P261C immediatly after ABS (booster and acctuator replacement) Pump running & not overheating

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by marksky57, Aug 12, 2026 at 2:18 AM.

  1. marksky57

    marksky57 Junior Member

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    2010 Prius - P261C immediately after brake actuator/booster replacement. Pump appears to be running. Looking for ideas.

    I just replaced the ABS actuator and brake booster assembly on my 2010 Prius (~260k miles). Using Techstream I completed Linear Valve Offset Learning and all ABS/VSC/TRAC codes are now gone.

    However, I'm now getting P261C (Engine Coolant Pump Motor "B" Control Circuit Low).

    Facts:

    • P261C was not present before the brake actuator job.

    • I can clear the code with my Veepeak scanner, but it returns in less than a minute.

    • The engine coolant pump is an AISIN pump with about 120k miles on it.

    • I physically put my hand on the pump and can feel a steady vibration, so it appears to be running.

    • Coolant temperatures are generally around 180°F, and I saw a peak of about 208°F driving home in 104°F Phoenix weather.

    • The car is not showing signs of immediate overheating.

    • The water pump connector looks clean and plugged in properly.

    • During the actuator replacement I moved the inverter reservoir, intake manifold, and worked around the large engine wiring harness that runs across the top of the engine.

    • I did have to fight some of the harness retainers/protectors while removing the intake manifold, and I was pulling up on the harness in front of the booster at times to access bolts.

    Questions:

    1. Has anyone seen P261C caused by wiring/harness damage even though the pump is still running?

    1. Are there known trouble spots in the Gen 3 harness between the ECM and engine coolant pump?

    1. Is there a Techstream Data List item or Active Test that can help determine whether this is a pump issue versus a wiring issue?

    1. If you've had P261C with a visibly/physically running pump, what ended up being the root cause?

    Any insight from those who've chased this code would be appreciated.
     
  2. marksky57

    marksky57 Junior Member

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    PS - I deleted the code and as soon as the car started it came back...
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    A wiring short is literally the top possibility the repair manual lists for P261C.

    [​IMG]

    You could watch the target and actual RPM and might get some idea what's going on; however, the presence of the code strongly suggests the values you see will be bogus, therefore not as diagnostically useful as you might hope.

    The pump is variable speed; you may have felt it vibrate with your hand, but unless your hand has a tachometer built in, you don't know what the pump was doing at the time.

    Depending on the wiring issue, the pump might not run, or it might run at full speed all the time. That'd prevent engine overheating, but may not be sustainable for the pump.

    You really want that system working as designed, so this is a case for just working through the 14 pages of troubleshooting steps in the repair manual for that code until you have pinned down the problem, and then fixing that.
     

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    Brian1954 likes this.
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    With 260K miles, I'd replace the water pump (and thermostat), just as a preemptive step. If the code persists, keep sleuthing.