Another Coolant Question...

My Gen IV (you posted in the wrong forum) has a maintenance book with a schedule for checking these fluids. Check yours for recommendations.

 

i believe so. check your maint. manual, i think coolant changes around 100-120k.

 

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-09Prius/pdf/09%20Prius%20SMG%20127073%20EN%201st%20Print.pdf is the maintenance guide. page 20 of the PDF, page 18 of the manual says to change both coolants at 100,000 miles or 10 years, so it is time. (In a footnote on page 19 of the manual it says to do coolant changes every 50,000 miles after the first one, so you are close to due for your second change)

 

This is just a drain and fill of the coolants. You would need no more than 3-4 gallons for both. If you DIY this job, it would cost about $100 or less.

 

I just did both for a total cost of $60 for three gallons of coolant. I had already purchased the Mini VCI tool ($25), which is not required but makes the job easy. You do need specialized knowledge and tools for the engine and it's tricky to bleed correctly and completely. The inverter is much easier, but critical to get it right. There are Youtube videos for both.

I would not trust a non-Prius mechanic to bleed the engine coolant correctly, and I've heard of dealer mechs getting it wrong, too.

Don't let anyone sell you a flush job. Just drain and fill.

The hardest part of the job for me was removing the splash guards from the left front for access to the drain. It took a couple of hours for both loops, including test driving and fiddling around with topping off after cooling down, etc.

Next time I change the inverter coolant at 150K, I'll probably put in a new pump too--cheap insurance for a critical part.

 

+1 on the inverter pump. They only work for about 100k miles and they go out at the worst times. Think of it as a 12v battery change every 5 years.

 

Man, I got ripped off. I paid $300 for each, plus $300 for ATF change (central texas). Dropped $200 on a 12V battery. I am not even sure they got the engine coolant right as I cannot see coolant under the radiator cap. Took it back and explained that I was not getting a warm fuzzy on that one, and they took it to the back to add more. What it looks like they did was just fill the overflow reservoir. Looked under the radiator cap tonight while doing an oil change, and no coolant under the radiator cap. I'm at a loss here guys. What do you suggest I do?

 

If your actually looking at the rad cap and the coolant keeps going down that could mean 2 things.

1---They actually did flush the coolant out and like most dealers we see here were incapable of getting all the air out of the system and the coolant level is moving around. Be careful here because if it has a big airlock it can overheat the motor and warp the aluminum head. See many of those on this site. very difficult to get air out with a coolant change because the CHRS canister creates an airlock.
Turn on the heat in the cabin and listen closely for gurgling under the dash That means you have an airlock.

Or 2---You have a coolant leak. usually caused by a bad engine coolant pump. get flashlight look at front of engine which is on the passenger side of the car and look for any green flakes deep down by the pump and by the coolant pump belt. I would have that belt changed asap. Its way over due if it fails the engine will over heat and you'll never know till its too late.

 

If it is stock SLLC he'd be looking for pink residue.