Coolant valve issue

I assume that your car is a North American model. For future reference, that is not the best choice if you instead can purchase used vehicles from Europe, because the NA model has extra emissions control that add complexity and trouble (fuel tank bladder is a notorious example.)

The coolant heat recovery valve and coolant heat recovery pump are known to be problem areas. The pump will run for several seconds when the car is started up and when the car is powered down. The valve's job is to route engine coolant to the cabin heater core and to the coolant heat recovery canister, depending upon operating conditions.

So, it sounds like the valve was diagnosed to be the problem in your case. If you provide the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that was retrieved, we can comment on whether that is likely to be the issue or not.

Air pressure is not a concern. If the valve has failed, you will need to replace it.

Toyota technical repair manual info can be downloaded for a subscription fee from the Toyota Europe website:
Toyota Service Information

However, since the European Prius does not have this valve it is likely that the info on that website will not be too helpful to you. The US equivalent website requires you to be a resident of North America.

You can also learn about the coolant heat recovery system valve at this website: autoshop101.com
Look for the Technical Article link, then find the Hybrid12 Engine Control System.pdf file.

Regarding parts sources, I doubt that US Toyota dealers will ship parts to your location. You'll probably have to find a European source, if you feel that the prices are too high in your area. Good luck.

 

I buy my parts from Champion Toyota, Houston, Texas. This is one of several US Toyota dealers that offer spare parts at ~25% discount off MSRP for weborders.
toyotaworld.com

I am concerned that you are saying the pump is running for a longer period of time than is normal. Can you determine what the DTC is, and post?

It sounds like you've been able to find the coolant heat recovery system pump, which is located in front of the front left tire, hidden behind the fender liner. However I think that you need to find the coolant heat recovery system valve, which I believe is hiding under the inverter. You'll probably have to remove the cowl that runs along the rear of the engine compartment, and then the inverter, to gain access to that valve.

I suggest you go to techinfo.toyota.com and see if you can subscribe to that website so that you have access to the North American repair manual info. As I previously mentioned, the website may require that you use a credit card with a US mailing address, let me know if that is an issue or not.

The main issues when replacing those parts are:

1) make sure that you hook up the hoses correctly (especially with the valve, where three hoses are involved), and

2) purging air out of the engine coolant system. See my post #22 here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...shooting/30813-changing-engine-coolant-3.html

It will not damage the engine for you to drive the car in this condition. However your cabin heater performance may be impaired and your warm-up emissions production will be slightly worse than normal. Good luck.

 

Sounds good. Note that 16670-21010 is the valve, not the pump. Looks like the Champion Toyota price is US$53.09 plus shipping.

That is probably the part that needs to be replaced, but let's look at the DTC to be sure.

I've attached the relevant TSB, EG001-08. DTC P1121 is indicative of a bad coolant heat recovery system valve. See the diagram that shows the location of the valve.

 

Yes, you have the correct part number to order. I don't think that gaskets are required.

While you are at it, you might want to order other parts such as engine oil filters (box of 10 for US$32.90), engine air filters (US$13), cabin air filters (US$15), windshield wiper blades, PCV valve (~US$6), serpentine drive belt (~US$20), etc.

There are around 800K Prius in the US and 1,300 Toyota US dealerships, so on average each US dealer has over 600 Prius that are potential service candidates. Nevertheless it appears that US dealer service quality is uneven, based on the stories that you can find here.

If Prius is not sold in Jordan then I would not expect the dealer techs to have much expertise, and they will be learning on your car. So you are a very brave individual to have purchased a Prius.

Maybe you should get together with your fellow countrymen (and women) who have purchased a Prius so that you can do group purchases on parts, etc. In any event, good luck with this repair.