DIY: Fuel Pump Replacement (10-15 Prius)

Thanks for posting your experience and the great photos. I noticed that the fuel pump housing plastic remained a nice white color. I'm used to seeing discolored plastic, for example my Ford Mustang GT (with 31K miles on odometer) required the fuel pump to be replaced two times due to failure, so far. The fuel pump housing plastic for that vehicle yellows with exposure to gasoline. That replacement requires dropping the fuel tank, so I've had a local garage deal with that repair.

 

Great write up! I see this in my future

 

I see it in mine too.

But some help from the OP will accompany that future.

2 minus two weeks until pump replacement .

 

Stories like that are why I’m so reluctant to buy American cars.

 

I trust import vehicles more than American cars. They’re more reliable.

 

My '10 Prius started to act flaky yesterday while my wife was driving the car. She was able to get home under the car's power, but right in front of the house, the car stalled. (no better place for it to happen!).

The first thing I did was to check the CEL. It was a P3190, which wasn't of great help given how generic it is:

P3190 Poor Engine Power
- Intake system
- Throttle body assembly
- Fuel pressure
- Engine
- Mass air flow meter sub-assembly
- Out of fuel
- Engine coolant temperature sensor
- Crankshaft position sensor
- Camshaft position sensor
- EGR valve assembly
- ECM

Given my 12V battery was old anyway, I thought maybe, just maybe, a low/bad 12V battery can have ill effects elsewhere in the car. Took it up to Pep Boys and the load test showed it failed and need to be replaced, which was not a surprise given how old the battery is (7-8 yrs old). Put in an Optima and $200 later, I thought the issue was solved. After putting the new battery in, the first couple of attempts to start it didn't work, and I still had the "Check Hybrid System" message on the display. I disconnected the battery just to clear that message and, well, because it seems to be the default thing to do with any electronic device these days (the old "shut down and restart" trope from an IT help desk, for example). And, surprisingly, it worked. WHereas befroe the car would start and idle r-e-a-l-l-y slowly at low RPM and then stall, this time it started up, I put it in D (whereas before even though I'd attempt to put it in D, it'd go to N), and off I went. The traction battery was low - on one bar - so I drove it around the neighborhood for 15 mins as a test drive, and all seemed normal. Went home, turned it off, started it back up just to be sure - everything was fine - and so I turned it off and though all was fine.

Nope. My wife took it today only to call and say once she got to her destination, it generated the "Check Hybrid System" message again. I went there to meet her in hopes that I could reset things by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting. Ha. If only.

Had it towed to a Toyota dealership, and they're saying it's the fuel pump, and that it'll cost $1,000 - $600 for the part (which I assume is the entire assembly) and the rest in labor and misc parts.

Based on this thread, I'm seriously considering a DIY fix. The OP's post would indicate that it's not a terribly complicated fix. Beyond that CTA 1044 tool for getting off the lock ring, no other special tools are needed. The OP indicated that this tool wasn't even the right one, so I've PM'd him to ask what the right tool is (assuming there is one).

This thread isn't all that old. Is there anyone else who's experienced this problem and attempted a DIY fix?

 

I sent a PM to the OP as well, hoping to get a few more questions answered.

 

Here is the manual for the fuel pump replacement.
https://attachments.priuschat.com/attachment-files/2018/05/146330_2010_Toyota_Prius_Repair_Manual_-_Fuel_Pump_Replacement.pdf
The SST numbers are not in production, but amazon has tools like this one. Amazon.com: Customer Questions & Answers

 

Wao! That's a tedious exercise just like you have on some Ford explprersz and even Toyota highlanders.

 

@Rebound .It's not about American cars only. I think it's dependent on fuel quality or something.
Some American and Asian vehicles I have worked on, have got their filters pretty neat.
My concerns with American cars are their rusty underneath. Same with Canadian ones too.

 

I think you alreyhave the solutions on your finger tips.
You for the car scanned, and got codes indicating the fuel pump.
Why not follow the OP's procedures here, and get it fixed? Or are you not just sure of the codes they gave you?

 

The 3190 code doesn't specifically state that it's a fuel pump problem. It only states what I listed, things like fuel pressure, or an out-of-fuel scenario that - granted - do point in the direction of the fuel pump, but don't state it directly. I do intend to follow the OP's procedure, as well as the procedure listed in the service manual.

 

Thanks for manual link. Also, while the SST tool listed in the service manual (09808-01420) is no longer available, it's really nothing special, essentially a spanner wrench, and there are lots available on Amazon. I'm going to try the Great Neck 25156.

