Water pump for inverter unit

we don't have a limit on either. most people wait until they break.

 

to be reasonably safe, i would replace it every 100,000 miles. if you want to do both of the at 125,000, i think you will be okay.

 

You could replace it with a new one and the new one could fail after an hours use. Replacing the original with a new one won't "make sure" it won't fail. It -may- lower the probability a bit. But one that has been working well would be "more reliable" than a new one that has never been tested in a car.

Remove the cap. on the inverter coolant reservoir when the car is in "ready" and look inside. If you see the coolant moving the pump is fine. It it isn't moving get a new pump. You can drive without the pump functioning. Eventually it will cause a problem with the inverter, but not right away.

Oh, and don't try to test the engine coolant pump by looking in the reservoir. That system is pressurized. Removing the cap while the car is warm is a "bad thing" (tm).

 

Before they fail, do they typically give any warning symptoms (unusual noises, reduced flow rate, leakage, codes, or whatever ... )?
Similar questions might apply to the even more critical engine coolant pump.

 

The problem is there can be many failure modes. For example, a particle in the coolant jams the rotor and the motor burns out. Or the bearing goes (you might be able to hear this happening). Or the plastic case fails (you might be able to see coolant leaking before it gets really bad).

I had a water pump seal failure on Pearl (mechanical pump on the engine). I opened the hood to check the oil and found party decorations in there - pink stringy stuff everywhere. But no coolant on the floor of the garage.

But I repeat on the OP's idea. It's not good practice to replace parts to ensure no failure. A new part can have a lower MTBF than a good working part. MTBF is mean time before failure. The only time it might be a good idea is if the machinery has been disassembled to repair something else, and while in there you replace something that is very expensive to get at. Such as the waterpump on a "normal" car when you are replacing a radiator, or the camshaft belt pulleys/tensioner on a normal car when you are replacing the belt.
Further, as I implied in my original reply, the inverter coolant pump is not a critical part. The engine coolant pump is. So is the inverter itself.

If you are that worried stay home, or buy a new car every year. And even that is a fools errand. New cars often have minor parts fail in the first few months of operation.

The Prius is Toyota's second most reliable vehicle, behind a Lexus. Don't worry, be happy.

 

the only failure notification i recall is the car shutting down and the dash lighting up.

 

Is there a "Replacing the Inverter Pump on a GEN III " video around somewhere ?? Im beginning to think there ISNT a pump for the inverter on a Gen 3.... LOL !

 

Here's the Repair Manual instruction. Involves removal of the inverter. Not sure if that's absolutely necessary. I'd be inclined to not do this preemptively, just too involved, may never fail.

 

If you are concerned about it failing on a long trip, and you have the money, you could consider just buying one at 100,000 or 125,000 miles, and keeping it in the back of the car with some tools. You may never need to install it, but you will have it if you need it.

Of course, you could do that with a lot of parts that may or may not fail, and your Prius could get rather heavy.

-Chap

 

Start pulling a trailer with everything is the ultimate goal!! Hahahahaha !! Good one Chap..!
Greg