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Did I short/blow my water pump???

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sierraprius, Aug 20, 2016.

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  1. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    Hey guys. I was following instructions to change my engine coolant and found this nifty youtube video where a guy uses his multimeter to get the water pump to activate without needing to turn the vehicle on:



    skip to about 2:45 to see the multimeter in action.

    This was working great until I dropped one of my multimeters probes while the other was in the top of the relay plug. I heard a little electrical noise and quickly pulled the other probe out of the relay socket.

    Now I can't get the pump to turn on when I plug the multimeter into the same socket. I thought maybe I'd fried my meter so I used a little piece of wire to test the socket- no dice.

    What have I done? Anyone got an idea of how badly I've screwed things up?
     
    #1 sierraprius, Aug 20, 2016
  2. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    It sounds like a fuse may have blown when your probe hit ground.
     
    #2 IMkenNY, Aug 20, 2016
  3. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    That's what I'm checking now but I can't for the life of me figure out which fuse is for the CHS WP. Any ideas? I've got six google search pages open.....
     
    #3 sierraprius, Aug 20, 2016
  4. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The meter is in amp mode so when one probe is on B+ and the other probe caught a ground it pulled alot of current. It blew the fuse that powers the CHRS canister.
    Probably blew the fuse in your meter too.

    Your better off just using a short piece of wire and jump out the B+ in the relay socket to motor in. Just put a piece of wire instead of the meter.
    After you replace the fuse.
     
    #4 edthefox5, Aug 20, 2016
  5. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    Any idea where that fuse is? I can't seem to find it under the hood or near the driver's side foot area. I'm seeing some diagrams that indicate there is no fuse but that doesn't make sense to me intuitively.... any help?
     
    #5 sierraprius, Aug 20, 2016
  6. jjmerp

    jjmerp Junior Member

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    upload_2016-8-20_20-50-32.png
     
    #6 jjmerp, Aug 20, 2016
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    let me look....
     
    #7 edthefox5, Aug 20, 2016
  8. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    yes thats it 10A CHS W/P
     
    #8 edthefox5, Aug 20, 2016
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The relay you were on is controlled by the Engine Control Module. See if the car starts.
     
    #9 edthefox5, Aug 20, 2016
  10. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Changing the engine coolant by dumping it all is a real PIA. I've done it and won't do it again. You better off just dumping the entire rad a few times. It won't invoke airlock and you'll get a real good response. Engine is very easy on the coolant.

    Inverter is very hard on the Inverter Coolant. I would have gone there first.
     
    #10 edthefox5, Aug 20, 2016
  11. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    Wow. Thank you. That fuse is actually unlabeled on the underside of my fuse box. I am off to a family dinner but I'll post the conclusion to this thread as soon as I can test this.

    Thank you !!!!
     
    #11 sierraprius, Aug 20, 2016
  12. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    Thank you for the tips. I just did the inverter coolant today and it went without a hitch. Figured draining the whole engine would be similarly easy. Haha. Lesson learned. Next time I'm either doing what you said or convincing the wife that we need to invest in an air lift kit.

    I still need to get another half gallon of coolant into the engine loop... Looks like my Sunday is planned out eh?
     
    #12 sierraprius, Aug 20, 2016
  13. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    I have a lift. Doesn't help as the CHRS traps it. Have to cycle that pump as you well know.
     
    #13 edthefox5, Aug 21, 2016
  14. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    To keep this thread updated: that was the right fuse! It did its job and burnt out so I replaced it and I'm back in business- but being much more careful now. I'm nearly finished bleeding the air out of the engine coolant. Thank you guys for all the help.
     
    #14 sierraprius, Aug 21, 2016
  15. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Cool....be aware that both those fluid loops move around sometimes alot after complete change outs especially the Engine Coolant.
    Don't slam the hood and forget.

    To check the engine coolant get a flashlight and hold it up to the Overflow tank to check for level. But always then check the actual level in the rad itself. Remove the 6 plastic screws that hold the that top plastic rad cover and leave the screws out for a while so you can get to that cap when engine is cool. The cover will stay right there without the screws. Sometimes the rad is low but overflow is fine. Run the heater. I would check daily for a few days and listen for gurgling sounds under dash when heater on.

