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Radiator, low mpg, and dielectric grease? Advice?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Piro133a, Nov 10, 2018.

  1. Piro133a

    Piro133a Junior Member

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    Hi guys,
    I'm still bringing my bought-broken prius back to life. I replaced a bad Hybrid battery which got it running. But now I need to replace the radiator as it has a leak AND the last guy (due to the leak) put green coolant in. (I don't think much was in there..the leak helped most exit before it caused major harm). (Only the engine coolant was mixed with green)

    I'm replacing the radiator. After replacingI'm thinking of doing several flushes of the engine side with distilled water then adding custom mixed concentrate to get a proper mix based on how much I remove from the system.

    I'm not sure about emptying the engine block coolant because I see you need a hand pump and a lift and I don't have those. Would four water flushes with a short drive between each to get things mixed be enough of a flush?

    I have driven the car maybe 20 miles filling it with distilled water...mostly to get tools and parts at junkyard.
    I'm only getting 28mpg avg and I drive conservatively. Perhaps this is the car heating too much or not being able to utilize the stored hot coolant? I get fairly normal/a bit high tempts 80-93c which drop to 67 when the coolant is low.
    The reman cardone battery seems to be fine...I haven't done the Dr. Prius tests, but the voltages are good on the packs.

    Since I still have the trunk undone....should I use a dielectric grease (or something anticorrosove) on the hybrid battery main lines?
     

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  2. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    On a regular car I would say you were good with 4 flushes. That thermos thing kind of throws a wild card into the mix. I don’t think a little bit left would hurt anything.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    can't judge the mpg on short trips. get it running and calculate at the pump. then address mpg if necessary
     
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  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Not all "green" coolant is bad for modern aluminum engines.
    Probably don't need to be paranoid about getting it all out.

    And then how exactly do you think the engine "utilizes the stored hot coolant" ??
    I don't understand that statement.

    Some anti-corrosion material applied to the battery connections certainly wouldn't hurt........IF you do it after the connections are all tight.
     
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  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe just drain as much as possible, refill with pre-mixed Toyota Super Long Life Coolant, recycle all the drained fluid responsibly, then repeat the process once more, say in a month or two.

    I'd stay away from dielectric compound on the bus bars, just get everything clean, torque to 48 inch/pounds (4 foot/pounds).
     
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  6. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Please don’t tell anyone to equate 48 inch pounds with 4 foot pounds. You need 2 different torque wrenches for that torque.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I know. What worries me: it wouldn't be the first time, someone read an inch/pound value as foot/pounds.
     
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  8. Philthunder

    Philthunder Member

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    ACF 50 make a good grease for battery terminal, or any other electrical connector. The spray can for things you can’t get to easily. Been using it for years on cars and bikes, every connector I take apart gets a dose, no problems commuting in winter salt. Connectors look as good as new after winter.
     
  9. Piro133a

    Piro133a Junior Member

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    The prius uses hot coolant stored in a thermos like container. I'm not sure how this works exactly but it helps the car with its frequent shutting off and restarting of the engine, which helps in fuel efficiency.

     
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  10. Piro133a

    Piro133a Junior Member

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    Thank you, everyone. I will be doing a radiator replacement and almost flush on the vehicle this weekend.
    Radiator had a leak....got decent one for 40$ at a junkyard.
    Gonna do transmission fluids too.
     
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  11. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    The big thing is getting the air out of the cooling system, check it for full at the radiator and fill it there. When it stays full between drives then you can go back to topping it off at the overflow tank.

    Good luck on your project.
     
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  12. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Really ? It must be REALLY well hidden.
    Or maybe you are talking about the overflow bottle where you add coolant.......which has NO function in the operation of the engine.
     
  13. 05PreeUs

    05PreeUs Senior Member

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    Infront of the D/S front tire, under/behind the left headlamp.

    You can pull the hose(s) off of the mixer valve to drain much of the coolant in the "thermos", but it seems unlikely to be worth the effort.

    Patrick has a VERY good "how to" on bleeding the engine side cooling system. I would add that a tall funnel (6" plus) stuffed into the RADIATOR fill neck, where the radiator cap goes, and adding coolant so it is well higher than the radiator is a big help. You can also squeeze the upper radiator hose with the funnel nearly full to burp out even more air, before starting Patrick's procedure, which will make it go faster in my experience.
     
  14. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    I think they only use it in North America on gen 2 Prius. There is a warning in the owners manual about it. Page 324 in the 2006 owners manual “Coolant heat storage system”.
     
  15. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The CHRS bottle is behind the front drivers headlight. Its a rather large bottle. Its purpose is to inject hot coolant when the car is started up first thing cold thereby improving emissions. That CHRS injection is controlled by the 3 way coolant valve that switches the bottle into the coolant loop.

    They deleted it in European G2 Prius.
     
  16. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Another great idea/experiment that turned out to be not so great after all.
     
  17. 05PreeUs

    05PreeUs Senior Member

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    Based on what data?

    They do a GREAT job of improving engine warm-up performance, are nearly bullet-proof and help reduce needless emissions.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Exhaust heated coolant, introduced in 3rd gen, continues with 4th gen, so has past a hurdle: surviving to the next generation.

    One advantage I can see with exhaust heated coolant: regardless of how long the car has sat, you still get the same warm-up help. Thermos bottle OTOH, is less effective the longer the car sits.
     
  19. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    They usually don't stop doing things that work great.
    My guess is that cost might have played a large factor in the decision.
    Benefit not worth the cost.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it was great until they came up with a better idea.

    still great when looking at historical engineering ideas