1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

When constantly driving 70 mph for hours the coolant leak from the coolant level

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by Saib, Jun 26, 2022.

  1. Saib

    Saib New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2022
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V
    When constantly driving 70 mph for hours the coolant start leaks from the coolant level And the sign for the coolant level start blinking. Almost all the coolant leaks.
    When i drive in the city with A/C on, there’s no problem and the two speed of the fan is working.
    This is weird.
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,474
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    First there is no coolant level warning. That is an overheating warning. Very serious.

    Second you most likely have a coolant leak into the cylinders which is then vaporized and sent out the exhaust. A relatively small one. If not that, you may have a bad water pump that works well enough in city driving but can't keep up on the freeway.

    Third the fans are not needed at 70 mph. So they are out of the picture.

    Get it fixed quick or your engine will be ruined.
     
    Saib and jerrymildred like this.
  3. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2012
    3,902
    1,064
    0
    Location:
    New Yawk
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Our v’s coolant temperature varies from 195 to 198 degrees F cruising at 70 mph, per OBD2.
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,473
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    How many miles on it?
     
  5. Saib

    Saib New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2022
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V
    Thank you,
    Well i am sure that the leak coming outside from the coolant level( it’s like when the temperature goes up and the coolant boil and run outside the cap)
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Saib

    Saib New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2022
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V
    It’s 150 K
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    are you looking in the overflow reservoir?

    how much do you have to add?

    is it hot in usa?
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,072
    14,975
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I don't think a v has an overflow reservoir.

    Gen 1 and Gen 2 had that. Gen 3 (and therefore v and c also, I think) moved to the degas-bottle style of cooling system, where the plastic degas bottle is included in the normal circulation of coolant, not an overflow. Its level markings are the exact right place to look.
     
  9. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,474
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    All that means is the engine is severely overheating and going into pressure relief through the reservoir cap. It is not the cause of the overheating.
     
    roqua01 and Air_Boss like this.
  10. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2012
    3,902
    1,064
    0
    Location:
    New Yawk
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Has the radiator/coolant pressure cap failed?
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,473
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    In other words, can you get a little more local, say Alaska vs New Mexico?
     
    bisco likes this.
  12. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,474
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Sometimes new guys don't know the best way to procure free information. Maybe they prefer the $150 to $200 an hour the dealer charges for doing all the ground work.

    Saib, add this information in your post about the overheating. Otherwise you will get confusing, irrelevant and conflicting information. Some will happen anyway.

    1. Add your location, eg city and state in your profile. If that is beyond your technical ability right now, add it in a post in the public thread. Besides knowing if its 55f or 105f where you are, you may get some local shop recommendations to save you money.

    2. Add information about the car. How many miles, how long have you had it, what other repairs has it had in the past?

    3. What other problems does the car still have?

    4. Is the check engine or hybrid malfunction light on?

    5. If there are trouble codes, what are they? What scanner was used to get those codes?

    6. Provide your mechanic or diagnostic ability and experience. Otherwise most will assume you have tools, scanners and years of experience and are ready to execute detailed repairs.

    Finally, your responses will be moderated, eg checked before made public, for the first five responses. The smart thing to do is to immediately add more responses and your dialog will become faster after that.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  13. Saib

    Saib New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2022
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V
    Yes, when the temperature sign start blink, the coolant is almost gone
     
    bisco likes this.
  14. Saib

    Saib New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2022
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V
    No!
     
  15. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2012
    3,902
    1,064
    0
    Location:
    New Yawk
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    You’re welcome.
     
    bisco likes this.
  16. roqua01

    roqua01 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2021
    28
    6
    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II

    This is probably what is happening. Mine was the headgasket being blown but from what I've read it could also be a bad coolant pump. Took me over a year to get my car finally somewhat running so good luck.
     
    bisco likes this.
  17. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2018
    1,669
    546
    3
    Location:
    SE Texas
    Vehicle:
    2011 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    ----USA----
    JUNK...... get rid of it...............engine ruined..........................
     
  18. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2021
    1,262
    691
    0
    Location:
    SacTown, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    When the temperature icon blinks; that means your overheating.
    Coolant should never boil; it's coolant.. You've got a blown head gasket and your engine is pushing hot exhaust gases into the coolant. The engine heat combined with the hot exhaust gases is what is causing it to boil out. Your radiator can't remove the heat from the coolant fast enough.
    If you keep driving the car this way, the head gasket hole will get larger. If the hole gets large enough to suck in coolant; you can punch a hole into the side of your engine and or damage enough engine components to make it unrepairable.
     
    roqua01 and Tim Jones like this.
  19. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2012
    3,902
    1,064
    0
    Location:
    New Yawk
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Due to a hydraulic lock…

    “If the hole gets large enough to suck in coolant; you can punch a hole into the side of your engine and or damage enough engine components to make it unrepairable.”
     
    Tim Jones likes this.
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,473
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Which is coolant, an uncompressible liquid, in the cylinder. When the piston tries to come up it's stopped by the volume of coolant at the top, and something has to give. That could be bent piston arm, failed bearings, blown damper between engine and transaxle.
     
    #20 Mendel Leisk, Jul 2, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2022