P261B Estimated Water Pump Life

So there’s currently a failing head gasket, and a stop-leak product in the coolant?

 

Yes, though I don't drive that car anymore. My failing water pump while driving on the freeway incident was a year and a half ago. (I'm on my 2nd 2010 now.) I used stop leak and drove it like that for about 30k miles. Needed new stop leak every 10k. Lost the water pump mid way through that adventure and eventually clogged the heater core. That's when I stopped driving it. But I sort of got my money's worth since the car was only $3k and I netted about $17k using it for uber. Still, replacement of the head gasket would have been a better choice as I was quoted only $2500 at the time from a well rated local shop.

 

Is this the light you're calling "red boat"?

 

Yes, probably an overly layman term for an enthusiast website but I heard it referred to it as that before. I could have just said "red high temp light". As a side note, if it's of any value to you, I also know that when the temp gets high enough, that light flashes. It starts off solid. I found that out during a separate experience from the freeway water pump failure months later when the heater core clogged.

 

I just asked because I had seen confusion in another thread where the term "red boat" could have sounded like the oil pressure light. That one is really supposed to be an oil can (or the sort of oil lamp that genies come in), but it also can look like a boat (this one in profile, with a big bowsprit, high overhanging stern, and some kind of weird radar antenna).

That's kind of funny, as the owners' manual excerpt that was posted here says that it starts flashing, and turns solid. But then when I checked here a year and a half or so ago, I don't remember it flashing. It seemed to just come on solid when I simulated a temp of 120 ℃. I didn't try simulating any higher temperature to see if it would behave differently.

Also, I was simulating 120 ℃ on the EHRS sensor, the one that's wired straight to the combination meter. I never have simulated high temp on the cylinder head sensor, the one that's wired to the ECM. Maybe the light's controlled a little differently for that one.

 

A dearth of real temperature gauges in new cars doesn't help.

 

That stinks! That never happened to me. The only thing happened was the "Check Hybrid System" message popped up and my throttle pedal was disabled. I believe the engine was still running as I was pulling the car to the shoulder. Since I had my ScanGauge plugged in, I was able to scan the code and it was for a failed water pump. I cleared the code and drove off no problem keeping my eye on the temperature reading as I drove another 40 minutes home without problem.

That car is now long gone now as it started having misfire codes and since it had 185k miles, it was time for me to move on.

 

If the ECM detects a water pump problem (P261B, C, or D) it will show the check-engine light immediately.

If the check-engine light is on with any of those three codes, and the coolant temp reaches 105 ℃, the ECM will unceremoniously stop the engine, and you're left with battery power to get to the side of the road. At that point will also appear the triangle light (P0A0F, because the power management control ECU will be wondering why the engine stopped).

Normally (when there isn't a water pump code), 105 ℃ is not an immediate-engine-stop situation; the red thermometer light doesn't come on until 120 ℃.

 

The failure rate varies wildly. From 100k to 200k+ miles but more than 8y. I am wondering if Toyota ever sell only the impeller. I found impeller part only but they are Chinese garbage

 

I don't get it. Why you just clear the code without checking the root of the problems? waterpump failure is the main cause of head gasket problem and misfire.

 

On my 2012, the water pump made it 255,000 miles. It did not completely "fail". On long steep grades, the car would overheat. It took me a while to figure out what was going on as a result. When I pulled the pump, there was a lot of resistance when spinning the impeller by hand. I did the replacement myself with an original Toyota part and things have been fine since.

 

Where is that resistance (=friction?) coming from? Impeller dragging against housing? Armature misaligned? Bearings?

 

Other reports here have suggested that the plastic impeller swells or splits/expands, and rubs as it spins.

 

Waterpump is a common thing that failed in hot weather area (Florida, Texas, California, Arizona) but probably very rare in colder area. Yes, I think I will also check the waterpum right when I need to replace the coolant at the 2nd time. Probably at 150k miles.

 

Yes, I asked Mark Monroe whether the "resistance" he felt was that issue, or something else.

 

The resistance from the magnet is normal. It is like a wave not constant friction. I just got a new pump wpt190 and the magnet is indeed very strong.

 

2013 prius v, water pump coded -over revolution- at 180,000 miles. electric water pump replaced.