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Water pump recall & inverter coolant pump

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by a4retome, Jul 16, 2011.

  1. a4retome

    a4retome Junior Member

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    Hi Everyone,

    Just about a month ago I had the water pump recall completed on my 2005 Prius with 46,000 miles on it. The coolant was also replaced during the recall. Today while parking, after a 10 minute drive, several of the dash lights lit up including the vsc, abs, brake light and maybe one other (I don't recall), but the car drove normally as I was arriving at my parking space. The car rested for about 30 minutes, and upon restart, the lights had disappeared and has been driving normally for a day since.

    In looking at the forums here it seems that there is a connection to these warning lights and the inverter coolant pump failing.

    So my questions are:

    1. Is there a connection between the water pump recall and the inverter coolant pump? Could the Toyota dealership have messed something up to now make the inverter pump fail?

    2. Is there a way to check to see if the inverter coolant pump is working properly? Sights or sounds to listen for?

    3. By chance, did the water pump recall include replacing the inverter pump too?

    4. Do I need to do something to clear the codes so that the warning lights do not reappear? (I read a procedure from Mr. Wong in an earlier post that this could be done by connecting a small paperclip between two posts under the steering column)

    Thanks in advance for the help and suggestions.

    Chris
     
  2. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    The pump recall was for the inverter cooling pump.

    If you look in the inverter coolant fill chamber when the car is in "ready" you should be able to see coolant moving if the pump is working correctly.

    You DO NOT want to "clear the codes"! If you have a complaint and take it back to the dealer and they find NO codes what do you think they will say to you?

    It is possible they got an air bubble in the coolant circuit, and that temporarily stopped the flow of coolant, causing it to get too warm and give you the warnings.

    I can understand the confusion people have over coolant pumps, as there are four in the GII Prius.
     
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  3. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    I have read a number of complains on PC about dealers not performing this recall properly. I am getting the two recalls done next Wednesday (other one being the accelerator pedal), so we'll see how it goes...
     
  4. a4retome

    a4retome Junior Member

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    Yes, you are correct...the recall did replace the inverter pump and in looking under the hood, I can see a brand new pump whirring away and returning coolent to the resevior. I wasn't clear exactly which pump was replaced when I wrote my first post.

    I'm still concerned about the intermittent warning lights. Seems odd that an air bubble would suddenly appear a month after the recall was completed and trigger the warning lights for a few moments. I guess all I can do is keep and eye on it and not clear the codes in case I need to return to the dealership.

    Has anyone had issues with their inverter pumps after the recall?

    Chris

     
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It appears that the inverter coolant pump is working OK now given your observation above. I agree that there is no point in clearing any logged codes as long as the root cause (of the warning lights appearing) has not been determined.

    Some owners have posted that the dealer tech failed to adequately purge air from the coolant loop. This doesn't seem to be a problem in your case, if you can see fluid turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir when the Prius is either IG-ON or READY.
     
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