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What is this sound?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Dave92, Jul 18, 2023.

  1. Dave92

    Dave92 Junior Member

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    https://youtube.com/shorts/dqIbcFBOfW0?feature=share

    (Sorry about the link... having a heckofa time getting the video to embed or upload. It's just from an andrioid phone...)

    I know this should be easy to find the answer but I've surprisingly had no luck googling for "Prius buzzing sound", etc...

    Camera is pointed at location where it's coming from.

    The Prius has always this sound occasionally so I know it's "normal" but lately it seem to do it much more often.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 Dave92, Jul 18, 2023
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2023
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    That’s your brake actuator/accumulator, sounds like it’s about to fail
     
    #2 JC91006, Jul 18, 2023
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  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    The brake booster is failing. Fairly common. Toyota was covering it with unlimited miles until 2021, now its ten years or 150,000 miles. It has to throw codes.

    IMG_2386.jpeg
     
    #3 rjparker, Jul 18, 2023
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  4. Dave92

    Dave92 Junior Member

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    Thanks for the responses.

    I have 149K miles, lol.

    But I've never seen a check engine light.

    I also just had the head gasket death rattle a few days ago. Also no check engine light. Hasn't happened since though so I took it to the dealer to diagnose. $190 later they verified it was the head gasket and quoted me $4900 to fix so I just brought it home.

    I asked the dealer about the buzzing sound but they never reported an issue.

    There is a gasket masters a little over an hour away that quoted me $1900 to replace head gasket. I know they don't have a perfect track record but that's about the limit of what I would want to pay.

    How much could the brake booster issue cost me if the dealer won't do it under warranty?

    Looks like I have some decisions to make. Car has been great so far, was hoping to get another 50K miles out of it.

    Thanks all, for your expertise.
     
    #4 Dave92, Jul 18, 2023
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The brake booster is easily $2000 at the dealer. There are 3 things that are high price failures, you have 2 of them. Third is the HV BATTERY.

    your brake booster should fail a calibration, it won’t pass. that’s one way to have a code show up
     
    #5 JC91006, Jul 18, 2023
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2023
  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I would estimate $2400 for a brake booster at the dealer. No aftermarket options and used is a waste of money. Usually you get abs and similar lights. If its running as frequently as your video suggests, it has little life left.

    Might call Hybrid Pit in socal for options on the engine and brake booster. For less than the dealer wants for a hg you could have a rebuilt engine. Changing the hg alone vs a rebuild is a small but real risk.
     
    #6 rjparker, Jul 18, 2023
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  7. Dave92

    Dave92 Junior Member

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    I have 149895 miles on my odometer. Which means I'm just barely under the mileage and time limit. But no codes.

    I know this is a longshot, but is there any trick that would cause it to generate a code?
     
    #7 Dave92, Jul 19, 2023
  8. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    By the way, the ten years is from date of first use.

    Best bet is to take it to a dealer for diagnosis. It may be coding or they may lobby Toyota Corp for a free fix. The new parts have been in short supply so it would be better to diagnose while under the limit.

    Unlike some members, running or recommending scams is against my ethics.
     
    #8 rjparker, Jul 19, 2023
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2023
  9. C-in-DC

    C-in-DC Member

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    I bought a new brake master cylinder for $580 plus shipping from a dealer out in the sticks and installed it with the help of priuschat. My mechanic purchased and installed a used brake booster with one year warranty for $200(parts and labor).

    The new + plus used combination of the two parts that work in collaboration with each other has worked so far but I’m sure there’s a risk of the booster(Braun) killing the brake master actuator (brains). Everyone who has replied knows better than me but just wanted to share actual numbers in case you don’t get that warranty honored.
     
    #9 C-in-DC, Jul 19, 2023
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2023
  10. Dave92

    Dave92 Junior Member

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    Not trying to scam anyone, just trying to understand why the code isn't showing since the problem clearly exists.

    Maybe some understanding of how the sensor detects the code would help to get the instrumentation to align with reality.
     
    #10 Dave92, Jul 19, 2023
  11. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    The pump runtime has to run several minutes to code. There COULD be other codes which is why you should take it in.
     
    #11 rjparker, Jul 19, 2023
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    #12 ChapmanF, Jul 19, 2023
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  13. Kromis

    Kromis Junior Member

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    Since you're in Temecula, I will also suggest taking it to Hybrid Pit. I got a rebuilt engine from them two weeks ago and I'm extremely pleased, especially since the pricing was a bit lower than I expected (it's not $1900 but it's definitely not $4900). As a bonus, it also came with some other services like EGR cleaning and engine bay cleaning and they also replaced the water pump!

    I know you said you only want to spend like $1900 on your car but it is something to consider if you want to keep your car for much longer than 50K miles or hand it down to someone later on. Otherwise, do give them a call and to see how they can help.
     
    #13 Kromis, Jul 20, 2023
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