overheating...2010 with 330k miles..47 to 50 mpg still..

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Herbgh, Nov 15, 2025.

  1. Herbgh

    Herbgh New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2025
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    Location:
    Scottsville,Ky
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    When draining the system of coolant..I opened the pitcock..on the radiator and nothing came out...330,000 miles...I used water hose to see if I could move some of the accumulated trash out of the bottom...Was partially successful...so went to service mode after replacing pump and thermostat....added coolant til fans came on...Driving home after a few weeks of local driving to test the repair...I got the overheat lite...parked and checked and noticed that the fans were not on... I noticed early on that the cabin heat was very mild...
    so where is the fan thermostat the one at the top and rear of the compartment..near where the hoses lead into the cabin? I opened the air purge valve near there when filling initially...when it overheated that caused the pump and thermostat replacement...I opened the filler cap too soon and the coolant came out and left a chalky white film on that side of the compartment...Engine runs fine , oil clean..no sign of head gasket leak..sooo should I pull the radiator and replace or try to flush or is that an additive ? Or something else...Tnx
     
  2. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Northwestern S.C.
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Has a stop-leak goo ever been added to the cooling system? That might explain "I opened the pitcock..on the radiator and nothing came out," as well as overheating.
     
    Brian1954 likes this.
  3. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Jan 31, 2021
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    Location:
    South Central PA, USA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    III
    What engine water pump did you buy as a replacement? Toyota OEM or aftermarket?

    Do you have a scanner that you can use to monitor or look at the engine coolant temperature? The reason I ask is because the overheating warning light on the dashboard can be activated by high engine coolant temperature, or it can also be activated by high coolant temperature from the exhaust heat recovery system. Read this thread, https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3549096