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Overheating light coming on temporarily then goes away

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 805 Driver, Sep 3, 2021.

  1. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    My initial thought was similar to one suggestion @sam spade 2 made above about messin with your morning commute by diverting it prior to going under the power lines. I'm well aware how frustrating rush hour traffic IS and anything adding to that time on the road is just nuts, but it's one thing I first thought of to try as well. Plus it's still an intermittent issue which really sucks, but might be a good thing that it's not happening every time you go under the power lines..
    Possibly could have more current in the power lines in the mornings than in the afternoons evenings and or weekends making diagnosing even more difficult.
    I'd suggest keeping a log of days and times passing under the power lines that trigger the overheat light.
    The log may be helpful in getting a handle on if and when the power lines are causing the car to freak out like that.
     
    #21 vvillovv, Sep 25, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2021
  2. 805 Driver

    805 Driver New Member

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    Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. I woke up early this past Saturday and went for an early morning drive in a different direction where there would be no RF interference and sorry to bum everyone out but...the overheat light came on again. It came on right as the vehicle was coming to temperature too. It was actually super helpful because now I know that RF was not the culprit. I am thinking that it is the thermostat starting to fail as it happens within the first 10-15 mins of driving and only does so when cold/has been sitting overnight. Once the high temp light goes off after its 5-10 seconds, it doesnt matter how hard I drive it, I cannot get it to overheat. With almost 200k on the vehicle, seems like a logical issue. I am going to have my mechanic take a look at it, likely do a coolant flush if replaced and then see where that gets me.
     
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  3. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    The thermostat might be sticking when COLD or slow to open fully.
    The radiator fan might be slow to start up when voltage is first applied too.
    Same for the water pump.

    IF it is full of coolant, the odds are huge that just a fresh fill won't accomplish anything.
    And some of your new might run out when the stat or pump is replaced later.
     
  4. 805 Driver

    805 Driver New Member

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    Hey everyone, thanks for the help with this. Prius ended up having a failing water pump and bad thermostat which @Mendel Leisk said it likely would be. I really wanted it to be RF interference!! Hope you all have a great afternoon and thanks again for all of your help.
     
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  5. burrito

    burrito Active Member

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    Thanks for keeping us updated.

    I hope you didn't get cancer.
     
  6. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    While performing my coolant change back in June, it took at least 35 minutes in "Maintenance Mode" (forces the ICE to run even though it is not needed) on a 90 degree day in the sun, car not moving, to get the fans to run.
     
  7. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    My water pump went out at 169,000
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Because I am not always that patient, I will confess that sometimes I have sat in the car pushing the go pedal part-way so that happens faster.
     
  9. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    WOW... that interference was a heck of a Pipe Dream............ I'm in the RF Business..........
     
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  10. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    undoubtedly, high tension transmission would cause a Prius sensor to misreport, although there have been some stranger than fiction discussions about Prius here in the past. ;)
     
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  11. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    I park my prius under broadcast towers running well over 50,000 watts and never seen a anomaly.
     
  12. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    When I park my car within a block of a particular establishment’s RF security and automated door system, the remote is not usable to lock, unlock or trigger the alarm. The establishment systems also trigger X and K band radar alerts, suggesting it is emitting more RFI than RF.
     
  13. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    That is one of the things my company does and I have never experienced that in over 30 years.
    Must be something way out of spec causing some nasty harmonics or some type of non FCC approved equipment from china
     
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  14. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    @805 Driver confirmed it wasn't RF, but a failing water pump. Had us all going there for a while on the RF goose chase.. :)
     
  15. burrito

    burrito Active Member

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    But then what made the water pump fail.. :whistle:
     
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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Plastic impeller?
     
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  17. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Getting from 315/433Mhz UHF automatic door openers and car remotes into the 8+ GHz range to trigger a high selectivity X and K band receiver suggests more noise than signal.
     
  18. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    Admit it, it was a fun "wild goose chase".
     
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  19. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Never even though about RF.....I was positive RF had nothing to do with the temp light.
    I have also ran 500 watt ham gear in my vehicles and never a anomaly..
     
  20. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Although Toyota and others caution against that.