I blew up the inverter????

Ginny Why don't you just authorise Battery and fuse replacement and see if that fixes it? Battle the battery cost after the fix.

 

1. related to lack of dome fuse
2. also related to lack of dome fuse
3. general hybrid system problem code
4. that's related to the hybrid system failure- again could be triggered by a blown fuse in any of the circuits involved
5. and 6. could be a number of things- may or may not indicate actual damage to the inverter.

the code DH saw when he replaced those inverters was a dc/dc converter performance code. but the lack of that code is not a guarantee that everything is ok.

they need to replace any and all blown fuses before they go and replace the inverter all cavalier like that. that's not troubleshooting, that's guessing the inverter is shot based on potentially relevant trouble codes. if they already replaced all blown fuses, cleared the codes, and reread them, well then that's a different story.

we have some spares of the specialty fuses if ya need them.

so in short, do not authorize replacement of the inverter until they have found and replaced all blown fuses.

 

Hi Ginny,

OK, this must be the large 5" long grey/clear plastic assembly that lives right next to the jump start terminal (the 100A DC/DC fuse is part of this). I recommend that you accept this repair.

I suggest that you defer this part of the repair for now.

I recommend that you accept this battery replacement.

Isn't that the towing charge?

It appears that those codes were logged at the time that your car failed.

It is interesting that no other fuses were identified as having failed. However this may mean that the tech didn't get around to inspecting all of them.

As before, I suggest that you authorize replacement of the fuse link and the 12V battery (as well as any other fuses subsequently identified as having failed, such as the DOME fuse), then see whether the car works or not. If it doesn't work, then the DC/DC converter problem codes will probably come back (P0A08/P0A09).

At that point, you will be faced with the decision between having the dealer replace the inverter or trying to obtain a salvage unit and having an independent mechanic install it.

Good luck.

 

Isn't HawkJM73 and Ginny"s almost identical. Ginny or Tow truck driver accused of reverse polarity connect, at jumper point. HAWKJM 73 unintentionally connects battery backwards. In that case: Inverter still good.................so, why not also in Ginnys??????

 

In regards to the towing fee, isn't that under warranty, if proper procedures are followed? if so isn't the tow truck driver assisting Ginny acting as an agent for Toyota, when jumping voltage to her Prius???

 

Actually, Hawk is a she, and her case was potentially much worse since the full 12V was incorrectly applied to the 12V bus.

In Ginny's case, the already-installed battery should have partially mitigated the effect of the reverse jump (if a reverse jump happened - which remains unclear.) Yes, it is certainly possible that Ginny's inverter is still good, but we won't know until all fuses and the 12V battery are replaced.

Ginny has two separate issues to deal with: the technical issue of exactly what is wrong with her car, and the financial issue of who is going to pay. I am limiting my comments to the first issue only. I suggest that the first issue needs to be resolved before progress can be made on the second.

 

Keep them honest and request your old parts be returned. You may need them if you go to court.

Ask why the battery doesn't have a warranty. Most are prorated for a couple of years. If they don't prorate then get the old battery, I'd be surprised if it were bad.

 

PATRICK: Exactly my thoughts. Scruge: The policy may be that they keep the battery, ( Supposedly, the dealer forwarded my battery to Toyota for further investigation) I never heard of any results. I wanted to keep the Battery but they said NO. Since I did not pay for it, I did not make a major production out of it. I actually wanted to play with it. If one pays, then I agree the old parts should be the customers, including the battery. Should Ginny end up paying for the Battery, she should definitely have it analysed. That was probably the crux of the whole problem.

 

Hi Ginny,

All DTCs have five characters: the first is alpha, and the last four are alphanumeric. So I don't know what 156 is.

Don't worry about "fuse link" vs. "fusible link". In this context, both are referring to the same part.

The DC/DC converter is part of the inverter. If the DC/DC converter has failed then the inverter must be replaced.

The codes that were reported to you are likely the codes that were logged at the time that the car failed.

What you really need is to have the fuses and the 12V battery replaced and the existing DTC cleared, then see if the car works or not. If it doesn't work then see what DTC are logged. This will show whether the inverter really needs to be replaced or not.

It's up to you whether you authorize the fuse link and battery repair or not. However you've already escalated your situation to the Toyota Customer Experience Center and they refused to help. You've also tried to escalate the issue to your local media and they are uninterested.

If you have comprehensive auto insurance coverage, that may provide coverage for this situation (less your deductible).

If you do not authorize this repair, I predict your car will remain sitting at the dealer unrepaired, and they will soon send you an invoice for storing the car, on top of everything else. Someone needs to break the impasse.

 

In theory Ginny I agree with your warranty contention, however in practicallity you are dealing with one very hard nosed Jackass Toyota Dealership. So the only way to repair your car is to authorise a partial repair IAW Patricks and Galaxees suggestion. Any decent shop, or individual can replace a battery and check fuses.

 

Kudos to all of you who are trying to help Ginny.

I have a question about the Fusible Link. From my days of being a mechanic whenever a fusible link is burnt through then no voltage can flow anymore through that. Wouldn't it be feasible to think that if the fusible link was fried that there is noway that the Inverter could have been damaged because there was noway for the voltage to flow to it?

On a positive note, If they havent replaced the fusible link and are still waiting authorization then I don't see how they have been able to check the Inverter. If this is true then there is that chance its still ok.

Also couldn't this explain why the 2nd jump and the charging did not work because there was no way for the voltage to pass to the battery because the fusible link was already fried.

If what I am thinking is true then replacing the fusible link and any fuses that are bad should fix things.

If the battery is found to be bad and under warranty then the tow charge should be covered regardless if the Inverter is shot.

Again great work everyone for the things you are supplying Ginny with.

Best wishes Ginny on your outcome.

 

AGREE ON ALL POINTS! now all we have to do is convince those Mules at Tom Scott Motors in Nampa, Idaho.

 

No, an independent contractor relationship, not agency.

 

My understanding is that the DC/DC fusible link popped. The usual reason why this would happen is that the battery jump polarity was reversed, which caused the output diodes in the DC/DC converter to conduct the negative voltage on the 12V bus to ground, which popped the DC/DC fuse and may or may not have damaged the diodes.

Hobbit previously posted that the dedicated jump terminal has a separate path to the 12V battery which does not flow through the DC/DC fusible link. Assuming that he is correct, then the fact that the battery refused a charge either means that the 120A fuse sitting on top of the battery's positive terminal is bad or the battery itself is bad.

 

Just to satisfy my curiosity I went and looked under the hood of my 2008 to see this jumper terminal you all are talking about. I couldn't find anything resembling something to connect a jumper cable to. Where is it or am I missing something.??

I wanted to see what size cable was feeding it.. I've gotten the impression from this thread it could be light weight (10-20 amps ) or heavy gauge capable of blowing a 100+ amp fuse.

 

I don't know if the 12 volt battery is covered under warranty, but you're right, it should have lasted longer than that.

I'd have the car towed to another dealer or shop, have the 12 volt replaced and the fuses. If that does the trick, I'd then submit the bill to both the original dealer and Toyota Corporate headquarters along with a letter about how the dealer tried to screw you for over $4,000. I'd also demand that Toyota pay for the parts and labor you had to shell out to the other dealer/shop that did the work.

 

When you open the hood, you will see the main relay/fuse box between the inverter and the driver's side fender. Open the box by pressing hard on the latch that is at the front of the box, and lift the top up; then remove it.

After the top is removed, you will see a red plastic cover that is hinged on the right. If you lift up the cover you will see the dedicated jump terminal below.

 

Mission accomplished.