1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Coolant leak Inverter side

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jawshoeaw, Aug 6, 2009.

  1. jawshoeaw

    jawshoeaw Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2009
    67
    15
    0
    Location:
    Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I seem to have a very slow coolant leak on the inverter side. I've had to add maybe a few tablespoons of coolant (15ml at a time) over the last several months. I smell coolant in cabin faintly maybe once every few days. I've poked around and looked but can't find any evidence.

    What are likely points of leaking on inverter side and is it possible the leak is actually on engine side and I'm just replacing air bubbles on inverter side? Neither side has lost enough coolant to trigger any warning lights. We've had very hot weather last few weeks and there has been if anything, less leaking.

    The car is salvaged 2008 so no warranty :mad:
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,464
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The inverter coolant and engine coolant loops are totally separate so one would not affect the other. If the fluid level in the inverter reservoir is dropping then there must be a leak. Look for a whitish stain somewhere. Places to look include the reservoir, the rubber hoses connecting the inverter to the transaxle, and the inverter coolant pump behind the driver's side headlamp.

    If you know where the accident damage occurred, then that would be an obvious place to focus your initial search for the leak.
     
  3. jawshoeaw

    jawshoeaw Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2009
    67
    15
    0
    Location:
    Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Accident was front end, kind of non-specific in that regard. Radiator was replaced and antifreeze was probably spraying all over the place after the accident. I just had the car up on jack stands to get a good look. Nothing obvious. Part of the problem is that everything under the car has a little bit of white dusty stuff since it was raining a week ago and i live on a gravel road:(. I can verify that the clamps on the hoses leading from transaxle look fine but again, they are dusty. The pump area looks clean. I did see some pink dust, presumably from anti freeze but it's on a vertical section of hose so it could have dripped from up above, and for that matter could have been from the original accident.

    I'm going to clean everything off maybe with Armorall or something so that i can look for new leaks.
     
  4. jawshoeaw

    jawshoeaw Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2009
    67
    15
    0
    Location:
    Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Update: Coolant leak mysteriously gone. No explanation I can think of, except that with my extra traction batteries, I don't run ICE as often. Hey, I'm not complaining though!