Inverter Replacement: 2003 Prius

1. No. Your Classic Prius has three coolant pumps. It is likely that the "water pump" shown in your list is the engine coolant pump since the serpentine belt was also replaced.

2. It is likely that the inverter coolant pump needs to be replaced. DTC P3130 points to an inverter cooling system problem. It does not point to a faulty inverter (unless the reason for the cooling system problem is clogged cooling channels within the inverter.)

3. Since you say that the car worked on Sunday and today, do not replace the inverter. It most likely is OK. Which Toyota dealer told you that the inverter needs to be replaced? I would question the technical competence of the tech who provided that diagnosis.

4. Probably a mid to high three-digit cost, but this is most likely not the problem.

5. Assuming that the inverter coolant pump is bad, the car will work until the inverter overheats. Therefore you can drive the car for several miles in moderate ambient temp.

6. I suggest you make the car IG-ON for a brief period of time (where the car is not READY and the instrument panel warning lights are on.) Look at the inverter coolant reservoir. You should see fluid turbulence within and a step in the fluid level. You should also hear the inverter coolant pump motor running. The inverter coolant pump is located behind the driver's side headlamp. If you cannot see or hear signs of inverter coolant pump life, that is proof that the inverter coolant pump is not functioning. In that case, ask for the inverter coolant pump to be replaced and the DTC codes erased. This will probably cost you ~$300. Then drive the car and see what happens.

Regarding the brake actuator leaking fluid, keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir and the fluid level within. How quickly is the level declining? Do you see brake fluid on the ground where you garage the car? A leak would show up below the firewall between the engine compartment and passenger compartment. If a very slow leak or if you can't detect any change then don't worry. Just buy a bottle of DOT3 brake fluid and keep the reservoir topped off.

Good luck.

 

Very useful info from Patrick. I would add that the coolant in the inverter reservoir (on the firewall, high center) should also have a good apprearance. It may be red or pink, but it should be clear and not cloudy or 'rusty'.

If you do get a new inverter coolant pump, that fluid will be drained and replaced as part of the deal. The coolant in both of your 'loops' is supposed to be replaced on a 50,000 mile schedule.

Also the two 'flushes' teachxxi mentioned suggest that the shop may be taking advantage of you just a tiny bit. You have many other options in the LA area.

If you do top off the brake fluid reservoir with DOT3, be careful not to spill that stuff. It is an excellent paint remover

 

I took my 2003 Prius to Toyota because I had this same problem. They told me the same exact thing. It was going to cost over $6300 to repair it. We brought the car home until we can either repair it ourselves or salvage it. This car has 113,000 miles on it. Seems like this is about the time they start having problems. Until now, I haven't really had any problems with it.

I appreciate the information that Patrick Wong gave.

 

Don't let it sit too long. There are all kinds of quirks that pop up if you leave the car sitting for more than a few months: dead 12V, SoC too low in the hybrid battery, bad gas, contaminated O2 sensors, etc. You could try selling it as-is right now via craigslist, since values are high. Do you also have P3130?

 

It seems to me that if you drove the car home that it would not be a problem with the inverter itself. Electrical components are pretty funky (I work in aircraft, and electrical components on those are sensitive!)... If you had a major problem with the inverter such as a leak in the circuitry (electrical not coolant), or faulty transistors I would think that once it had a few minutes to heat up the inverter itself would fail again. The above posters sound right in that maybe the interter cooling pump is pumping barely enough fluid, and maybe as it is heating up the volume being pumped is falling to a point where the inverter overheats and goes into fail protection.

As far as whether the car is worth it that depends on a few factors. Granted I have a GenIII, but so far I have a lot of positive experiences with the car so I like mine. As long as the vehicle itself is in excellent condition, with no other major problems I say it would be worth it to get a used inverter to try. My only concern that you should maybe think about is whether the traction battery has a lot of life left in it? I am new to these cars, but that seems to be the overwhelming fear most people have is when that battery kicks the can.

 

111,000 for a 2003 is very low mileage for a Prius and I doubt the the inverter is toast. Patrick gave you very good advise also Tochatihu! Take it and find a good tech. to repair the pump on the inverter. Hal

 

The P3130--are you talking about the code reader? Toyota did not give us the codes, and we haven't been able to read it at home. We bought a new 12v battery last night so that we might be able to start it and read the code. We thought we'd go from there. Thanks.

 

Do you know if hybrids require a different kind of code reader than other cars?

 

Ask the dealer or Toyota for the codes. Unless you have a fancy code reader at home you may only get a subset that that have logged. E.g., my scan-gauge only reads one board.

 

If Toyota hooked up your car to a code reader, then they have a record of them. Call or visit the service department, ask for them nicely, and grow more insistent if they try to blow you off. For Gen 1, aside from the Graham Miniscanner, there is no good alternative other than Toyota Techstream.

 

I'm also new to this site but I would like to agree with the others who said that the inverter is very unlikely to fail unless you continue to drive it around with a weak or non functional inverter coolant pump. Prius codes are very specific and if the code indicated inverter over temp then it is very, very likely that the inverter coolant pump needs to be changed. It saddens me what dealers will do to unsuspecting consumers.

 

Just took our 2003 with 150k on it in because of a lack of turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir and warning lights on. Drove it the 1 mile over there slowly in the rain. Dealer called and said inverter coolant pump would be $375 installed, but they said the inverter threw a code, too. Didn't think to ask what code, but they said, "It needs an updated inverter and that would be around $4000."

I declined, thinking perhaps when the coolant is flowing again the inverter might be okay. Here's hoping...

 

I'd be willing to bet the coolant pump will fix the problem. I ran out of gas once (warning lights went crazy) and they told me a code showing I needed a new gas tank was triggered. Let us know what happens.

 

So far, so good. Inverter coolant pump replaced and we have had no further DTR codes pop up - looks like the inverter is good;
...and they even came in below the estimate...

 

Good deal. Here's to low cost maintenance.

 

Yep; a day later and a full commute to work and back and she looks fine. Now to find clear headlight lenses to replace the old yellowed ones...

 

You might first try an auto parts store... they have kits specifically to clear up headlights that have become cloudy or yellowed. I think these include a fine abrasive to remove the top layer of plastic, and clean and polish what's left. I've never tried these, but it may be worth a shot before you replace the entire headlight.

 

I wrote earlier. We had the same problem. We replaced the inverter coolant pump, but the car will not start. The pump was definitely bad and coolant is flowing now. Any ideas on what to try next? Is there anything that may need to be reset?

 

Did you reset the code, i.e. disconnect the 12V battery?