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Triangle appears on long drives, then disappears

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Unclebobo, Jun 5, 2018.

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  1. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    I posted awhile ago but the problem persists:

    Whenever I drive to the city (which is infrequently), which has a lot of uphill freeway driving, I get the red triangle along with Check Engine, VLC, etc. This is usually after around 25-30 miles of driving.

    Then after about three days of my regular daily driving (flat roads, short distances) with the red triangle and the check engine light on, both alerts will clear themselves.

    I replaced the water pump. The coolant and oil are at good levels. I swapped the air filter recently. It must have something to do with overheating but I can't figure out what else to do to prevent the triangle triggering.

    I had an appointment to take it to the dealer (which is a 3 to 4 week wait) and the triangle turned off when I got there. They said if the alert isn't there, they won't be able to replicate it, so I'll have wasted $175 for a diagnostic.

    Any thoughts?
     
    #1 Unclebobo, Jun 5, 2018
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I think you have an overheating problem with a failed inverter pump. The warning goes away once the car cools.

    Open the inverter coolant reservoir cap and look at the fluid. With the car "ON and in READY mode", see if you see turbulence in the coolant.

    Also as you've recently changed your water pump on the engine side, make sure you check the coolant level in your radiator. It may not be full.
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 5, 2018
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  3. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Thanks for your time!

    I replaced the pump to the lower right of the engine (pic attached). The dealer had it down as a water pump.

    I checked for the turbulence before and after I replaced this pump and there wasn't any, but the triangle turned off after I replaced the part so I thought it was repaired.

    Screen Shot 2018-06-05 at 12.25.23 PM.png
     
    #3 Unclebobo, Jun 5, 2018
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    That looks like an inverter water pump. If there's no turbulence, then it's not working. Maybe it's not plugged in?

    I would let the dealer sort this out if they did the repair.
     
    #4 JC91006, Jun 5, 2018
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  5. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Ack. I did the swap myself. I'll check the connection to power. (I tried figuring out which fuse it is thinking it might be blown, to no avail).
     
    #5 Unclebobo, Jun 5, 2018
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The fuse is not blown since you're still driving your car. When the fuse blows (AM2 fuse in the engine compartment), everything is disabled and you can't start your car.
     
    #6 JC91006, Jun 5, 2018
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  7. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Got it. Again, thank you. I'll poke around and see if I didn't plug the connectors in properly when I replaced it.
     
    #7 Unclebobo, Jun 5, 2018
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  8. MGpwr

    MGpwr Member

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    Another thing it could be is a blob of pink slime in the cooling passsages of the inverter itself - if you have the inverter drained you can check by blowing through the openings on the inverter resevoir, if it's clear there will be little resistance
    in either direction.
     
    #8 MGpwr, Jun 6, 2018
  9. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Got it. And the only way to do a check like that is to drain the fluid, right?
     
    #9 Unclebobo, Jun 6, 2018
  10. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    For sure no turbulence when I turn the car on. The plug appears to be seated correctly (aka--it's pushed in all the way). And it's a brand new inverter pump. If it's not the fuse, could it be a loose cable?
     
    #10 Unclebobo, Jun 6, 2018
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Was this a brand new Toyota oem part?
     
    #11 JC91006, Jun 6, 2018
  12. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Yes. Straight from the dealer.
     
    #12 Unclebobo, Jun 6, 2018
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's best to read the codes when the triangle comes on again. Hopefully before your timeframe to return the part
     
    #13 JC91006, Jun 7, 2018
  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    When I changed the pump in my Gen 1, I did a quick test at the bench before putting in the time to install it. It doesn't want to be run dry, even briefly, but I put some short hoses on it and a dish of coolant and just gave it a touch of battery to see it move. Just adds to the confidence factor before going to the trouble of putting it in.

    I think Gen 2 pumps might be about as easy to test (somebody correct me?). Gen 3 and later might be harder; variable speed drive? I don't have the stuff in front of me right now. Could be test-run anyway by plugging it into the harness and telling Techstream to command it on (again, with some hoses and coolant so as not to spin it when dry).

    -Chap
     
    #14 ChapmanF, Jun 7, 2018
  15. MGpwr

    MGpwr Member

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    Yep, Just drain into clean container if it doesn't need replacement.
     
    #15 MGpwr, Jun 7, 2018
  16. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Thanks!
     
    #16 Unclebobo, Jun 8, 2018
  17. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    Thanks--

    It was all I could personally pull mechanically to get this thing in. I'm thinking I have to take it to the dealer--and hopefully they listen to me.
     
    #17 Unclebobo, Jun 8, 2018
  18. Unclebobo

    Unclebobo New Member

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    I gave in and took it to the dealer. It was the inverter water pump. So it was the pump located directly up from the one I replaced, which i also thought was the inverter water pump. Sigh. All in with diagnostic fees it cost $520 to get it straight.
     
    #18 Unclebobo, Jul 25, 2018
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  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats!(y)
     
    #19 bisco, Jul 25, 2018
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