Featured coolant in 2008 prius

buy the premixed Toyota super long life coolant, it's pink in color. Do you have any pictures of where the water pump would be leaking?

 

low miles does not mean the car is going to last, all the seals will start leaking as they dry out from age and the battery isn't being charged regularly .short trips do more harm then good. its 8 years old and has 30,000 miles.. id sell it ASAP, its going to be a money pit

 

Yes sometimes its real bad not to hardly drive it. Or driving it normally and then let it sit for prolonged times. It's very hard on the 2 battery's. I wonder how many times the little 12 volt has gone dead which it surely will if not on a battery tender. Exposing the car to the dreaded (for this car) jump start. A Prius is a very poor choice for someone who never drives it.

Fluids get acidic over time. All the fluids in your car are 7+ years old at this point. Like 48 said they will then start to work against you.
I am not surprised the water pump is leaking. The water pump belt is probably dry rotted too.

To answer your question buy the premixed like JC said. I have changed the entire coolant system myself by dumping the whole system and its a hassle to get all the air out of the system. Many a dealer has struggled with that as well based on reports here.
Now I just dump just the radiator and overflow tank every 2 years. Thats doers not allow air into the system. That really helps as its the bulk of the coolant.

Btw, the Inverter coolant system is very important also. It cools the most expensive components in the car....the Inverter & the transmission.

If the dealer changes the pump and flushes the system pay close attention to any gurgling sounds under the dash and as soon as possible see if you have good heat. Any issues with either means you have an air lock in the coolant system due to trapped air and the engine can and will severely overheat.

 

welcome! trade it in now, before the battery goes, and pick up something that prefers to sit around watching soap opera's.

 

1. Have you looked at the engine coolant pump to verify that it is leaking? Look for pinkish residue on the inside of the coolant pump pulley. In very bad cases you will see pinkish deposits on the AC compressor housing, deposits sprayed up on the underhood sound insulation pad, etc.

2. Use Toyota Super Long Life Coolant which is already mixed with distilled water. Make sure the radiator is full, do not rely just on looking at the overflow reservoir.

3. Since your car is not driven very much, only 4K miles per year, I hope you have some auxiliary means to keep the 12V battery charged. If not, you will find yourself replacing the 12V battery again, soon.

 

If the system has no leaks and the reservoir has never been bled dry, theoretically you can and should only add coolant to the reservoir and it should not need bleeding. If air has entered the system because of maintenance, a dry reservoir, or really bad leak, the system must be bled. Air in the system should manifest itself with poor cabin heat, turbulence noise, and/or a high engine temp sensor giving a warning.

It's probably a good idea to check the level at the (cold!) radiator cap. But on the Prius that's under a plastic radiator shield that has six slightly annoying fasteners. (With a little practice, it can be done with only the two right-most fasteners removed. Those two fasteners are much easier if you reach underneath and push up with a finger as you quarter-turn the screw.)

 

Patrick will probably chime in on this also, concerning checking coolant level. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the surge tank level as any lowering will indicate a leak. It should be included in the weekly or when filling up with gas under-the-hood check along with brake fluid level and engine oil. The actual radiator level should be checked by removing the front cowl cover and finding the little radiator cap underneath on the left side of the radiator facing the rear of the vehicle. With a cold engine, remove the cap and make sure coolant is at the top of the neck. I replaced the engine coolant pump and belt myself when I was told it was leaking. I carefully drained the coolant, replaced the pump, and was then able to return all of the used coolant to the system to mitigate any air in the system. I did place the vehicle on a 25-30 degree incline, engine forward, to assist in this process. Worked for me.

 

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