Going to Replace the Radiator - Anything else I should do at the same time?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by APriusGuyIGuess, May 2, 2019.

  1. APriusGuyIGuess

    APriusGuyIGuess New Member

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    Hi All,

    First post, but I thought that I would hit the ground running. I purchased a rough 2007 Prius for $900 that ran like a champ for about 5,000 miles of tough San Francisco city driving. Well all good things must come to an end and the radiator finally gave out, which I knew was coming eventually as it was in a front end collision and radiators are made of tissue paper.

    So I've ordered a new radiator and figured while I was going to be taking the front end apart anyway if there was anything else that I should change during the process. As far as the cooling system goes, I am having the following problems:

    • Heater is not working
    • Nasty loud sound when the car shuts off and the inverter pump turns on (runs smoothly in acc mode)
    • P1116 CEL

    I was thinking that in addition to the radiator I would replace the inverter pump and the coolant flow valve as I've read those parts fail at around 200K which is about what this car has.

    Any input would be appreciated!
     
    #1 APriusGuyIGuess, May 2, 2019
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat!!

    There could be other codes that you're unable to retrieve, which device are you using to read that P1116 with ?

    Have you already checked the fluid level in the radiator (not the overflow container) ?

    The inverter pump shouldn't "turn on" when the "car shuts off".

    Here is the workup for DTC P1116 : https://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/Repair%20Manual/04pruisr/05/2054m/cip1116.pdf
     
    #2 SFO, May 2, 2019
  3. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Based on P1116 (Coolant Temperature Sensor Circuit Stack for Coolant Heat Storage System) and lack of heat, this points to air in engine cooling loop.

    Loud sound when car shuts off will most likely be the CHRS pump. This pump gets activated when you READY (turn ON) or turn OFF the car. If you want to get rid of that noise, then replace the pump now or replace when the correct DTC is recorded, due to the pump failing.

    P1121 is a bad 3-way coolant control valve. Replace when this code pops up.

    READ this PDF to understand more about the Prius cooling system.
    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwipveHE9v3hAhWzPH0KHazeCi8QFjAAegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fattachments.priuschat.com%2Fattachment-files%2F2015%2F05%2F74972_1nzfe9.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0MSkDPQzhY-YBSS4qQpVgf
     
    #3 exstudent, May 2, 2019
    APriusGuyIGuess likes this.
  4. APriusGuyIGuess

    APriusGuyIGuess New Member

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    I checked the codes with a standard ODBII reader and with torqued through a bluetooth scanner. After reading some more posts on the forum I went ahead and ordered a miniVCI kit from Amazon and once I get my hands on a windows 7 laptop I will give that set up a try.

    It sounds like what I've been calling the inverter pump is the CHRS pump
     
    #4 APriusGuyIGuess, May 3, 2019
  5. APriusGuyIGuess

    APriusGuyIGuess New Member

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    Thank you so much for that diagram, I think that I may know what caused my issue.

    Based on the diagram, the fact that my heater now doesn't work and my radiator burst while driving on a hot day, I'm willing to bet money that my 3 way water valve is malfunctioning and it prevented/is preventing coolant flow. The strange part about that is that I only got a P1121 error once and it didn't reappear after I cleared it, which may just mean that I didn't drive far enough after clearing the codes while diagnosing my failed radiator.

    I'm going to pickup the valve today from my local dealer and replace that along with the radiator this evening. Thank you so much for your help!
     
    #5 APriusGuyIGuess, May 3, 2019
  6. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Hmm.

    Not aware of a defective 3-way valve causing a radiator to die. A defective 3-way valve will cause heater to not work, if it gets stuck in wrong position. Air in the engine cooling loop can cause car to overheat and also cause heater to not work, due to hot engine coolant not getting to cabin heater core.

    The fact car was in a front end accident, and assumed damage to radiator, my $ is on this accident and possible bad repair left air in the engine cooling loop.

    But, you'll be doing a proper repair now.
     
    #6 exstudent, May 3, 2019
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