2006 Triangle check engine hybrid system symbol

Help
Son-31-yo just came home
he had called earlier-
red triangle came on
He came home
1)red triangle
2)the little "engine" check engine symbol was on
3)also on the main display the hybrid system warning-car with exclamation point was on-this is my biggest concern

Car running fine-mpg-fine
My SG is dead so no codes-I will get a reader from AZ tomorrow

Any chance the Hybrid system warning would come on for a "pure" engine problem
like a O2 sensor MAF sensor dead cat con charcoal gas vapor system screwed up?
Or is it STRICTLY hybrid stuff-meaning expensive and dealer only

One week ago he called me to ask it "overfilling" the gas tank was a problem
He is still vague on why he would out of the blue ask that(my guess is gushing gas but he say he just nursed in a few more 1/10th

My question-will that Hybrid system warning come on for "pollution control" type problems(which is my fervent hope)
or is it strictly a Hybrid -meaning pricy trip to dealer-problem

5-6 years ago it came on-it was a covered extended warranty-
"bad part" inverter coolant pump TSB said "bad parts" so extend warranty
and 4 years ago it came on-dead traction battery-replaced 41 days before warranty expired

Thanks-2006 prius 111,000 miles-
Charlie

 

Update
Folks at another forum suggest the inverter collant pump might be dying again?
Does that seem likely??
It is about 5 years and 55000 miles old I think-the original one lasted EXACTLY that long?
When dawn comes I will start the car up-drive it a bit-and see if i can see circulation in the inverter coolant reservoir
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Charlie

 

Interesting! I might've assumed the pumps that replaced the original short-lived ones were better. Was that other forum PriusChat.com? Do you have the codes yet?
Thanks!

 

Redy-thanks for the reply
Yep-prius chat
No codes yet-
and it is now at the dealer-they haven't called me with the bad news
They say $560+tax=$620
My expectation is they will want to do MUCH more-which I'll say NO to
and even if it IS just the pump-it will somehow morph to $700 or so
It doesn't look TOO hard to replace-
but tiny spaces-two crummy hose clamps-3-4 not happily placed bolts/screws-then bleeding the system
but QUICK and pro done-is worth something-

Oh an ace over at the other forum- P WONG- who has helped me before-very sharp on Prius
says the pump is ON when ignition is on
and there was ZERO vibration from pump
so the pump is DEAD-pretty sure about that

And yes the story is the NEW PUMPS-frequently last just 100000km-60000 miles just like the old ones
so my guess-tiny dinky plastic chassis pump-
60,000 miles-city driving is 3000-4000 hours
Long time for a dinky pump that is pumping its guts out

I will get a call later today-I expect to be very pissed-since it will be a BOOST COST caLL
I'll post the results

I need to get another SG- mine-bought here 2005-finally died last year
Thanks
Charlie

 

Inverter pump failures are the single most common failure on the gen2. They seem to go through 2-3 in their lifetime. The code for a failed inverter coolant pump is P0A93. The code is there. You just haven't used the right equipment. MOST code readers will pick that one up.

O'Reilly uses Bosch brand code readers that can read many of the of the Toyota hybrid codes including P0AA6, which almost nothing picks up.

Autozone's code reading efforts have repeatedly reported no codes when they are in fact present.

You can DIY for about $100-130. Less if you go with the Dorman aftermarket pump. Youtube videos abound.

 

S Keith , is this inverter pump failure something that happens often on the Gen 3 Prius ? I'm at 56K miles on my 2015.

 

I have no direct experience.

Not according to search results on PC. Only 8 posts/threads are returned on that error code, and this thread indicates it's a rare occurrence:

https://priuschat.com/threads/engin...g-and-lost-coolant.176046/page-3#post-2500956

It may be that they modulate it based on demand rather than having it run balls-out 100% of the time. It is barely needed during steady-state freeway driving.

 

That seems rare. On the 3rd generation, we get to worry more about what happens to the engine when the electric engine coolant pump ceases to function.

 

Not to mention the issue with the failing inverters.

 

Great. I thought a genuine made-in-Japan Toyota would be super reliable. Is it too late for me to buy a Mirage ?

 

Thanks all
Redy
Edwin
S Keith

Always helpful
It was the Pump-AGAIN- they last 55,000 miles-3000-4000 hours-not bad
I had Lakeside Toyota Metairie do it
They qouted $560+$55 tax=$615
But came in at $400+$40+ $440
That is a NEW ONE- actual price being SIGNIFICANTLY less than final price-$175 less
No hard sell on other repairs(yes they mentioned some but no hard sell)

I debated DIY but the price-I expected DIY to be $450 cheaper
but it was actually just $300 less-
so considering
1)Murphy's LAW
2) Learning curve inevitable screw ups miss-steps
3) just bad luck
4) time-same day return
Had the dealer do it
and they did fine-fair price-no BS

Thanks
Charlie
PS So that pump is the main fail on GEN 2-we have had 3 repairs
2 inverter pumps-on warranty
1 traction battery-warranty repair
3 repairs 11 years 111,000 miles-not bad
oh AC has failed-but in NOLA common for AC to fail at 6 years

 

Supposedly that's covered by extended warranty---unless it waits until it's old to fail. Mine supposedly got the recall shortly before I bought it. I try to avoid moves that would stress the inverter, but don't know how the previous owner treated it.

