Need Advice! [Red Triangle of Death]

A quick check would be to make sure the reservoir next to the inverter has fluid in it. No fluid could mean you have a leak in the system. If it's at the proper level, then check to see if there is flow in the system.

For DIY, if you purchase the pump online from a dealership, it can generally be found for about $130ish, or you can get a chinese version for about $40ish.

Take it to a dealership for diagnostics and replacement and you're looking at $650ish for the job.

If you have a good mechanic that you trust, expect to pay at least $150 for the pump and some coolant and add 2 hours labor, even though the pump can be replaced in an hour or less by anyone who has done it previously.

Sometimes, if it is the pump that is failing, it's due to electrical failure and you may get a slight acrid odor due to some potting material burning. The pump may blow the AM2 fuse and completely kill the car. The pump can be isolated by disconnecting it using the single wire connector located just above and to the left of the under hood fuse box. Plenty of pictures in the forum. Also plenty of descriptions on how to look at the reservoir to determine if the pump is actually moving fluid in the system or not.

 

I would make sure you are getting an OEM Pump. Then you should be good for many more years or another 100K. I had this happen to my wife's car. I replaced the pump and disconnected the 12v battery located on the rear right trunk area. That cleared the codes and the RTOD. I would start saving for a new hybrid battery for when that day comes. $2,000 or so.

 

I am glad everyone chimed in ... spot on advise you get from PC.

Agree with spend money on the toyota inverter(pump) , I literally pay less than 100 to have guy put it in, and it take him less than 40 minutes, including pour in pink fluid directly from the bottle without spill ...
Good luck and stay safe .

 

The pump is about 130 bucks If it cost another $400 in labor to take out three 10 mm bolts and disconnect two hoses well then your market dictates that are generally this is a 30 minute job that your kid can do but I'll take all the $548 that people want to pay.

 

Yes, it is normal for both of those warning lights to come on for the P0A93 trouble code.

 

that still would be cheap, sometime !!!!

During the time I have the issue: away from home, driving between LA-OK, I stop by 2 dealers, one quote me for 540 parts and 4-5 hrs of labor, take 2 days for part to arrival and 3 days for schedule so 5 days to get it fix.
Then another dealer in Dallas hook my prius up and say I need the ABS brake replace ... that is 1 week order from toyota ... I will not disclose dealer name nor price .

I stop by their part-shop, pick up the inverter pump, drive to the closest shop I found, show him the part and explain what need to be done: he fix it - while I stand and watch ... less than 40 minutes.

I give him 20 bucks tip for his efforts ... money well spend .

 

Yes...
Ignore this can lead to engine run without coolant ... You have two coolant source, both important .


If they use belt like it used to, then we would be good, but no, they have to use electric pump

 

I charged a guy $540 to swap out the new break actuator that he bought online through the Toyota Network for around $1,300 and some change versus retail walk-in which is it like 1486. It takes me about 2.2 hours to do the job correctly maybe a tad longer.

 

Not necessarily the being near low is not going to do the trick That's not going to take you out of fluid enough for the pump to suck air then it would make a racket you'd hear it for sure so then you and your buddy didn't hear the pump running while the hood was up and the car was on or the door open or any of that other stuff going on You should have heard that pump running You can barely see the fluid shimmering in the reservoir that you especially won't if you don't hear the little pump fluttering along is equal to the pump like in a fish tank if you remember those from back in the day It's almost like nothing's running You just hear it because it's vibrating so if you didn't hear that noise and you didn't see that movement I don't care what you do with the scanner It's not going to make any difference You probably need the pump replaced If you and your buddy would have had the pump in a 10 mm long socket and a pair of long angled needle nose pliers from Walmart you would have changed the pump in 11 minutes and 35 seconds or something It's that simple it is stupid easy stroke or not this has nothing to do with that I promise you don't need to worry you could be sitting in the bar chair if you wanted to do this job practically It will take no excessive stooping bending or any special mobility requirements that younger people might have at this point I am near your age have not had any strokes but have a bad hip.

 

This thread is in the forum for gen 2 Prius, where the engine water pump does use a belt.

Also, the trouble code being discussed is P0A93, which has nothing to do with the engine cooling system or the engine water pump. P0A93 is about the cooling system for the inverter and transaxle, which is completely separate from the system for the engine.

 

I think if you drive a short distance you should be good. The invertor pump cools the invertor so a 4mile trip ought to be OK to do. If you get the warning lights again. You can pull over and let it cool. But it will take a bit to generate heat

 

If you unplug the 12 volt battery and wait 3 mins you might be able to clear the codes.

 

You can drive it that short distance (straight to your mechanic in NJ) and it is not really a risk. You should avoid the highway if you can and drive no faster than 45 MPH. Do without A/C if you can.

If the car is driving okay then codes should not be cleared. It doesn't fix anything and only makes it harder for the mechanic to diagnose or confirm.