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Hot Coolant light

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Olscratch, Apr 11, 2019.

  1. Olscratch

    Olscratch Junior Member

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    So at 189,000 miles my 2010 prius had a head gasket leak resulting in misfires. I used copious amounts of Bar's Leaks Head Gasket repair poured directly into the engine coolant reservoir. To my surprise it worked, I stopped losing oil and the misfires ceased.
    I have since drained the Coolant/Bar's Leaks mixture and put another 14,000 miles on the prius.

    However whenever I'm on a longer highway trip going up a steep hill north of 65mph, my Engine Coolant Temperature light comes on and blinks until I'm over the hill and let off the accelerator. It also occasionally burps up some coolant through the cap on the coolant reservoir. My thinking is the Bar's Leaks Head Gasket repair solution has gunked up something inside the engine that is causing this.

    I'm looking for any tips on what to replace to fix this problem. Do I need a new radiator? Water pump? Any help greatly appreciated.
     
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  2. 4est

    4est Active Member

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    I guess a new radiator
     
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  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    That leak goop probably gets everywhere ... front radiator, heater core, EGR cooler, exhaust heat exchanger....
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Just sell it for scrap?

    Leak stop products should maybe be outlawed?
     
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  5. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    I’d say the water pump is giving you the trouble.
     
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  6. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    I say put the Bar’s back in per instructions. It’s leaking again.
     
  7. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I would start by pressure testing the cooling system.
     
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  8. Olscratch

    Olscratch Junior Member

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    Problem solved. A new radiator fixed the issue. Swapped it with a buddy and it took us about 3 hours. I've put a thousand miles on it since and it hasn't belched any coolant or flashed hot coolant light once.
     
  9. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Any time you have your cooling system open for repairs it is a good idea to check the coolant level
    To make sure it is full.