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Coolant required to top off 2005 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by espy, Apr 10, 2015.

  1. espy

    espy New Member

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    Hi all,

    I'm so afraid I've made a mistake - here's the sequence of events:

    My check engine light was on intermittently, so since I'm in California and they don't allow auto part stores to tell you what the code is for your car, I decided to finally buy a code reader. The code read out as P1121, which means failure of the Coolant 3 way valve. I also read that sometimes that code will come up if there is not enough coolant in the car in general. So I figured I'll start with that and see if it helps. I couldn't tell where the level of coolant was (bad lighting perhaps, but the reservoir looked foggy, I could just see some pink haze). I decided to add some coolant to see if I could see the line moving up rather than trying to find a stagnant line. I went down to O'Reilly Auto Parts and got the coolant they recommended - Prestone 50/50 Prediluted - and it says on the bottle "all makes, all models". I opened it and started pouring a little in when I realized it's green, and of course the coolant already in the car is pink. And now I could see the line of the coolant and it seemed to be in an ok position around the "Max" line.

    So now I am worried that I've messed up my engine by putting in a little bit of green coolant. Is this something to worry about? Should I try to suck it up with a turkey baster? Should I not drive it? How much of a worry level should I have about this?

    Also I saw the other coolant reservoir by the battery was below the "Low" line - so I figured that might be where the check engine light is coming from. Does that coolant reservoir use the same coolant as the engine coolant reservoir? And is it ok to add the green coolant to that? Or should I buy Toyota brand coolant?

    I know I should take it to a mechanic and I definitely will (especially if the check engine light never subsides). However, I wanted to try the easy fix first. I've done some of my own fixes (headlight bulb, passenger side mirror, air filters, and wipers) but nothing having to do with the engine before. Internet searches aren't giving me straight answers on this. I'd appreciate any help! Thanks so much.
     
    #1 espy, Apr 10, 2015
  2. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    you should buy the Toyota sllc pink coolant for sure, but the little bit of green coolant isn't gonna hurt anything. apparently replacing the coolant valve isn't too difficult if it comes to that, and there are threads about it here
     
    #2 69shovlhed, Apr 10, 2015
  3. apt5020

    apt5020 Senior Member

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    I bought that. The inverter coolant and radiator coolant are the same. This is the same as the dealer. Not sure how much they charge for 1 gallon. I think you be fine.

     
    #3 apt5020, Apr 10, 2015
    Priusguy78213 likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when my daughter bought a used camry in '99, (first toyota in our family) i thought the coolant was bad and replaced it with prestone.:oops:how many miles on her?
     
    #4 bisco, Apr 10, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 10, 2015
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. Buy the correct Toyota Super Long Life coolant which is used for the engine as well as the inverter/transaxle.
    2. There is no battery in the engine compartment. Perhaps you are referring to the inverter/transaxle coolant reservoir next to the inverter. That needs to be filled to the Full line, but the low fluid level has nothing to do with the check engine light being on.
    3. You'll probably need to replace the engine coolant valve, and when this is done then the engine coolant should be drained and replaced with Toyota SLLC.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Apr 10, 2015
    Priusguy78213 likes this.
  6. pkwhisker

    pkwhisker Member

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    Patrick, left message on my other thread, so they should replace with new coolant when this is done, but I'm reading some horror stories about issues from the air not being bled out correctly when this is done. I wonder if I can trust the dealer to do this correctly. Should I ask them to do this?
     
    #6 pkwhisker, Jun 15, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it should be done correctly at the dealer, but if not, you will know soon enough. no harm done except you have to go back again.
     
    #7 bisco, Jun 15, 2015
  8. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    you should tell the advisor to make sure the tech bleeds it good if he wants a good csi survey. dealers hate bad csi.
     
    #8 69shovlhed, Jun 15, 2015
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