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'07 Prius Coolant Pump TSB Problem

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dyoungerman, Mar 27, 2009.

  1. dyoungerman

    dyoungerman New Member

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    I need a little help, please :(

    This past winter, my Prius began making a squealing/squeaking noise on the left side near the front tire when starting the car or just after shut down. I simply assumed that the pump sending warm fluid to and from the "thermos" was working harder because of the cold, and didn't think too much about it. (Yes, I know, really dumb in hindsight.) Since the weather's gotten warmer now, the noise has gone away except for rare occasions.

    Today, I just discovered the post here showing a TSB for this very issue! (#T-SB-0087-08, Thank you Galaxee!) It covers the repair until 60k miles. (I have around 45K miles currently in just under 2 years.) The diagrams I can find show nothing else in that vicinity that could possibly cause the squealing noise I heard.

    Unfortunately, finding someone to perform the TSB repair is proving to be difficult. My independent mechanic said they are not able to perform this repair under Toyota's warranty, which I can understand.

    I called two different Toyota dealerships about the issue. The first one was, shall we say, less than helpful once I mentioned that the issue was related to a TSB.

    The second one wasn't too helpful either and told me that they couldn't do anything unless and until they heard the noise. He suggested leaving my car there all weekend and the beginning of next week until they "can squeeze me in maybe on Tuesday" to "see if it'll make the noise after sitting for a while." Unfortunately, I have a 40+ mile commute each way every day and no other transportation, so that's not an option.

    While I understand their intent to not fix something that isn't broken, we probably won't have the cold conditions that cause this squealing noise again until November or December. That will put me very close to or past the 60k mile coverage for this problem.

    I have several questions for the resident gurus here...

    1. Will this pump problem cause any adverse effects to my car if I can't convince the Toyota dealer to replace it for me or if I need to try waiting until next winter?

    2. What tests or diagnostics can they run on the pump to verify that it is bad if they do not hear the noise?

    3. What else can I do or say to convince them to make the repair, whether it makes the noise in their shop or not?

    4. All else failing, how much does the replacement pump cost? How long should I expect it to take my independent mechanic to replace the pump, so I can ask for a labor estimate? The TSB part number is #16290-21011 and it also lists Super Long Life Coolant.

    5. Is it possible that this problem has already caused damage to the engine? If yes, what things should I ask the mechanic to inspect?

    I'd really appreciate everyone's help to solve this frustrating problem!

    Thank you!
     
    #1 dyoungerman, Mar 27, 2009
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    I just went through this last week. By itself it is not a problem, but it may indicate that the pump will wear out faster than otherwise. There's no reason to pay the entire replacement cost yourself now.

    If you think you will not run out of warranty first I would simply wait until cold weather returns and the noise reliably manifests. If you get close to the end of the warranty and the noise has not appeared, take it to a dealer anyway and pay them their diagnostic fee. Even if they don't hear it and replace the pump, at least they will have officially logged your complaint, and then Toyota should be willing to pay for replacement after the warranty expires. If the dealer does not then waive their diagnostic fee, it should at least be much less than paying for the replacement.

    If all else fails, Toyota may will give you a few months/few thousand miles of grace period after the end of the warranty and honor it anyway.

    Finally, after it is replaced: pick up the repaired car well before the dealer's closing time and drive a few miles in circles around the dealer to see whether it gets any warning lights. Mine did; I suspect that the dealer did not correctly refill and purge the coolant of air the first time around. They had to keep it another day to get everything right. Or it may have been sheer coincidence; they said that they had to repeat TSB 050, which was originally done four years ago (!). I hated driving the Impala I got as a loaner :_>
     
    #2 richard schumacher, Mar 27, 2009
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. No. All that the pump does is to move hot coolant to and from the coolant heat recovery canister. So if it doesn't work, this will mean that the engine will take a bit longer to warmup and your exhaust emissions will be a bit higher than normal during this warmup period. At this point you will see the check engine light come on.

    2. None

    3. I'd suggest recording the sound and playing it back for them, if the car is still making that noise from time to time.

    4. MSRP is $182. SLLC costs around $20 per gallon of premixed coolant.

    5. No, failure of this part would not cause any damage to your engine, see #1 above.

    My advice is to not worry about the problem. If you can make a recording of the pump noise, maybe you can use that to have the pump replaced now. If not, hopefully next winter the noise will return on a more frequent basis, and you can have the pump replaced then.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Mar 27, 2009
  4. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    My car makes the noise even during warmer +60°F weather. The pump is still pumping hot coolant as verified by watching the coolant temp on my Scangauge. I second Patrick's suggestion to record the noise, either just audio with a tape recorder or audio and video with a camcorder.
     
    #4 dogfriend, Mar 27, 2009
  5. judymcfarland

    judymcfarland Queen of Moral Indignation

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    Fiona used to wail like a banshee when the coolant pump was doing its thing. I complained about it to the dealer, but they assured me that "they all do that". Finally I waved the TSB at then, and yesterday Fiona got her new part. She now purrs like the princess she is. :drama: It may not have been a dangerous situation, but I'm glad I got it taken care of.
     
    #5 judymcfarland, Mar 31, 2009
  6. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    the best solution is to get up in the morning when it's cold, take it straight to the dealer, have them call out the tech to the service drive, and THEN shut off the car. it should make the noise. mine sure did when i shut it down after a cold start on a cold day!

    they can active test the pump to ensure it is still working. if it quits, you'll get a light. mine made plenty of noise and never failed.
     
    #6 galaxee, Apr 2, 2009
  7. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Mine's sounded like it's on its last legs whenever it's around
    freezing or below for 3 years now. Still pushes coolant around,
    so I'm not in any hurry to replace it.
    .
    _H*
     
    #7 hobbit, Apr 3, 2009
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