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Prius C $2,902 brake dealer job

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Sonic_TH, Feb 16, 2021.

  1. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Mine climbed back up as soon as the pump turned off, i could see the level rise up again fast. Also here as some pictures from the new accumulator pump vs the old one, the sticker have change so that could indicate something maybe
     

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  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    My 2004 had brake honk (most of us called it a chirp) that my spouse complained about so I went to the dealer to get it fixed. The analysis said that I needed a full brake job and new rotors. I then asked to see the service manager since the noise occurred when the car was stopped so how could the brake pads/rotors be the issue. He agreed and apologized as the pads were barely worn and the rust was not on the braking surface (the brakes were still original at 288k miles and 12 years - 10 years later). A bleeding of the brakes to get air out of the system fixed the problem and I only had to pay for the $20 brake inspection (instead of the $50 brake bleed).

    JeffD
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The label orientation is the tip off, old vs revised. I believe both being transverse means both are newer version, per @ChapmanF pics on page one.
     
  4. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Nice, i will go tomorrow to get the brake bleed, as soon as i installed the new accumulator all the brake lights were gone.
     
  5. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Maybe the revised one means that they fixed the problem from the previous one?
     
  6. PriusII&C

    PriusII&C Active Member

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    Do you plan to bleed the brake yourself? If so, could you please publish your procedure?
     
  7. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    I will first bleed them by myself with no scan tool so i can drive to the dealer and let them bleed it in the correct way with a scan tool and techstream, if you want to know how to do it i could publish the procedure if you want. This is what i'm going to do

     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Here's the with/without Techstream instructions from 3rd gen Prius Repair Manual, fwiw:
     
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  9. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Thank you very much, i expect the Prius C to be the same, this might work.
     
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  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I think that's a "fluid replacement" procedure. Assumption: the system is intact, contains old fluid and no air, you are going to replace the old fluid with new, very carefully without letting any air in.

    I don't think that procedure applies to a car that has had the accumulator or actuator replaced and now containing air that needs to be bled out. That's a job for the "long form" bleeding procedure in Techstream, for which I am unaware of any non-Techstream substitute. It's simply not optional to work all those valves and get the air out of all of the passages, normal and fail-safe.

    In fact, even using the non-Techstream procedure for the intended purpose of a simple fluid replacement might require giving some thought to what you would do if you inadvertently let some air in during the replacement, and didn't have Techstream handy for the long-form bleed procedure that would then be needed.
     
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  11. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Today when i turned the car on all the brake lights were on too, they are gone now but this might indicate that the problem is the brake booster assembly, what do you think? the new pump still runs constantly like the older one and i can hear a hissing sound from inside the car.
     
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    My guess is that if you grab a mechanic's stethoscope and put the end farthest from your ears in contact with the booster assembly, you will have no doubt where your hissing sound is coming from. (You could also touch it to the pump/accumulator for comparison, just in case you won the lottery and got a bad one of those. I'm pretty sure you would get a convincing result.)
     
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  13. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    You mean i have to put the stethoscope in the brake lines? can i use a medical stethoscope? i have a few. But i'm almost certainly sure that the brake booster assembly is the that needs to be replaced, though i replaced already the pump because the older one died due to the bad booster, the motor burnt out. I will try that method and see what i can hear, but i don't think there are any valves in the brake pump assembly, all the valves are in the brake booster assembly
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Google mechanic stethoscope; see they’re pretty cheap.
     
  15. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    A long screwdriver with the handle mashed against your ear doesn't make a bad mechanics' stethoscope in a pinch: bone conduction.

    I once improvised a mechanics' stethoscope from a medical one by gluing a drinking straw to the plastic diaphragm on the bell end.
     
  16. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Here are some pictures i took if anyone wants to see how it looks to take the inverter out on a 2012 Prius C. Was quite easy, first drain the inverter coolant, disconnect the hoses, then disconnect the 12v battery and the hybrid battery service plug, now you can remove the inverter cap and unscrew the orange wires brackets and internal connections, unscrew the inverter from the base and take it out, place it in a towel. Then remove the inverter mount, the inverter coolant reservoir and brake fluid reservoir, and now you have access to the brake booster assembly and brake pump assembly.
     

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  17. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy Active Member

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    First off, hope things are going well with you and your car. Thanks for providing all those details. That would be helpful for some other members that will be encountering this journey.
     
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  18. PriusII&C

    PriusII&C Active Member

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    Are the brakes fixed?
     
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  19. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Not yet, i replaced the brake pump assembly, because the OE one died, but now i need to replace the brake booster assembly, i need to save a decent amount of money to buy that one, because i want it new not used, i want to keep this Prius C until the end if i can.
     
  20. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Thank you very much, things are going well, just that now i'm in the wait to see when i will be able to get the brake booster assembly and install it, i will update this post once i get it. And no problem, i like to help people and will do my best to help those in need.