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Gurgling sound under back seat

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by tauneutrino, Mar 15, 2009.

  1. johntpr

    johntpr Junior Member

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    Please let me know if you figure out how the water got in..I'm experiencing a similar problem
     
  2. Crooked River

    Crooked River New Member

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    Well, the dealer justed drain my electric battery tray. The sloshing finally stopped. They don't know how the water entered the tray and said they had never heard of this problem before. I assume I'll have to have it done again later.

    Dealer suggested not driving through an automatic carwash with an underbody spray!
     
  3. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I took my Prius through plenty of automatic car washes with underbody sprays, never had a problem. I would have thought if the underbody spray had caused a problem, the spare tire well would have filled up too
     
  4. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Check the rear, cabin pressure equalization flaps. These are rubber flaps that open when the door is closed to prevent 'popping ear drums.' They are located in my NHW11 below the stop lights and behind the bumper.

    In theory, if they failed to close or were 'propped open,' water splash could come in that route and into the rear cabin area.

    Just a thought, a hypothesis.

    Bob Wilson
     
  5. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Again if someone has pictures or diagrams indicating the locations of the said plugs or drains or flaps please post. Thanks! :)
     
  6. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I'll try to dig up some diagrams later on
     
  7. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Huh, can't find them anywhere. Will keep looking
     
  8. MariaEvri

    MariaEvri Member

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  9. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    That would make sense for Prius sold outside of North America. The reason I say this is due to the fact the Rest Of The World Prius does NOT use a bladder in the gas tank.

    Since the bladder expands and contracts with volume, a Prius driver in North America should never hear fuel slosh
     
  10. MariaEvri

    MariaEvri Member

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    well Im located in Cyprus, so I guess the sloshing in my case is explained ?
     
  11. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Yep, but just to be safe, remove the rear tray and check out the spare tire well. If you see even a hint of water in there, investigate further!

    I had a 1992 Honda Civic from new, but sold it a couple of years later as I rarely drove it (Still in the Army). If the fuel was 1/2 or lower, I would hear a mild slosh, especially if I stopped and it was quiet
     
  12. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Thanks for the effort! :)
     
  13. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I've gone through the All Data stuff, nothing at all. Will try looking at a hacked Prius shop manual I have
     
  14. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    1 person likes this.
  15. wuttin

    wuttin Junior Member

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    Wow, can't thank you enough. I know this is an old post but it deserves reviving since I expect more people are encountering this issue as thier cars age. It's a bit alarming that the 12V battery was sitting in a deep puddle. Instant cure.

    For responders looking for a diagram, the OP explained it quite well. Looking from under the car, behind the rear passenger side wheel is a small integrated metal chamber that houses the 12V battery. From the interior it is accessed through the trunk by lifting the removable floor panel at the rear on the right. I opened this and didn't see anything until I got a flashlight and looked a little deeper...lo and behold, the 12V was swimming.

    From below there is only one small rubber plug, closer to the rear wheel than the bumper. It's easily pried out, with either fingers or a small flathead. Be prepared to get wet. Personally I have left the plug out for now.

    Thanks again to the OP...I was ready to go to the dealer because I feared something was wrong with the main battery. Would have been interesting to see the labor cost for the 30 second fix!

    All the best,
    Steve
     
    Brenz likes this.
  16. Brenz

    Brenz New Member

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    Thank you so much for this. I was going almost bonkers when after I washed my car a few days ago and it rained heavily this past week on my new pre-owned prius, I was hearing this "plop" noise, like water in a milk jug happen every time I braked fast or accelerated fast. I could not figure out why I'm hearing this water noise! I thought my water pump was going bad or something, but it was coming from the back passenger seat.

    I pulled the inner plug behind the passenger tire, about a gallon of water came out! I was so relieved!

    Anyone else who associates a milk jug noise or "plop" noise or water in behind the rear passenger, especially if you live in a rainy state like Florida, please pull the INNER PLUG behind the right rear wheel. Water will pour out. It must come from water in between the two panels above the rear lights.


     
  17. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    @Brenz, while it is a good move to drain off the water, you need to trace the source of the leak and seal it.

    Quite a few people trace it to a seam under the trim stripe on the sides of the roof that is not sealed properly. See this post and the following 5 or 6 for details: 12 volt battery change and a lot of water under it - Post #8

    Although in this post the water accumulates in the battery compartment, there are other threads where the water accumulates in the wheel well, like yours. In these posts they also trace the leak back to the same crack in the seam.

    There is a thread on this subject, although more severe, with better pictures here: Water filling driver's side pan.

    Hope these help.
     
  18. topquark

    topquark New Member

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    Yes, I am having the same problem with my 2005 Prius with 125,000 miles on it. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow to see what they know. I will certainly mention this Prius chat page thread in case they have not seen it.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! all the best!(y)