 

I got my car back the other day from the stealership. When the two truck with my car showed up, I asked the driver if he had any issues picking it up, given the car was essentially unmoveable and God knows where they kept the car before it was picked up. "Oh, no, not at all", he says, "I just drove it over to the tow truck". Wha-what? You...drove it? "Yes, drove it."

So...the day I got it towed, the car simply would not start no matter what I did. And now all of a sudden it's working again?

After I decided to bring my car back, I scoured the internet for a replacement pump and decided to go with a used entire assembly. I bought the next part number that supersedes my part number (current part # is 77020-47080, I bought 77020-47081). I also bought the Great Neck 25156 spanner to remove the tank locking ring.

So...update...the spanner was useless. The "fingers" of the two adjustable arms that are supposed to fit into the two diametrically opposed slots/holes positively do not fit. The fingers are too thick/wide. I just ended up using a good ol' fashioned screwdriver and hammer and just tapped against the sides of the ring slots and it came off without issue.

I fretted about the right way to relieve the fuel pressure. In the end, I disconnected the fuel line quick disconnect near the engine.

That taken care of, I removed the fuel pump assy from the tank. I immediately put my multimeter leads on the two prongs after disconnecting the plug and...it tested to 1.4 ohms. Spec per the manual is 0.3-3.0 ohms. So, it passes the resistance check. That doesn't mean the pump is good necessarily, does it? Perhaps the pump will pump gas, but perhaps intermittently, or when it does, not with the right amount of power or suction. Not quite sure what to think. I was convinced the ohm reading would be out of spec.

In any event, I expect the new one in the next day or so. I've no reason NOT to install it. Lots and lots of threads here in this forum mention a bad fuel pump or injectors regarding the P3190 error code, and given the stealership already diagnosed this as a bad fuel pump, I might as well install the new (used) one. I have to imagine the dealershp found something by using Techstream that I'm not seeing, and something besides the resistance readings.

Would it make sense to apply 12V to the fuel pump to observe its behavior? I know you can't run a pump for very long when it's dry, so I don't know that I'd learn anything other than yes,works/no, doesn't work. Well, I have confirmation that the pump seems to work, at least intermittently.

 

Just curious: does the fuel pump draw gasoline from the absolute bottom of the tank? IOW, if the car stalls because of running out of gas in the tank, does it mean no gas really left in the tank? The reason I am asking this question is, if water forms at the bottom of the tank due to phase separation, would it be pulled thru by the fuel pump or is it designed to pull from a little up from the bottom so any debris and such that might settle at the bottom isn't pulled thru the system by the pump?

 

There's a sock on the end of the pump and you'd have to have a good bit of water mixed with some fuel I believe to do what you're talking about I mean previous is generally don't sit long enough for any of that to be going on unless I don't know how to type folks on them I guess generally these things are kept on the road these are not to sit in your driveway or sit in the car port type of cars they're made to be driven everyday if possible and if not you start asking for trouble better get a heated garage if you live in a winter place battery tender for the 12 volt easy way to hook it up so that you're really do it but the fuel pumps in these air the same as a Corolla I don't know if there's an access hole under the back seat You can just tap off the top like you did and there you go change it out fuel pumps Toyota doesn't make there a dime a dozen from billions of manufacturers from $12 all the way to 200 and take your pick I use one that's around $24 I've been using that model pump since about 1983 they still make it today I think it's an airtex

SM-A715F ?

 

That's the only stupid thing with American vehicles. You gotta drop the tanks of almost all their vehicles before replacing just a fuel pump. I think that's what the Asian car manufacturers realized, and made theirs easy and different.

 

Thanks Peter for posting this. My tool I got from rockauto does not fit the slots on my 2011 lock ring. I hope to get a better tool more like the one that is not in production....assuming that amazon has the same one thats in the diagrams on the pdf!!!
I've had lots of trouble coming to an understanding over the past year about how to solve this failure to run problem. I had my dramatic failure last spring of 23. I was dealing with a failing NiMH, wrong 12v(bad) battery, and likely this fuel pump failure. It's my own fault because I only recently learned that the fuel level should not be allowed to drop below 1/4 because the pump is dependent on fuel for cooling. I have not been able to get the lock ring off with the tool I have, and perhaps I've only tried clockwise! So, my next trial will be to do the counterclockwise turn! If it still won't budge then a few taps with a hammer and screwdriver unless I can find the right tool on amazon!

 

I usually I just use the drift around you know 5/16 to 3/8 diameter and smack the lock ring around with that I don't think I've ever needed a tool I know they make a bunch of them for all kinds of different cars and some of the other cars I've worked on are plastic tanks and you just undoing a big rock ring like on a farm jug but hey I guess a tool might be necessary I've never lifted the cover to look on the Prius by itself generation 3 but I've done it on Corolla and other vehicles of plenty.