Engine Water pump needs to be replaced??

The recall was for the other pump, in the inverter loop. The engine water pump is known to dribble a small bit around the shaft. If you are not seeing any significant drop in coolant level, or seeing any drips under the car, then it might be OK for a long while. They are keen to offer this service if they see any signs of dried coolant.

It can be difficult to completely purge the engine coolant loop of air, even the dealerships have to try twice sometimes. If you do decide to have them change it, take that into consideration. There are posts with advice on how to do it here on PC. It is otherwise an easy mechanical swap, something I would DIY.

Also, I and others (for ex. Hobbit) consider that the serpentine belt tightness spec is excessive, and that may be why the shaft seals on the pump are going out so soon. I backed the belt way off on mine a while ago, and have no slippage or performance change as a result.

 

how many miles on her?

 

eh?

 

that's condensation from the a/c, as it dries the inside of your car, removing it from the air. normal.

 

No. The inverter pump is electrically driven. The belt driven engine water pump isn't.

Per Advice Needed | PriusChat, there are four coolant pumps in the Gen 2 Prius.

 

they are not the same. as nh7o said, the inverter coolant pump is covered under a recall, no cost to you, and you should get that done. if your car required it, they should have told you when you were there. they get paid by toyota. perhaps yours is not on the defective list? engine coolant pump is not covered. if you need one, you will have to pay. you may not need one, but i would shop around and get a second opinion.

 

There are some good videos on youtube, search for Prius GenII serpentine belt. I believe the excess tightness is a main reason for the shaft wear coming sooner rather than later.

Otherwise, just changing the coolant will be all that you can do extend the life of the pump.

 

Have you looked at the engine coolant pump to confirm that it actually needs to be replaced? It is not impossible that the dealer service writer will tell you that the pump needs to be replaced, without having good reason for that advice.

I would be cautious about loosening the serpentine belt tension if you are unclear about what constitutes correct tension. In brief though, you need to loosen a nut to allow the idler pulley to be adjusted, then adjust a bolt that moves the pulley up and down.

 

Look around the ICE water pump/drive belt for pinkish "pepto bismo" residue. If you don't see pepto, you should be ok. The pink coolant Toyota uses is designed to chalk up when it leaks and leave visual clues.

 

The pinkish stuff on the water pump looks like this:


If you don't have the pepto you are probably ok, unless you hear a loud bearing etc. Get a 3-4 foot hose and carefully hold one end near the pump when engine is running (be very careful of the belt/pulley) the other near your ear...if the pump has a bad the sound will be obvious as you move the hose around the water pump area.

80% of my customers tell me that when they go to the dealer for the "free" inverter coolant pump recall the dealer tells them they need to replace the ICE water pump too, at around $400. Needless up-sell by the dealer? Or do they really need it? Best to get a second opinion.

BTW, any decent shop can change the ICE water pump, it's very similar to Corolla/Yaris/Scion. Hardest part is refilling the cooling system--you need to open the bleeder screw with 6mm hex wrench on drivers side of radiator or it will take forever.