Hybrid inverter cooling system - '13 Highlander

[D60]

I'm likely going to need to troubleshoot the inverter cooling system on a '13 Hybrid. It's dripping at left front of vehicle, but with lower splash shield in place everything is a guess right now.

Reservoir for the inverter system is empty. I think he drove maybe 6 miles after a P0A93. How robust are these? Is inverter damage likely? He said power was way down and it seemed as though vehicle was trying to shut down. He's not very mechanically inclined so details are sparse.

It did idle today and seemed to charge briefly without setting any codes.

Also, is there a cooling system adapter for pressure testing? I think maybe the Snappy TAB10048? Not positive that's correct. Less expensive alternatives are welcome, don't necessarily need tool truck level.

Finally, safe PSI at which to test?

@The Critic

 

[GMBoy]

I looked in alldata and theres a couple hoses there so perhaps you will be lucky and just need to replace a hose or tighten a clamp.

 

[skyactiv]

I'd scan for codes, look for leaks, command the hybrid water pump for the to see if it works, might need to add coolant before testing. I'm no expert.

 

[D60]

I looked in alldata and theres a couple hoses there so perhaps you will be lucky and just need to replace a hose or tighten a clamp.

Thank you, I told the owner the same thing but made it clear it's all a guess right now.

There's also a water pump but I don't know if it leaks externally if it fails. The one thread I found, the pump apparently just locked up.

Info on these systems is sparse as they seem to be quite reliable.

 

[skyactiv]

Start it at 3:20

 

[meep]

We had a ford escape hybrid a few years back. Ex wife sold it because something in the secondary cooling system failed and it freaked her out. I suspect the electronics self-protected and limited their contributions due to the heat. Hopefully the leak fix will suffice. In her case it was an electric coolant pump. It was the “licensed” system from Toyota.

 

[D60]

Start it at 3:20

According to this the Prius may not be all that similar, but some of the general principles may be helpful and I'll check it out, thanks

Inverter Coolant Pump Failure Diagnosis and Replacement

www.toyotanation.com

 

[JHZR2]

You can easily burn out solid state switching devices in drives if they lack cooling. That said, it’s contingent upon the control and protection system. If it phases back power significantly, it may have self protected.

 

[D60]

Also may have answered my own question on the adapter. Ares lists the 15069 as fitting this Highlander and Priuii.

The actual radiator cap is a traditional spring loaded metal cap, so this may be for the inverter system

 

[The Critic]

Inverter reservoir should use the same style cap as the newer Prius - it’s a threaded cap.

Those should have a separate inverter radiator assembly. I believe they’re dealer only and >$500.

 

[PandaBear]

Most high power electronics would have some sort of temperature sensors to keep track of any issue like that. If anything they would self protect and throw a CEL. Unlikely to be permanent damage as long as you can find the leak, fix it, and make sure it doesn't have any code after.

 

[The Critic]

Most high power electronics would have some sort of temperature sensors to keep track of any issue like that. If anything they would self protect and throw a CEL. Unlikely to be permanent damage as long as you can find the leak, fix it, and make sure it doesn't have any code after.

You’d be surprised by how fragile stuff is nowadays…

 

[ElectroMechanoMan]

I wouldn’t drive the car until it is fixed. I’ve been around power inverters and converters that actually circulate coolant through the power buss. In all likelihood, it probably is a hose that is external to the inverter, but you need to know for certain where the leak occurred. As far as damage to components due to overheating, the drives I’ve been working on either phase back or trip long before putting power transistors in danger of damage. I can’t imagine an automotive drive not being set up the same way.

 

[D60]

Start it at 3:20

Had time this morning, that appears to be for the engine cooling as he speaks of no cabin heat and heater hoses not getting warm.

From what I can tell on the Highlander (and perhaps Prius too?) the inverter cooling is a 100% standalone system and while both systems use red/pink, they don't physically share fluid in any way.

Still, it was cool to see him command it on and hear lots of noise with zero impeller movement. Thanks!

 

[D60]

Also a replacement cap for the inverter system on RA shows as a Motorad (I know, I know) T51 which is 16psi.

So, I guess I'd probably test at ~15 just to be safe (for some reason this baby cooling system seems more fragile to me than the engine cooling)

 

[eljefino]

I had an inverter coolant pump fail on my 05 Prius. It drew too much power and popped a particular fuse, which the car also relied upon to run at all. It kicked into neutral at 70 mph and read "There's a problem" on the display.

Once I put it in Park it would not come out of gear, not neutral, nothing! Made towing more difficult.

I unplugged the pump and put a new fuse in and it ran, long enough for me to get it off the tow dolly. IDK if it was a deliberate fail-safe or if Toyota mapped the fuse box in a funny way assuming an inverter pump failure would "never happen."

 

[nthach]

I had an inverter coolant pump fail on my 05 Prius. It drew too much power and popped a particular fuse, which the car also relied upon to run at all. It kicked into neutral at 70 mph and read "There's a problem" on the display.

Once I put it in Park it would not come out of gear, not neutral, nothing! Made towing more difficult.

I unplugged the pump and put a new fuse in and it ran, long enough for me to get it off the tow dolly. IDK if it was a deliberate fail-safe or if Toyota mapped the fuse box in a funny way assuming an inverter pump failure would "never happen."

I had mine fail too, no blown fuses, but saw the RTOD turn on. Pulled over, checked for codes, inverter water pump. Saw no coolant turbulence in the reservoir.

Managed to drive it gingerly two miles to the local brewery, got a beer while waiting for AAA.

 

[D60]

Well I got it on the lift today. Put some red in the inverter reservoir and the problem was readily apparent. Something came thru the bumper/grille and punctured the inverter radiator.

Apologies for the shadow-- no matter how I placed my phone the flash was shadowed there!

 

[D60]

Update: customer didn't balk at all when I told him $600+ for radiator. Vehicle only has 136k so it's worth fixing.

I wound up ordering from a dealer about 6 hours away for $581 after tax and shipping.

My local dealer wanted $811 not including 8% sales tax!!! It was all I could do to not laugh over the phone, but I held it together and thanked them for their time.

 

[eljefino]

Ouch! I wish they made a $70 ebay rad for this thing!