "we will charge you for anything that is not in the same condition as when it was new". The brake thing is expensive but I am also in the camp that has lights on and still drives it. Again refer to my translation. But bottom line if you don't have another shop to work on it you are stuck. Find a decent hybrid or toyota independent shop and have it towed there, but talk to a few before picking one. One more suggestion, since the bill at the dealer will not be trivial get a printout of ALL CODES they found and list of recommended repairs. If they balk on that get to the manager and have a little talk about scare tactics and reality.

 

It certainly wouldn't hurt to post here the actual trouble codes that the dealership thinks "indicated failed inverter".

 

Nope not even in California should be be paying anything like that so you need to break actuator about $1,400 purchased online picked up at the store and a hybrid battery in the same conditions out east here they're about 16 1700 cash like that so for these two parts and you got it Is it worth it I don't know can't see the car from here for mine yes but I'd be driving around with the break actuator like I am now till I find a good used one The car cannot not not stop so far seemingly anyway but yeah you got to slash some of that labor in half or better changing the batteries easy to do once you have the battery.

 

When you look at the 614 area, you see that it's the whole "high-voltage DC" part of the system, encompassing the load sides of the system main relays (SMR1–3) and resistor inside the battery case, the frame wire running from the battery to the inverter under the hood, and most (but not quite all) of the inverter itself.



It would be a good idea to go through the troubleshooting steps for P0AA6-614 in the repair manual, and make sure it is not something easier, like the frame wire or those connections in the battery, before getting too carried away thinking it's the inverter. There have definitely been cases turning out to be frame-wire damage reported here, for example. I'm not sure how often a P0AA6-614 turns out to be inside the inverter itself, where things are more enclosed and protected.

Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat

The C1256 isn't hard to translate; the brake system wasn't able to keep its brake fluid pressure up. Probably worth getting your electrical issue taken care of and the 12 volt battery fully charged again, and seeing if that's still a problem.

 

Yeah just pulling the codes is great now somebody really has to take a look in the area that the codes are telling one to look and do it relatively carefully knowing how to take out the service plug at the battery and all that sort of thing You can be shocked to death if you're not careful that is a fact.

 

The amount they want to charge for that 12V battery is highway robbery. Walmart sells one in the right form factor, and if you can handle a wrench you can replace it yourself easily enough. Or buy the OEM one from the parts department for $50 more (estimated.) The battery might cost $250 at a dealer, so they want $200 for a job that can easily be done in 15 minutes. They probably charge $200/hour labor and only bill in whole hours.

If the invert really has gone bad it won't charge the new 12V though. So while figuring out what is what you may want to stop the car from time to time to recharge the 12V with an external charging unit. This is a quick thing to test, if the car is running you should see 13.5 volts or more at the posts on the battery. If the inverter is toast (or the battery is really fried) it will be much less than that.