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Would you replace your water pump?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by iskoos, Nov 27, 2020.

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  1. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    I hate trying to fix things that aren't broken. But I am sick of hearing this water pump issue. I recently met a guy I haven't seen for a long time. He also was driving a Gen3 Prius. We shared how much we love this car and what we (each) had done to it. I got everything done from his check list except the water pump. He insisted several times that I should replace it.
    My car (2010 Prius III) is about to turn 180k. So far so good. I have done some maintenance, sparkplugs, intake cleaning, EGR system (including the cooler) etc. Also have the oil catch can. That's it about the engine.

    Part of me wants to replace the pump and part of me absolutely does not.
    How does this damn thing break on you? Does it soft fail or hard fail?
    Are there any warning signs?

    I would appreciate if you contribute and let me make up my mind on this.
     
    #1 iskoos, Nov 27, 2020
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you plan to keep the car for 5 more years, change the water pump now. It'll be a 1 time replacement.

    Any car with nearly 200k miles will need parts, this car isn't any different
     
    #2 JC91006, Nov 27, 2020
    pjksr02 and ASRDogman like this.
  3. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Thank you. Water pump isn't the only part that may fail when reaching 200k though.
    I will not keep this car for another 5 years for sure. Probably a year or two more before trying to get a Gen4.

    I am trying to figure out how it fails. Will I have a chance to get to my destination (if not too far) or I will need a tow truck?
    Ones that experienced this could probably tell me :)
     
    #3 iskoos, Nov 27, 2020
  4. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    If the waterpump is not throwing a code for it then you are good for now.

    Once you get the code just swap it out it is very easy and if you search right you can find one for $125 on ebay.

    You will not get an overheat warning and the car will eventually stall on you and cut the engine off.

    Usually it fails when people pour a leak fix in the coolant.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 AzusaPrius, Nov 28, 2020
  5. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Thank you. Yes no code or any sign whatsoever so far. Otherwise it would have been replaced by now. I checked the videos. The only difficult (maybe messy) thing is the coolant/flush. My head gasket is good (so far:cool:). I do not have any need to use those leak fixes.

    You said "You will not get an overheat warning and the car will eventually stall on you and cut the engine off."

    Can you please explain what you meant by that? Did you mean I WILL get an overheat warning.
    Does Prius shut off the ICE when the water pump fails? If so, that is an excellent feature.
     
    #5 iskoos, Nov 28, 2020
  6. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    Yes this is what happend to me when my waterpump failed, the ICE just shut down and total loss of power.

    You can have the code for a while but eventually it will fail like that and you will be stuck unless you have a code reader to reset to the codes.

    Trust me though, you dont want that to happen, I was lucky and was down the street from my house.

    I had to continue to reset the codes like 10 times just to make it home.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #6 AzusaPrius, Nov 28, 2020
  7. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    #7 AzusaPrius, Nov 28, 2020
  8. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    I see. But to be honest with you, I prefer the ECU to shot down the engine than dealing with consequences of overheating.
    I have a code reader (several kind). Resetting it no issue.

    So let's recap once again: In your case, you had a code but no warning (This is strange) and the ECU shot down the engine to prevent any more damage. You were unable to restart the engine till you clear the code. Am I following you right here?

    What code did you get?
     
    #8 iskoos, Nov 28, 2020
  9. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    P261B is the waterpump code and the whole dash lights up like a christmas tree but there is no "overheat" light.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #9 AzusaPrius, Nov 28, 2020
  10. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Was the old pump motor seized?
     
    #10 iskoos, Nov 28, 2020
  11. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    Yes it was not spinning as freely as it should and it was the original so it had like 180k on it.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #11 AzusaPrius, Nov 28, 2020
  12. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Is it really a water pump issue? Or a friend issue? I mean there must a reason why you havent “met” him “in a while.”
     
    #12 Grit, Nov 28, 2020
    tony_2018 likes this.
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