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noisy water pump on all the time?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by A Former Member 2, Feb 12, 2009.

  1. A Former Member 2

    A Former Member 2 New Member

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    so the water pump whrrrrrrrr that i hear during startup and shutdown (i think thats what it is) is kicking in frequently during driving now. is this normal? is it something that should be so noticeable or could it be a noisy issue related to the water pump tsb?
     
  2. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    It's not normal. Time to visit your dealer for warranty service.
     
  3. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    You have the North America car so it could be the coolant heat storage (thermos) recovery pump, but I'm afraid I think it's more likely to be the brake accumulator pump. Get this checked out immediately.

    If you're repeatedly braking hard, or the battery is very well charged, you could be using more friction braking than normal and it's having to run more often to build up the pressure.
     
  4. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hi Super...,

    A whiring sound is normal from the left front during the first few seconds after starting up, and then after turning the car off. But if it starts to surge and screech, then its time to go get the coolant heat recovery system pump changed. If you open the window and hear the sound coming out of the front of the left front wheel well, that is it.

    You might be confusing the braking system hydraulic pump - this will pump on and off during driving. It also makes a soft whiring sound. This pump will be active especially if your doing allot of slow speed braking (below 7 mph) or are not maintaining a good following distance, and need to really punch the brakes, or are driving over rough surfaces (anti-lock brakes kick in and disable electric braking). Its common to hear the brake pump as soon as you put your foot on the brake, after the car has been sitting a while, before the car is even turned on.