Losing MPG after inverter pump replacement

i don't think you can 'expect' anything past the warranty. who knows what the average is for all 2003's sold. some people have more luck than others and it's also a combination of driving conditions and how you drive it and take care of it. my daughters accord has 104,000 miles and she's done a lot of work over the years. suspension, bearings, exhaust, etc. compare how much the repairs are to buying a new (newer) one, but think about all the advantages of a newer generation in your comparison. all the best!

 

Anytime a car comes back from the dealer, check:

• tire pressure
• ICE oil level
• relearning ICE trim - if they disconnected the aux battery, the long term trim will have been lost and needs to be relearned

There are some who advocate resetting the ECUs by disconnecting the 12 V battery from ground for a couple of minutes to induce a reset and let the vehicle relearn the trim. I'm not in that camp but it is a cheap hack.

Thermal stressing the power electronics shortens the life. The literature I've read indicates the usable area decreases and the remaining active area continues to get stressed.

I know most modern radiators went to plastic tops and bottoms. Still, it might help to see if any independent, specialty radiator shops might offer a fix.

No car lasts forever so there comes a time when the cost to repair and loss of reliability means the car has reached the end of its life. This is something you'll have to decide based upon your requirements and resources. But the 150,000 miles is BS:

• 160,000 miles - Dept. of Energy ran two and sold them when their fleet test ended.
• 350,000 miles - Jessie's Prius that was lost in an accident

Then compare these examples with ordinary gassers and their expected lifetime. A lot of it has to do with usage patterns and maintenance. For someone like me who does his own work, repairs are the cost of parts and consumables and I can buy used parts. But if you're on the 'dealer leash' or don't have a good mechanic, the expenses can be pretty stiff.

If you decide to buy another Prius, consider a used NHW20 say 2006-07 or more recent. My preference would be a Prius just after the 3/36000 warranty expired which is what my 2003 Prius had when I bought it in 2005. The reason is the bulk of the drivetrain and hybrid componets including the traction battery are still covered under the 8/10000 mile warranty. I'd also bought the maintenance manuals and saw the warranty period as a bridge while I learned the technology.

Bob Wilson

 

I've never experienced it but read reports by others. BTW, there are other things that could also impact mileage.

You might consider taking the car out on a loop and setting the cruise control to a fixed speed. Reset the MPG meter and run for at least 10 miles or a complete loop. Then check your indicated MPG against this chart:


Use the 'gray line' to check the MPG at a given speed for about 10 miles versus the expected from the chart. If it is off significantly and there is no explanation such as winds or hills, it is time to figure out what is going wrong.

Summit NC is a little far from Atlanta but I have a lot confidence in David Taylor's work.

In one respect their warning about possible inverter damage was a 'cover thy . . . ' note. But one thought is you might check your community college and adult education programs to see if you can find an introduction to auto mechanics. A basic course would give you the fundamentals so you can chat with mechanics with at least the basics.

Bob Wilson

 

I noticed the web site is handling images a little differently now:

It appears to be a Camino brower problem.

Bob Wilson

 

Is the SOC indicator behaving roughly the same way as it did before the car got sick? Do you notice the ICE running much more than it used to? Not shutting down at stop lights etc?

This is anecdotal at best, but it is an indicator. The inverter having an effect on MPG would be from insufficient charging of the HV battery, and nothing else I can think of. (anyone disagree?)

I have seen multiple examples of these cars in excess of 200k, there's no reason to think the car is worn out.

FWIW, I would try to find someone with Techstream to scan the car. Error Codes are generated and stored in the ECU that don't necessarily light up the MIL. This will provide some insight into whats going on with it.

If you do need and inverter (and its not clear that you do), a good, guaranteed, used example can be had for a few hundred dollars. I don't know what standard billing hrs are for R&R on the inverter, but this issue should not drive that car to the grave if that's all that's wrong with it.

The radiator repair (if you need it) is relatively minor. Any decent shop (hybrid trained or not) can pressure test either cooling system (inverter/Trans or ICE) and tell you if you have a leak. Some will do this diagnostic for a nominal charge. Its a simple test. The biggest pain in the neck is that the AC condenser is part of the ICE radiator, so you will need to pay for an AC system recharge if thats the one that needs replacing.

If you get a techstream scan file and you cant get a diagnosis, I'd be happy to look at the file and see if I can help.

Eric
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