    Same with the Inverter coolant. Make the car ready and with that flashlight look at the level and the character of the turbulence. Make a note of the turbulence. The turbulence aggressiveness will change as the fluid wears out or as the pump gets tired.
     
    #15 edthefox5, Aug 21, 2016
  16. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    Thank you for all the help. I really appreciate it. I think the inverter is good to go. Good turbulence since yesterday.

    The engine coolant is still giving me the willies. I did get a couple gurgles today from under the dash when turning the car on. I spent a couple hours dribbling in coolant a few ounces at a time and then running the pump for 5-10 seconds. The car was low on coolant to begin with. I took out a little more than 1.5 gallons and put in nearly 2. Also took the car for a spin. Things seemed fine. I think I've completed the process but I will keep an eye on it. One thing that I was running into: it seems like the system needs to be sealed to work properly and I think when I had the fill cap off with a funnel stuck in there and I was running the pump with the multimeter trick it was actually sucking air *into* the system along with pulling the coolant in. I eventually got the coolant to stay near the top of the fill hole and ended up putting my hand over the fill hole and running the pump. That seemed to get the pump to pull whatever air was in the system past it and then start making proper pump noises. Now when I check the rad fill coolant is right at the top (actually spilled a few ounces out at me- might not have been 100% cool).

    As you suggest, I'm gonna keep an eye and ear on it for the next few days.

    So, I'm a pretty handy dude and I thought this process would be WAY easier than it was. Is there some piece of equipment or something that a Toyota tech would use to make this process fool-proof? Seems strange that it's such a "check and see" process... I am glad I did it though. I don't think the local chain shop would have been has careful as I was to try to get all the air out. seeing as last time I was lazy enough to have them change my oil they forgot to put my oil fill cap back on and I'm still cleaning up that mess....
     
    #16 sierraprius, Aug 21, 2016
  17. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Toyota techs uses Toyota Techstream software on a laptop. Most folks here have purchased the The Mini VCI and that has TS software that runs on XP. Need an older laptop.

    Available on Amazon.com $25.

    Your able to turn on and off pumps and read and clear codes thrown and do full hybrid battery check and maintenance.

    Btw, be careful as you still might not be 100% there and since there's no temp gauge in the car you will never know if the engine is overheating till it throws an engine cel. And thats way to late as usually damage has been done by then to the aluminum head usually head gasket failure.

    If your hearing gurgling you have air. You should get good heat with the car warmed up. No heat big airlock. Engine overheats.
     
    #17 edthefox5, Aug 21, 2016
  18. sierraprius

    sierraprius New Member

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    I'm gonna look into the mini VCI. Sounds useful as all get out.

    Just started the car. Got gurgling again. gonna let it cool and check levels etc. sheesh. I did turn the heater on and got hot air flowing so I got that goin for me.
     
    #18 sierraprius, Aug 21, 2016
  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. A radiator funnel like this would be extremely helpful when first adding coolant. I found that this made the job very easy with no coolant spills.

    2. Regarding the gurgling, I suggest you fill the radiator to full, then put on the cap, make the Prius READY, and rev the engine for 10-15 minutes continuously. If you floor the accelerator pedal when the car is sitting on the driveway, the engine speed will only be ~3,000 RPM. It would be good to get most of the air out before you actually drive the car somewhere.
    3. Check the radiator level after the engine has cooled off. Repeat 2 and 3 until the radiator level is maintained at the full level.
    4. The Mini VCI is very helpful if diagnostic trouble codes are logged. However it is not necessary for this procedure once you know how to force the CHRS pump to run by applying the jumper at the CHRS relay socket.
     
    #19 Patrick Wong, Aug 21, 2016
  20. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Seen alot of posters jack the front of the car up and run the engine in inspection mode with the rad cap off hoping the air makes it way out.
    Inspection mode makes the engine run continuously allowing engine diagnosis. It works the air will eventually escape. Takes time. Jacked up so the air can escape.
    The reason your airlocked is the engine sits higher than the rad. Most modern cars are like this but the Prius compounds it with the CHRS bottle.
     
    #20 edthefox5, Aug 21, 2016
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