Water Pump leak...

Hobbit is more accepting of an engine coolant pump leak than I. I would say that any sign of coolant weeping at the coolant pump bearing is sufficient reason to replace the pump. Even more so, if the leak is sufficient to spray upon the hood insulation pad. The pump doesn't cost much and is not very hard to replace.

It is quite easy to find the engine coolant pump pulley and then inspect its interior for signs that coolant has dripped off the pump bearing and onto the interior of the pulley. Also inspect the pump body itself.

If you don't see anything, then ask your dealer's service writer to show you the leak. If s/he is successful in doing so, then you will have learned something new. If unsuccessful then you will have some evidence that dealer's staff indulges in unethical business practices.

 

Thanks for the info. Patrick. I'll inspect the pump Today and post my findings.

 

I have a similar issue, but a different question if anyone can help. I have an 05 Prius. The dealer said the water pump was leaking and wanted $600 to replace it. I went to Kragens and bought a new one for $60. I replaced it in about an hour. No problems. I topped off the radiator when I was done with coolant. Now when I drive and hit about 35mph, the red triangle warning light and then the coolant light on my display comes on. When I lower my speed to about 20 as I slow down, the warning light goes off. What do you think that could be? Any help is appreciated.

 

It sounds like air is in the engine cooling system. If you just topped off the radiator without running the engine (and setting your cabin heater to run full blast) to purge the air out, that needs to be done now.

My posts 22 and 42 in this string provides info about how to do this. It's too late for you now, but one key issue is to keep track of how much coolant you drained out, and ensure that you replace the same amount before you declare victory.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...shooting/30813-changing-engine-coolant-3.html

An alternate possibility is that your car was in a front-end accident, and the radiator fans were swapped upon reinstallation, which results in the fans blowing in the wrong direction. If you are traveling at slow speeds it doesn't matter but at higher speeds, the fans are offset by vehicle speed.

 

Well, inspected the pump and sure enough there was pink residue on the interior of the pulley and on the hood insulation.

I may replace it myself however, I'm not looking forward to changing the coolant and playing purge the air....sigh.

Thanks again Patrick!

 

Not sure if I'll have time in the near future to replace the water pump and I don't want to wait too long so i'm considering a dealer. Got a quote from Miller Toyota of Anaheim, CA. They want $495!

I figure $60 for pump and 3 hours @ $90 an hour would equal $330.

 

Here is my guess, regarding what you would be told if you should ask for an itemization of that quote:

$135 for the pump (MSRP is $92.34)
http://www.trademotion.com/partloca...rius&year=2004&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0
$30 for a gallon of Toyota SLLC (should cost ~$22 at the parts counter)
$330 at $110/hour for three hours labor

 

Your guess sounds about right.

 

Very reasonable. I was quoted $500 from a dealer in VA this past week. Have them take a look at the serpentine belt while they are replacing the water pump. They charged me $22 for the belt, as they had to take it off to get to the water pump.

 

Is this water pump not covered under a recall? I just bought a 2005 and found out the water pump was replaced under a recall and replaced in April of 2011. I bought the car with 128K on it.

Dont mean to get off the subject..... Can someone please share with me where I might find instructions on repairing an MFD if it starts to go bad on me. Thanks!!

 

There are two cooling systems: one for the engine, and one for the inverter + transaxle. The engine water pump tends to develop leaks. The inverter cooling pump tends to seize up -- this is the one that was just replaced.

For an in-depth MFD repair story: Prius MFD

For instructions for dash disassembly so you can send it off to someone else: Prius MFD Touchscreen Repair

 

After 145k miles this is only the 2nd major problem experienced.

1. MDF issue 2 years ago, fixed by myself.
2. Water pump leak, still need to get done, leak is light, but had to add some coolant. I got the 50/50 mixture from Toyota.

Not bad! Love this car, can't wait to get to the 200k mile club. Now that we purchased a 2nd hybrid miles have slowed a bit.

 

I am getting my 2006 serviced right now. It has 48k on it. They say the engine water pump is leaking and there is coolant calcified on the drive belt. They want $510 to replace it. Is this worth going to a non-dealer shop in hopes of saving money? They also strongly recommend against an after-market pump as a replacement. Any thoughts on this? I'm having them hold off on the replacement for a couple of days in hopes of getting some feedback on here.

Thank you!

 

You need some place with a Toyota factory level scan tool. After physically replacing the pump, the entire cooling system needs to be refilled. It takes 5 minutes with an AirLift and Techstream. An independent shop specializing in Toyota or Japanese makes can probably do this. Look for $350-$450.

There is no reason to use an aftermarket pump because it is quite cheap.

 

I'd recommend using the official Toyota waterpump and gasket, which can be had for ~$80. I did this job myself last weekend in the driveway and it is not too bad if you have skinny hands and a variety of 10, 12 and 14mm sockets (1/4" and 3/8", regular and deep) and ratchets (a slim 1/4" and 3/8" extendable) as well as a long shafted screwdriver to pin the pulley while you're breaking torque on the three bolts holding the pulley to the waterpump.
I also used a thin layer of Permatex waterpump gasket RTV compound on both sides of the gasket to be sure of a good seal.
There is a pretty good write up in the Bentley manual that lists the torque values and procedure.
For refilling the coolant, I have found that jacking up the passenger side of the car aids in 'burping' air, as well as squeezing the radiator hoses to force the air out, and finally by actuating the electric coolant pump by extracting the control relay and turning it on with a jumper or a VOM set to measure current.

 

Thank you for the info. I'm not a DIY kinda gal when it comes to this sort of work, so will be taking it in somewhere. Just wanted to make sure this isn't the kind of thing you'd want no one but a dealer to work on. Sounds like as long as I take it to a reputable mechanic that knows Japanese cars, I should be ok, yes?

 

If they do not have the scan tool that can run the coolant storage tank pump, suggest that they NOT drain it, because that is the biggest PITA of the job. I imagine most Toyota independents would have something, though.

 

Just talked to a local place and they quoted me $285 using original Toyota parts--a lot better than $510. I asked him about the scan tool that you mention above but I was a little confused about what I was asking because I didn't really understand the coolant storage tank pump part of the above. He said they have the best scan tools for Hondas and Toyotas. So I guess they have what I need.

Thank you for your advice.

 

If you only drain enough coolant to replace the water pump there is no need for a scan tool. The bleed valve works adequately for bleeding the system.

MB860 ?

 

It turns out that they didn't actually have the scan device. When I called them the next day to make the appt., the guy said the person I'd spoken with the day before was wrong, and that they couldn't do the repair because they didn't have the device. So I'm back to square one, looking for another repair place to get this thing fixed. Or else I need to take it back to the dealer and pay their high price. Do places need to be specialized to work on hybrids? I don't know why this is such a tricky thing to do--I think even I replaced a water pump in high school auto shop. But it would have been on a '72 Vega.