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Sewing Machine Sound in Engine

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Andrew Chandler, Oct 8, 2020.

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  1. Andrew Chandler

    Andrew Chandler New Member

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    There's an odd sound under the hood that is normally going while the car is on. Occasionally when I'm stopped, the sound will continue for a few minutes then eventually stop if I am in aprk for a while.

    It's difficult for me to perfectly describe the sound, but I'd say it's similar to a sewing machine. I attached a video to help. My check engine light will turn on for a few hours to a day, then inevitably turn off again without me doing anything. When the check engine light was on, it was read to be relating to the water pump valve. Any thoughts on what the sound is?


     
    #1 Andrew Chandler, Oct 8, 2020
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  2. AltraStache

    AltraStache Junior Member

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    What was the code that came up to tell you that it was related to the water pump valve?
     
    #2 AltraStache, Oct 8, 2020
  3. Andrew Chandler

    Andrew Chandler New Member

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    Unfortunately I don't know. I pulled into my mechanic when my light turned on and he said, "Wow. It's saying a lot of stuff! You might need your water pump valves adjusted but I'll turn off your check engine light and come back in if it returns."
     
    #3 Andrew Chandler, Oct 8, 2020
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You might get a head start by searching for any videos you can find of other people with flaky coolant control valves. When the position sensor on the valve gets flaky, the computer hunts the valve back and forth trying to find the right position. "Sewing machine" might be a way to describe how it sounds. Find some recordings of it by others and see if they sound like yours.
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Oct 8, 2020
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  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The sound from a failed coolant valve can be heard much louder in the engine compartment. My car makes that noise and the coolant valve hasn't triggered a failure code. But the fix is to replace the valve
     
    #5 JC91006, Oct 9, 2020
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  6. Andrew Chandler

    Andrew Chandler New Member

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    Thank you! I really appreciate the help

    Thank you! I will buy the part and give it a try myself and hopefully won't have to call a tow truck afterwards. Might try replacing the valve in the mechanic's parking lot just in case lol
     
    #6 Andrew Chandler, Oct 9, 2020
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2020
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