2005 Check Engine light on- only owned for 4 days! :(

Totally agree with you.

I think if we can afford the new then new one is always better. However, we also should own used one too so we would know both sides.

 

Yes usually a buyer should get about 3 month worth of warranty from a used car dealer.

 

I would guess that since you were driving up a long steep hill, the engine overheated. I know from first hand experience that if the Prius ICE is running hard for a while it will overheat. The cooling system is not designed for the ICE to be running for long periods. Since the triangle disappeared, and the CEL is still on, I would confirm that you have sufficient coolant in both the ICE radiator and the inverter overflow tank. If the ICE coolant level is low, then the engine probably overheated. If the car appears to run properly except for the CEL, I would carefully drive it for a few miles. If nothing happens, I would feel comfortable driving the car. The CEL will clear after 3 trips if the problem went away. I overheated the ICE in my Prius several times while I was trying to repair other problems (from an accident). Once the engine cools down, and coolant is topped off, the car will run fine. Since the car overheated hill climbing it may need a radiator flush. You should get yourself a scantool to read the error codes. That would give you peace of mind in the future if the CEL goes on. At least you will know if the problem is serious or not.

Good luck!

 

According to my data, P0A93 has two DTC values, 346 and 347. Both point to "Inverter Cooling System Performance"

DTC 346 is most likely a failed inverter cooling pump. The suggested diagnostics are:

- Wire harness or connector
- Inverter cooling system (Eg, low coolant, leak, air in system, etc)
- Inverter cooling pump
- Cooling fan motor
- Cooling fan motor 2
- The scary one: the inverter/converter assembly

There is a TSB for earlier Prius cars involving a defect in the inverter assembly. Not sure if it applies to your Prius, a dealership should be able to check the VIN and tell you

Sounds like a real dickhead

However, if this is a Toyota dealership, they should be very well aware of this issue. I wouldn't bluff it off, and do NOT keep driving the car in this condition. If the inverter cooling pump is kaput (Figure on $400-$500 if you have to pay for it out of pocket), you could potentially fry several thousand dollars worth of components

 

If the coolant got too low, there could be air in the inverter system. Most likely, with a 2005 Prius, the inverter electric coolant pump has failed. You do NOT want to keep driving the car in that condition, you WILL fry the inverter!

Consider booking an appointment with that dealer, drive during a cool time of the day eg early morning, no A/C use. Consider stopping every 15 mins of so, pop the hood, let things cool off

Now, at that dealership, inform them you want the codes read, but do NOT agree to any work without written authorization from you. They sound like real beauts, do NOT agree to anything unless you have a firm price IN WRITING

Even for diagnostics, they may ding you $100 if they are real a**holes. However, that is still cheaper than a +$3,500 inverter assembly

Do not keep driving the car in this condition. It will become expensive in a hurry. Consider calling the Toyota customer service number and complaining

 

The seller should fix the problem for you. Or was the car bought "as is"?

 

Ditto, take it back like yesterday!

 

I'm sorry,, but this is just BS. The cooling system of the ICE is just as robust and in fact more so than any other vehicle. The car may have over heated,, but not because "the cooling system is not designed for running for long periods"!!!!

I have driven the Prius for 40k miles mostly in the mountainous west,, but also the mountainous east and every hill in between. I just drove up the Vantage hill from the Columibia River in Vantage WA to Ryegrass summit. The longest unbroken, continuous grade west of the MS River in +100f heat. The temp never registered over 208f,, with the A/C blowing away.

Clearly, there is something wrong beside "bad design" Let's not perpetuate bad stereotypes about Hybrids!

Icarus

 

It is NOT BS. You get that engine going at 4K rpm for 15 minutes straight, and it will overheat, even on a cool day. The challenge for you is to get it to run at 4K+ RPM for that long. It happened to me 3 times until I fixed the TPS adjustment. Instead of doing a fuel cut, the engine starts screaming. Now it runs just like yours!

Clearly, knowing the codes he got, It is an inverter problem. But I seriously doubt if overheating it will cause it to fail. The inverter is protected, and should turn off if it gets too hot. No good EE would let his circuits fry from overheating!

 

Forgot to mention, you can tell by looking in the overflow container if the pump is working. You can see the fluid moving by looking at the surface of the coolant. You can see a disturbance at the inlet. You can compare how it looks with the car off and on.

 

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest about this,, but first go back to the original post,, and there is no mention of a 15 minute hill. Second,, even the Vantage hill I mention above,, wouldn't require a run of +4000 rpm for 15 minutes. I personally don't know of a grade in N. America that would be that steep for that long.

Finally, with a scan gauge, I have never seen the coolant temp rise about ~208 f even with OATs of +100f.

Now I will concede that inverter temps are another matter, and not one that I can comment on, since a scan gauge doesn't register inverter coolant temp.

I stand by my opinion that " The cooling system is not designed for the ICE to be running for long periods." is patently false. This however doesn't mean that there are cases of Prius' overheating. Any car can overheat given the right (wrong) set of circumstances, but to infer that the Prius is not designed for long periods of operation is just plain wrong.

Icarus

 

True, but a lot of "excursions" into the red zone tend to impact MTBF, and can cause glitches. As our resident mad scientist Hobbit discovered,

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/65037-how-critical-inverter-pump.html

as long as the inverter case isn't too heat-soaked, it will actually remain fairly well protected even without the pump running.

But if her pump is kaput, it needs to be changed

 

Two bad cars in a row is outrageous even if sold "as is" in my opinion. If I were you I would get help from the Attorney General's Office in your state ASAP. They should have consumer protection program/department you can get help from. Good luck!

 

In addition, do not buy cars from this dealer ever again. If they won't give you at LEAST a 30 day warranty on ANY used car, they aren't checking out the cars they sell. "As is" is usually reserved for private sales where the seller may not have the ability to check all systems. In that case, you can only hope they are honest about revealing any problems. And ANY time you buy a used car, take it to a trusted mechanic for a through look over BEFORE you buy it.

 

Icarus:
I think maybe I wasn't clear. Under normal operating conditions, the engine will not overheat. My experience is that if the engine is running at high RPM for extended periods that it will overheat. Of course the Prius will not be stressed like that unless you are climbing Mt. Washington at a good clip. (Anyone done that in a Prius?) I only mentioned this because the symptoms are similar to overheating, and a long hill climb was mentioned.

Howard

 

Did you suffer any brake failure? Did the ABS light also come on? This happened to me on my 2005 (and has happened to others) from a failure in the skid control ECU and the brake actuator. Toyota, after I complained mightily, fixed it under warranty, but that was still in my 3/30 warranty period. I would definitely contact the dealer and complain.

John

 

Not that this will help you make a decsion but two weeks ago my 06 prius had the same lights come on. I drove it about 14 miles, by the time I got to the dealer the battery was low and not re-charging.

The dealer said they had to replace the computer and the battery!
$5000. They paid as I had an extended warrenty.

They said it was a rare thing to happen.

I complained to myself but my wife had the best outlook. We now have a 06 with a brand new computer and battery. they even rented me a car while the prius was being repaired.

I think I would go for the extended warrenty again.