Attention: If you have a squeaky CHS water pump! New TSB

Thanks, Galaxee! I also want to get a new pump. This one bulletin will probably increase Toyota's warranty costs significantly as ~100,000 Prius owners request CHS pump replacement...

Since your DH is no longer working as a tech, what is your source for the TSBs?? Do you subscribe to techinfo.toyota.com ?

 

Another "thanks" here.

Since we're in the midst of 3 days of 100F temps, the pump is kind of quiet now. I'm assuming it's pretty warm down your way too. Are you waiting until cold weather returns, or are you still connected enough to convince the dealer to do the work now?

 

Thanks! I've noticed a squeak as well. Glad to hear it's under warranty.

 

So what does this noise sound like? I have posted a link to what mine sounds like during shutdown.

When you listen to my recording you will hear a hiccup type of squeak and then the normal sound. Near the middle of the recording you will hear that hiccup again. During the colder days this hiccup sound is quite constant. Do I need to get this TSB done on my car?

http://stuff.jaygroh.com/priuschat/coolantnoise.wav

 

Thanks galaxee!

 

Well, looks like a bunch of us who live in mild climates will have to take a vacation in a cold climate come next Winter. It just may turn out to be a very prudent financial decision.

 

TheForce i also have that noise in my 06 and just assumed it was the generator spooling down

 

This is great, thanks.

Any idea how to get them to confirm that the noise is coming from the CHS pump if it only happens on a cold start and even then it doesn't happen every time?

 

It doesn't "only happen(s) on a cold start."

The TSB states:
Some 2004 – 2008 model year Prius vehicles may exhibit a “squeak” type noise during vehicle startup or shutdown. AND . . . during cold ambient temperature conditions.

Your use of the term "cold start" can also be confusing to some, as the TSB says "cold ambient temperature conditions," not a cold engine.

 

What's mildly bizarre about this from my experience is that when
it's *really* cold, the pump doesn't even try to pump. Not
because it's failed in any fashion, but because the car doesn't
bother. Like it thinks there's nothing worth using in the bottle,
or something. Even odder is that if I give it a short period
of block-heater, which tends to warm up the engine coolant temp
sensor fairly quickly, *then* it will pump and my temp gauge
proves that there was *plenty* of hot stuff available in the
bottle after all. I'm thinking of adding some sort of ECT fakeout
for those winter startups when I can't use the EBH just so I
get the preheat I went to all that trouble of driving to generate
and store.
.
Oh, and yes, the thing sounds horrendous in cold weather but
since it's only occasionally run, I'm not going to worry about
it until it really fails. I'm over 60K at this point so it would
cost me $.
.
_H*

 

My car would qualify, since it clearly makes a squeaky noise during operation of that pump. I even took it to the dealer's shop a month or two ago and they told me it was "normal" and didn't do anything about it.

My questions for the experts:

1. Should I have this done? i.e. Is this just an annoying sound, or does it lead to failure of that pump?
2. Would it be better to wait around for my warranty to be near expiration? I'm at 24k miles now and 2 years, so not too close to the 5yr/60k mark.
3. It's not cold now, so how are they going to verify the noise if I take it in?
4. Since it's something I already took it in for, are they going to say "we already told you no," or should I just refer to T-SB-0087-08?

p.s. TheForce, your recording sounds downright pleasant compared to how mine sounds in cold weather!

 

Well mine sounds a lot worse in cold weather too. I'll have to record it again when the weather gets cold.

 

Okay I will clarify. I hear the noise when I first start up the car after it has been sitting for a long time, such as overnight. If I drive a few miles, such as to the dealership, power down and then power up again, the noise does not happen.

Also, this has not happened since the warmer weather kicked in. With temps in the 50s or lower I was hearing it, but not with temps in the 70s or higher.

 

Well, looks like this won't be a problem in our climate...