LSC-40E Engine Compartment Seal Replacement

Well, I believe that means a letter is coming my way. Eventually...

 

I picked my car up in February but the build date on the door is October so I will also be checking the mailbox

 

Thanks for the info, Dave. Mine was built in December and I got it in January, so I guess I'm safe from this one.

 

well that's interesting I'll have to wait and see if she get's a recall on her 2k4 as the build date is also Oct. Never heard anything on the 40D recall so I figure TAC (Toyota Automobiles Canada) is ignoring us owners.

 

you are most certainly welcome

 

Like I posted in the Warning Light thread, my build was Feb. 2004 and I just got my 40E recall notice. So it would appear that Prii up to at least that point are subject to this one.

Anyone with a later build get a notice yet?

 

wow thats interesting. so i called toyota again and got a different operator and she told me the exact same thing. sooo... i dont know.

we have had rain here for the past two days, so i thought i would go out and look to see if i could see any water coming in and unfortunately even after wiping the hood down, i had a little water roll in when i opened the hood.

but other than a few trickles, it looked dry in there. i thought about getting out the garden hose and giving it the acid test, but thought better of pushing my luck.

 

DaveinOlyWA,

Wonder if it was just certain production runs.

 

you mean certain package options?

as far as i know, there is only one plant that builds the Prius.

anyone who has had the seal replaced, is there any kind of insight you can give us as far as what was changed after the fix? or maybe something we can look for since manufacturing date doesnt seem to be that good a guide?

to be honest with ya, i have never received a recall or repair notice from toyota. i have received my rebate, a survey, and my deposit back so i am assuming they know about me and where i live. i have moved since i bought my car, but my mail has been forwarded as far as i know. as some have received repair notices and i have not, i would have to assume that if i dont receive mine in the next month or so, that i wont receive it, so i guess the definitive word is to sit tight and wait a little longer.

 

there are actually 2 hood seals on the Prius and it'll be interesting to see which one gets changed. Parts break down lists an inner and an outer seal assy. Neither part number matches the on given here. So that ought to make some interesting replacements down the road, If you car gets damaged on the front better tell the body shop if you've had the newer one installed.

 

This may seem dumb, but how do you find out when the car was built. All I have is a purchase order and a Vehicle Inquiry Report. The latter shows a ship date of 7/5/04 (from Japan?) Car arrived at the dealer on the the 26th. Is the build date on some other paper? I have not seen the sticker as yet, I will in one week. It appears that knowing this may be of some value in the future.

 

as far as I know the only date you will get is the one on the door sticker. And that only does it by month. So if you want a day and shift time I doubt you ever will find it.

 

Engine Seal

I just had the additional seal installed on my 04 prius here in Omaha, NE. It is a strip of foam rubber approx. 1 inch wide, 1/4 inch high and the length of the current top rubber gasket. It took them less than 15 minutes to put it on.

 

great! that explains a lot of the story. I suspect that water is getting in thru the top seal and dripping or running down on the valve cover where it fills the spark plug tube/tubes and eventually shorts out the spark plug. I washed the engine and it shorted out the #1 spark plug but only after a month of driving the car. Started an occasionl miss and finally set the MIL at the dealer parking lot when I was trying to get an appt to scan it to see what was wrong.

 

Engine Seal

8) FYI, they added this seal. So the existing seal and this new one sit on top of each other. :lol:

 

well we have had a lot of rain here in the past 3 days and the seal seems to work, but mine is mounted to the hood and doesnt run the length of the gasket. it falls a foot short on each side.

what concerns me is that the plastic cowl is split in two pieces with foam rubber stuffed into the gap between the two halves.

although its plenty wet, nothing seems to be leaking in, but i wonder how that piece of foam will stand up to the weather and a few cycles of sun baking mixed with extended periods of wetness that we have here in the Northwest?

 

it's probably closed cell foam and if it's not exposed to UV rays it'll probably last the life of the car as it's used in the inside and for sound control so I don't see a problem.

 

Whoops, I goofed The Feb '04 quoted was the 40A recall sticker done by our dealer before we took delivery of the car in March. The actual build date was 9/03. Just getting used to the Recall sticker thing. (Mine will be collecting its third. 40A,D,E). So definitely in the proper time frame. Surprised that, I wasn't corrected about that when I called the Customer line about the 40D recall and gave them the VIN but wrong Build date. Sorry for screwing everyone up.

Jon

 

well this split is definitely exposed to uv light since its not covered. here is a pic of what i am referring to. there is foam stuffed into this crack that extends into the motor compartment.

 

I'll have a look in the morning and see what your trying to describe.