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2009 Prius Water Pump Failure at 37K miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by sharblu, Jul 5, 2012.

  1. sharblu

    sharblu Junior Member

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    My car is about to hit 37,000 miles and I have recently had to take my car in for water pump failure. I was on my way to work getting onto the feeder, and all the sudden my master warning light came on along with the check engine light and the braking system light.

    The braking system light doesn't appear to be a real concern because they told me that this light kicks in when my master warning light comes on or something like that. If you power the car off and then power it back on, the braking system light doesn't come on until you start driving for a couple of minutes. They said it wasn't a concern, though. I mentioned to them I have explained to them in the past about my brake system making toot-like noises which sound like air bubbles in the system. They will check it just in case.

    The real problem child is my water pump. Coming close to 37,000 miles, my water pump has already failed or was just about to fail. I was still able to commute for 15-25 minutes without issue and not knowing what the real problem is till I got to the Service center. Toyota Service told me it would be ok to drive it in for the short distance, based on the light indicators I mentioned to them, so long as the engine doesn't feel sluggish, etc.

    Extended warranty is covering this issue. For now, I am driving a rental till it gets resolved. It may be a week or so till the part for the fix gets in because the part is on backorder. Damn, oh well.

    I just wanted to pass this information along to folks out there. My car may just be one of those isolated issues but who knows. I came across the following article about a water pump issue but the models mentioned are not for my year model.

    Toyota to Repair Water Pumps on 650,000 Prius Hybrids Globally - AutoObserver
     
    #1 sharblu, Jul 5, 2012
  2. snead_c

    snead_c Jam Ma's Car

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    Thanks and I'm sorry about your problem. :confused:
    61,000 miles with no issue on my 2009.
    I hope this is an isolated incident.
     
    #2 snead_c, Jul 5, 2012
  3. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Sorry about your problem. You have not said witch pump has failed, is it the engine coolant pump or the inverter /transmission cooler pump that you are posting about (there are two more pumps in the coolant system as well) so it can become confusing as to the pump at issue.
     
    #3 Britprius, Jul 5, 2012
  4. caffeinekid

    caffeinekid Duct Tape Extraordinaire

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    Probably the ever-failing inverter pump that Toyota largely skirts responsibility for. Does the engine water pump cause fault codes?
     
    #4 caffeinekid, Jul 5, 2012
  5. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    If the engine overheats yes. I agree it probably is the inverter pump, but even with the long post it is far from certain.
     
    #5 Britprius, Jul 5, 2012
  6. sharblu

    sharblu Junior Member

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    I'm not much of a mechanic so sorry if I didn't get the specifics about the water pump. I just heard water pump and generalized. I will call them tomorrow and ask them about the part in particular.

    As far as fault codes, all I know is that the master warning red light came on as well as the engine light and the braking system light. By the way, the on-screen display showed the warning icon indicating an issue with the hybrid system. I don't know if Toyota Service would be willing to give me fault codes but I can ask them.

    How do know if the engine is overheating being a digital display? I didn't get a warning light about it overheating if it's expected.
     
    #6 sharblu, Jul 5, 2012
  7. caffeinekid

    caffeinekid Duct Tape Extraordinaire

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    The inverter fault is typically a P0A93 in conjunction with a P0000. The inverter system will shut down and the car will appear to act erratically with high engine cycles, loss of power and/or warm air blowing from the AC. Toyota will typically repair it as long as your car is 2004-2007. The problem is that it frequently happens with the 2008-2009 models as well, although for reasons "unknown" ( *ahem* ) Toyota will not repair these under the same campaign. Whatever you do, if it is not covered under some sort of warranty BE SURE to get multiple quotes. The pump should only be ~ $120.00 ( or ~ $90 if you get it online) and the labor @ ~ 1-2hrs. Our local Toyota dealer (Gullo Toyota of Conroe, Tx.) likes to think that this service should set you back about $460.00, which is absurd, so watch out. The days of dealer rip-offs are not behind us.
     
    #7 caffeinekid, Jul 5, 2012
  8. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Diagnostic Trouble Codes are logged when the idiot light is lit. The customer has the right to know WHY the recommended repair/replacement is needed. If the shop can't or won't give an answer then they are likely trying to pad the bill by swapping parts. if enough stuff is replaced sooner or later the problem will be resolved.
     
    #8 JimN, Jul 5, 2012
  9. sharblu

    sharblu Junior Member

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    It was the inverter pump. The ticket lists the following...

     
    #9 sharblu, Jul 10, 2012
    snead_c likes this.
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