need some help identifying a problem

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Lunariiii, Aug 22, 2018.

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  1. Lunariiii

    Lunariiii New Member

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    hi there. this will probably be my first and last post on here for a while unless another problem arises
    so basically, my dad driving, on the way home yesterday, when his car suddenly stopped and shut down
    he had enough power left to get into a near gas station, but my uncle had to come down and help pull up my dad's car, but they managed to get it up anyway
    my dad has tried to jump start the car, check the battery (still good), and the gas tank is still good and he still couldn't figure out the problem
    we ended up calling a tow truck to pull my dad's car home because my dad wasn't able to set his car in neutral, but now my other uncle (a former mechanic) and my dad are trying to find out the problem, but don't know yet

    sorry if this is a very lengthy post, but TL;DR:
    •2009 prius suddenly stopped working
    •good battery and gas tank
    •neutral doesn't work
    •has about 100k (100,000) miles on it

    if anyone has tips, suggestions, or perhaps even solutions, please tell me! thank you very much
     
    #1 Lunariiii, Aug 22, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 24, 2018
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I suspect he has a failed inverter pump. Check the AM2 fuse in the engine compartment. If it's blown, then the inverter pump most likely shorted.

    The fuse is located in this picture area next to the hand.

    If the AM2 fuse is blown, you can disconnect the pump where the finger is pointing. Once disconnected, you can replace the AM2 FUSE to start the car.

    You can drive it a short distance with the pump disconnected, possibly to a nearby repair facility Screenshot_2018-06-16-13-14-02.jpeg
     
    #2 JC91006, Aug 22, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 24, 2018
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    might need an inverter pump. but many have reported here a 'good battery' which measures 12 volts, but that isn't good enough for a prius.
    also, his gas tank has a rubber bladder, and there is no way to know how much gas is in it.
     
    #3 bisco, Aug 22, 2018
  4. Lunariiii

    Lunariiii New Member

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    hi so my dad just went to autozone to buy a blue 15a fuse because the last one was..i dont know how to explain it but kind of looked dented or chipped off
    also what is an inverter pump used for? ive never heard of those and it's probably gonna be hard trying to explain it to my dad in vietnamese via google translate or smth
     
    #4 Lunariiii, Aug 22, 2018
  5. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Do you have access to YouTube? There's lots of videos on the Prius drivetrain that should explain it...
     
    #5 FuelMiser, Aug 23, 2018
  6. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    The inverter water pump is located directly behind the driverside headlight. It provides cooling water flow to the inverter/electrical portion of the drivetrain. Very easy to replace merely by removing the headlight, clamping the hoses with hose clamps, and then swap the pump. As mentioned, there are several videos on youtube showing exactly what needs to be pulled loose to remove the headlight.
     
    #6 TMR-JWAP, Aug 23, 2018
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  7. Lunariiii

    Lunariiii New Member

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    thank you everyone for your help! we've ordered an inverter pump, but it hasnt arrived yet
    is there a certain amount of miles needed to change the inverter pump or is it different from everyone? my dad would like an estimate before another problem like this happens
     
    #7 Lunariiii, Aug 25, 2018
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