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oil leak

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by A Clark, Jul 10, 2009.

  1. A Clark

    A Clark New Member

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    this is my first post here and I need answers to these questions. I have a 2001 prius with a lot of miles on it--over 200,000. On a long trip, we had a check engine light go on late at night in a small town. We checked the oil and it was low so we added over a quart.

    After that the engine ran fine, but we got the light turned off at an Auto Zone the next day after we figured out that it had something to do with emissions ( which is what we had 2 or 3 other times, even though we determined that there was not a problem with the catalytic converter. So, we turned the light off. )

    But, later we saw a little oil leak in the front of the car under the part that looks like an engine shield. So, we got back from the trip and were going to deal with the oil issue, but now we see no leak under the engine at all. We are confused about what to do. The oil seems to be fine now.

    Other issue is the AC going on an off with the AC light flashing in 95+ degree weather. We added coolant and it seemed to be fine, then it started flashing again after about 15 minutes. So, we decreased the difference between the outside temperature and the inside temperature by about 10 degrees. Then it worked fine. For example-- it was 95 degrees out and the AC was set for 74 or so. So, I increased the temp I was wanting the car to be cooled to. I put it at 81 or 82 or so instead of 74 and it worked. (The temp outside was going down a bit as well.) I would like to figure out if the AC is just not going to work at those higher outside temps and if we should just expect our inside temp to be in the 80s instead of in the 70s so that the AC does not need to work so hard to cool the car.

    What do we do? I don't want to get stuck with a big Toyota dealer bill for something that we can handle ourselves. Thanks a lot for all of your info.


     
    #1 A Clark, Jul 10, 2009
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Since you have two problems, let's address each one separately.

    Regarding the engine oil leak, I suggest that you use degreaser to clean off the engine. Then continue to drive the car, periodically monitoring the oil level and looking at the engine to determine the location of the oil leak. Once you determine the location, then you can decide whether you can repair the issue yourself or need to seek assistance.

    Regarding the air conditioning system, it sounds like at minimum you need the R-134a refrigerant to be replenished. It is also likely that there is a leak which needs to be repaired. The cost of that could be significant depending upon the failed component.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jul 11, 2009
    1 person likes this.
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Adding to Patrick's posting, you may also be approaching a catalytic converter change ... based upon the reported 'emissions' code. The ambiguity group includes:

    • stuck HC valve mechanism - sometimes can be corrected with high-temperature lubricants
    • failing O{2} sensor(s) - sometimes they go bad
    • failing catalytic converter - this is a $1k charge with few 3d party options (see Arts Automotive.)
    GOOD LUCK!
    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Jul 11, 2009
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  4. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Wow! 200K! Nice job man! Be sure to check your oil daily until you find the source/ cause of the oil leak. I suggest you carry two quarts in the back. My advice is to get everything working as cheap as you can (add a little R134) and trade/sell it ASAP. Time for a 2010. You know you want one. At this point in time there will be a stream of linking repairs that will never end (IMHO). And you need to ask yourself the question, " do I dump money on this or make a car payment"? You will find out fast that some things an independent shop cannot fix or shouldn't fix because they do not have the know how. This is a tough decision! But I guess if we were all driving as cheap as we could we would be in a Accent.

    http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehicle/accent/trim/gs3door.aspx

    PS/ Running oil down until the check engine light comes on is not a good sign. Be careful man. If that happened to me I would be looking for the new owner.
     
    #4 ETP, Jul 11, 2009
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