 

Will you have it repaired? If not, aside from the discomfort aspect, how will you keep your second battery from failing early from overheating?

Hoping to help the expensive compressor survive as long as possible, I use it only gently, just enough to avoid heavy sweating, and keep the battery temperature below 45°C or so. So far, so good.

 

It's possible I don't use the A/C often enough. The only time I REALLY feel I need it ( other than having a female passenger) is when I'm on the highway in 90+ deg F weather. Not often.
The moment I get off the highway , windows come down and A/C is off.
It's hard for me to change old habits.

 

Are you guys watching the battery temperature on hot days?

 

Ummm.......... will my ScanGauge show that ?

 

Yes, if you program it to do so, using the x-gauge instructions in your owner's manual, and tedious hexadecimal codes from the spreadsheet linked (I think) through the ScanGauge web site or buried somewhere in PriusChat.com. You can choose °F or °C, and choose which of three battery temperatures to watch; the middle position is reputed to be normally the hottest and therefore most critical. The speadsheet shows numerous other interesting variables you can add.

 

I have replaced about 110 batteries here in the Phoenix area. I also have detailed drive data over two Phoenix summers. Simply put, if you're not cool and comfortable, your battery is getting WAY hotter than it should. Just today with 95°F ambient, a customer's battery was at 127°, and she was using her A/C.

Don't spare the A/C.

If you're an Android user, get an ELM327 bluetooth OBDII reader and install the free "Hybrid Assistant." Someone really did their homework on it. For battery evaluations, I almost prefer it over Techstream as it automates some of the things I do manually after exporting from techstream. It reports just about anything you could possibly want, and it allows you to change the set point on the fan, i.e., you can change the temp at which the fan turns on full blast, or you can command it to do so manually.

It also logs data and provides some pretty impressive reports.

 

Yikes!!
So not using the AC will cause the BP to fail early???
Doesn't the BP power the AC?
I would have guessed that the BP-tucked under the seat-with a dinky unpowered vent-
wouldn't get cooled very well by the AC
Why didn't Toyota POWER that BP vent??
Sitting near the HOT road-blacktop and concrete area HOT much of the year

Is there a BP vent UNDER the car that COOLS the BP?

I would have guessed that the power release -and excess heat-from the BP when it powers the AC would be WORSE heat wise(since it is literally IN the battery) than the perhaps 25 degree cooler air that the dinky BP vent might let in when the AC is on

So you guys think using BP to cool cabin will net keep BP cooler? despite the excess BP heat from USE?
Has anyone actually tested that?

What I should do-and WOULD DO if Earl Schieb still did $49 paint jobs
Is PAINT the BLACK PRIUS white!!

I think I will seriously consider that
Pretty sure the BLACK exterior and dash-contributed to the 8 year 79000 mile BP fail
And the AC ran 10 months a year-but BP still failed 79,000 miles 41 days within 8 year warranty

 

The A/C draws about 1.8kW of power, which is only about 8-10A at full blast. Compared to the 150A full throttle assist can produce and the 90A charging of moderate braking, it's nothing. Once it's just maintaining a set temperature, it pulls far less.

The battery cooling inlet is by where the right rear passenger's right shoulder would be. Should the vent get blocked, the inlet ducts has fabric covered holes that will allow air to be drawn in from the cavity covered by the trim (not optimal, but better than no air).

The blower motor is pretty substantial. I would not call it underpowered, but it is marginal due to the duct work and routing.

I don't think it. I know it. I have tested it. I started with a battery at 130°F. Ambient was 106°F. I left it in ready mode with the A/C set to 75°F and recirculate. In 30 minutes, the battery was at 98°F. Not only did it dissipate the heat produced from running the A/C, but it dissipated the heat from the car charging the battery periodically and the ICE cycled on and off according to the battery hitting 40% SoC from the A/C use.

Again, 8-10A of draw is nothing compared to the 90A peak charge and 150A peak discharge. The charge is the absolute worst inputting 2-3X the heat of discharge.

I have a black Prius in Phoenix. No need to repaint. Use the cargo cover, a sunshade and crack your windows. That can keep interior temps 10-20°F below what they would otherwise be. Mine lasted 130K before the battery sprung a leak... which is a RAMPANT problem here in Phoenix, particularly with 2008/2009.

Like any major system, they have varying quality and longevity. Accounts of taxi cabs should be immediately dismissed as they are special cases (LOTS of driving + LOTS of A/C use = happy battery). I have seen failures ranging from 70K to 290K. 290K lived most of its life in UT, so it's not typical, but I recently replaced a 2007 with 256K miles, original owner, Phoenix based, original HV and original 12V. The vast majority of Gen2 failures are in the 150-180K range. These are almost all Phoenix based cars where Phoenix summers push 120°F.