Leak by coolant filler pipe - 2005

I have not heard of this particular problem before. The Toyota repair manual does not show how the black plastic filler pipe connects to the radiator.

I suggest that you examine the new part when you receive it. Perhaps the removal and installation process will become obvious when you look at the end which is inserted into the radiator. The removal might be as simple as rotating the filler pipe 90 degrees counterclockwise, then pulling it out.

If a gasket is provided with the part, then I would not think that any sealant would be required. See whether any sealant was used on the original part. Pls take photos of the new filler pipe as well as the mating hole in the radiator.

As you drained the old engine coolant, if you left the radiator cap on, then vacuum will suck fluid out of the translucent coolant recovery tank, which is a good thing since you were trying to remove all of the old coolant. Just refill that tank, before you declare victory on this project. Good luck.

 

No, because the manual does not even acknowledge that this piece is separate from the radiator. Please take photos of the new part and the hole in the radiator, and post.

 

motnamser
Did you solve your problem? I have a similar problem.

 

Ok, thanks!

 

Hi guys, I also have this same problem with my 2004 prius. I am located in New Zealand and the dealer here won't even recognise this as an order-able part. If I tell them its a 2006 model they can look it up from that but won't confirm that it will fit my 2004. It is $120 here so I am trying to see if I can get one in from the states. Do you have the toyota part number from when you ordered it in?

Can you post some pics of how to get the thing off without breaking it? I might try to repair the one I have if I can.

 

I have the same problem. Is it hard to resolve? Mine was in a wreck. I also have to change coils since car driving rough.

 

I wasted money buying the coils. The problems was all in the motor mounts.

 

Too bad the OP didn't come thru with pictures of the process. It would have been very helpful to others.

 

I know this is an old thread but I just ran in to this scenario with my 05 Prius and wanted to share my experience.

I bought the part (16502-21050 FILLER SUB-ASSY) from boch toyota south. Replacement part arrived quickly and looked exactly like what I needed to replace.

I know the OP didn't submit a picture of the part so here it is (this is the original bad part I took off the radiator but it looks exactly like what I received)... and a picture showing the c-clip on the filler assembly



When I received the part both the plastic "c-clip" (the little piece on the left of the picture) and the the filler assembly (large piece) were together. Practice removing the "c-clip" with the replacement part you received so you know how the pieces go together. The "c-clip" only goes on one way so don't worry about orientation when you remove it. The "c-clip" is what goes around the filler assembly and has ridges that hold it on the stub coming out of the radiator.

Removal
I removed the metal radiator cap and overflow hose at the top of the filler assembly first before working on removing the "c-clip". In order to remove the filler assembly from the radiator just reach in and pull the "c-clip" up/off - this may require a pliers but mine came off just using my fingers. Also remember when you pull the "c-clip" off there will be fluid that leaks out when you pull the filler assembly off the radiator so be prepared with some shop towels. After the "c-clip is pulled off, the filler assembly should just slide off towards the engine with little force.

Assembly
Once the original part has been removed, the replacement was super easy to put on. Reassemble the two pieces (put the plastic "c-clip" back on the filler assembly if you removed it before you even put it on the radiator). Next just push the assembled filler part on the radiator stub until it clicks or you feel that it won't come off. When putting the new part on, I could feel the "c-clip" spread open a little when pushing it on allowing it to slip over the nub on the radiator stub. (Sorry for the non-technical terms.) This took a little force to push on but nothing too extreme or close to breaking the aluminum stub on the radiator. After I felt it was on I just gave it a light pull towards the engine to see if it would come off. You shouldn't be able to pull it off without removing the "c-clip" again. Once I felt it was on, I reconnected the overflow hose, added some antifreeze to the filler assembly, and put the metal radiator cap back on.

Once the new part was on I started to inspect the original one a little to find out why it was leaking. After looking at the replacement part and the original part it is definitely the O-ring that was shot - the new one you could see and feel the o-ring in the there. The original part I could barely feel an o-ring was even there.

Like I said earlier sorry for the non-technical terms but I hope this information will help someone with the same issue and they don't just go out and order a new radiator. This is definitely DIY and as long as you remember to fill to full line in radiator reservoir and check it after a test drive to make sure it isn't leaking you should be good to go.

Total replacement time was about 15-20 minutes and $35 in parts (includes shipping to me in the Midwest).

Thanks

(Replaced at 226k miles)

 

I checked for leaks before and after driving to work this morning and everything looks great. I will keep an eye on it for the next couple of days but I don't anticipate any changes.

If anyone has any questions just let me know.

Thanks!

 

Thank you all for contributing to this thread. I was left with a couple of questions but ended up ordering this part anyway. Now that I got it swapped and fixed (thank you, again) I have a few things to add that would have helped me be sure I was ordering the right part. I wasn't about to remove that part because I thought it was part of the radiator itself. I also wouldn't do it before I had the means to replace it, but I would have saved $30 if I had. No guts, no glory!

• The old plastic filler pipe was leaking when I wiggled it but I was not losing a lot of coolant. I'm guessing that things expand when hot so the seal improves enough to not lose coolant under pressure. It is nice to have warning before failure.
• When wiggling the loose part, it looked like it was a plastic piece of the radiator coming loose. I was pricing out replacement radiators! With the piece in place it was difficult to see that the radiator has a metal tube protruding from it over which this filler pipe is placed.
• The o-ring in question is INSIDE the plastic piece. If you have a collection of o-rings (like that big box of various sizes from Harbor Freight) you could replace it yourself. That's what made it a $30 o-ring. Fixed is fixed.
• A smothering of RTV sealant would have worked if I didn't have an o-ring.
• If you're quick about it, you can quickly swap it with minimal coolant loss.
• Toyota should spec and sell that o-ring, but they won't. If anybody else ends up replacing their filler pipe, perhaps they could remove the new o-ring and measure it.

 

Awesome, helped me with my same issue. Even the dealership doesn't realize or doesn't want to say this is a replaceable part.

 

I went to dealer after replacing belt, water pump, and thermostat, I wanted to make sure my coolant system didn't have any air bubbles, and check everything over, for the minimal fee of $45, and they came back and said I had a cracked inlet at radiator, and so I found this thread luckily before spending $1K on a radiator, plus labor to replace, and fixed the problem thanks to you guys for $0.75 cents! I DID NOT HAVE A CRACKED inlet. Just replaced o-ring and on my way. I was going to post pics, but my image server is acting buggy, so here's a short video. I also included o-ring size I used.

 

Nice post Chris.

What a stupid system they should have just used a hose and clamp. Just another reason to routinely check the rad level not at the overflow but the actual inlet like you show.