I have a 2013 Prius, twice in the past weak interstate driving when I hit the gas really hard to pass etc, coolant sprays out, the check engine light and high temp light comes on. I see the coolant on the right tire and underneath the car near the tire. Any other time the coolant level doesnt drop and the car is fine. The second time I wasnt pushing the car quite as hard and the light only flashed on and off. The first time it stayed on a little longer and the check engine light came on but went off when I cut off the car and restarted. Is this a classic sign of anything where this happens when you push the car hard? Thanks.
First step is to figure where the coolant is spraying out from... You might need to clean your engine compartment and then recreate the situation to find it. How does the engine work otherwise? Is it pretty much barely running or still running smooth? Has MPG changed? Also what are the error codes that were logged when check engine light came on?
i don't recall anything like this. it seems that high rpm is causing more pressure causing a leak around a fitting, etc. but with the electric water pump, i'm not sure that's how it works. how many miles on her? check your oil too.
Does the Gen III have a mechanical coolant pump? If so, not hard to imagine why this is happening... Acceleration drives up RPM. Higher RPM means faster spinning coolant pump, means higher coolant pressure. Higher coolant pressure is enough to push past a weak or failing seal and allows coolant to escape from the system. If this was my car, I would focus on identifying the exact point where the coolant is coming from and figure out what seal at that point has failed.
This sounds like a failed head gasket. The coolant tank sits over the right front wheel. When you push the car hard, the combustion gasses over-pressurize the coolant tank. The coolant runs down the inside of the fender and to the ground. You can duplicate this by having a helper watch the coolant tank with the hood open while you sit in the car, parking brake set, foot on foot brake, car in drive, and hold accelerator to the floor. It will only take a minute or less to see if that is the issue. This action is also called a “forced charge” and does no harm to the car. And yes, I have watched gas engine RPM while doing this exact action. The RPM only raises to around 2400-2600 RPM, but it sounds like a lot more then that.
