Hey everyone. I have a Gen 2 2008 Prius with around 250k miles on it. About a month ago it began to have problems with going fast on the highway. More specifically the car would abruptly stop accelerating mid drive. We brought it into the mechanic and he said that the problem is an old inverter which has a broken cooling system. He quoted 1.2k as parts (he said that he would buy used parts) and installation. Has anyone ever had this problem and does this price seems reasonable? Thanks.
Did he break that down into parts and labor? Used Gen 2 inverters don't cost a lot. Exactly what about its cooling system does he think is "broken"?
Yea, I've not seen many Gen2 threads on here for overheated inverters. Plenty for failed inverter cooling pump, but not much for people who ignored the warning lights and fried the inverter. Makes me think there's some kind of thermal shut down protection circuit that prevents that? Is that true?
Yea, a healthy used Gen2 inverter is like $100 and it's not much more than a few hours of work to swap 'em out. I actually have an inverter on my parts rack that I'd sell OP for $75, which is what I paid, just to get my money back because after 3 years, I've yet to find a Gen2 Prius that needs an inverter replaced.
Do you have any warning lights coming on the dashboard? Did the mechanic have any specific codes indicating that the inverter is faulty? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I'll go ahead and throw the bullsht flag on that one. More likely the inverter cooling water pump, which can be bought online for about $85. Unfortunately, if you can't DIY, it's going to run about $600 to have it replaced at a dealer. I just did a ICWP job a week ago for $200, including the pump. The pump is located directly behind the driverside headlight. Search the forum and you'll find hundreds of threads about this pump and how to test it.
Would you agree that there's enough thermal protection shutdown circuits in the inverter that it's nearly impossible for one to overheat? That what I'm thinking because I've not seen anyone yet with an overheated inverter than needs to be replaced?
Absolutely. I have yet to actually personally see a failed inverter. Done plenty of ICWPs with same exact symptoms as mentioned by OP. And, like you, I have two spare complete inverter assemblies on the shelf. Bought them when I had 7 gen 2s in the family and friends circle. The only time they've been touched in years is if I'm rearranging shelves.
