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P1121 & B1421 w/ photos attached. 1-2 weeks after Inverter Pump Rplcmnt

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Blackwing, Jun 12, 2017.

  1. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Here's the reservoir in the attached image. My engine keeps running at idle while parked. Is the radiator safe to uncap or does that mess with the air?


    Update: ~11:30am EST

    Guys the CEL turned back *on* suddenly while the car was idling for about 1-to-2 minutes. I'll have to see if a new error code displayed. I wonder if that mechanic did not affix the inverter pump on properly? But this is the engine coolant loop, completely separate circuit (unless i am still mistaken). Rather peculiar.

    image.jpeg
     
    #21 Blackwing, Jun 14, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2017
  2. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    And if you're wondering the following quick explanation (~45 seconds) is why I would be a a bit apprehensive when removing the radiator cap but If i need to do it I need to do it.

     
  3. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    image.jpeg image.jpeg I found this underneath the car when I moved it. Passenger side. The ground was a little damp. Think it *might* be pink hue but it's unclear to me. Maybe you guys have better eyes than I do.
     
  4. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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    When it rains it rains?...

    It would appear you have an ENGINE coolant loop leak. Likely suspect would be the engine water pump. If you sight down at it (the serpentine belt wraps around the pump) look for signs of leakage, pink crusty accumulation around the pump pulley and signs of coolant flung onto the underside of the hood. Possibility of a radiator leak, too, but they're not common failure items. The engine water pump is among the most common Gen 2 failures.
     
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  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You need to do it. Obviously you would not do this when the radiator is hot.
     
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  6. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    New updates. I don't see any coolant under the radiator cap except for some loosely leftover on the inside of the cap itself.

    However, the current coolant level *has* been discovered within the reservoir! Looks like a tiny bit left?

    Also, did not notice any pink crusting on top of the engine water pump.

    Finally, a new code has been discovered. P0505 Idle Control System.



    IMG_6814.JPG IMG_6815.JPG IMG_6816.JPG IMG_6817.JPG IMG_6818.JPG IMG_6819.JPG IMG_6820.JPG IMG_6821.JPG IMG_6822.JPG
     
  7. M in KC

    M in KC Active Member

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    Wow, get some coolant in that thing and get the air bled out of the system before you are hanging a new used ICE in that vehicle. There are How-To's on PC and Youtube on how to change the ICE's coolant. Once you get the proper coolant level reestablished monitor its level.
     
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  8. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Do I have to drain the entire system or can I refill the reservoir? Do I need to enter maintenance mode? My MFD has the a/c connection issue but it should work (hopefully).
     
  9. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Bumping. Need extra advice before I get supplies and DIY or hire my mechanic again. What I don't understand is in these videos is, why use a manual method to run the inverter pump while pouring new coolant into the radiator? What about maintenance mode?

    Would it be dangerous to simply top off my overflow reservoir with the coolant it needs? Sounds like it just needs a little coolant.







     
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Just fill the radiator for now, don't worry about the overflow reservoir just yet.

    Check the radiator every morning when the car is cool for the next few days. Add as needed.

    Put a cardboard under your car to see if coolant leaks overnight

    That water pump looks really old, wouldn't be a bad idea to change it out
     
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  11. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Would you speculate P0505 is stemmed off from the engine idling due to low coolant?

    How do I check the radiator? Would the overflow reservoir automatically fill once I top off the radiator with more coolant? The overflow reservoir is very low as displayed in those recent photos.
     
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Let's tackle the low coolant in the radiator first. Then see what else happens after a few days. Coolant in the radiator is pretty important thing to have
     
  13. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Okay I understand. How do I check it? Just simply remove the radiator cap? How full does it have to be? What if it has issues going down by using a funnel? I have plenty of cardboard lying around so I'll get on that as soon as I realize the new coolant has been topped off.
     
  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    open the radiator cap, fill until it's full. Follow the video you linked to on earlier post to bleed. turn your heater to high and run the car while the air bleeds out of the system. keep adding coolant as it goes lower.

    Use the OEM pink toyota super long life coolant.
     
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  15. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    I don't have that voltmeter thing to manually force the inverter pump to jump start. Can I just turn the car on READY mode for the same effect?
     
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You are confusing the 2 systems in the car.

    The radiator with the regular water pump cools to the right side (passenger side) of the car, which has the regular Prius engine. The inverter pump which you replaced recently is on the left side of the car (driver's side), and this cools the electric motor (inverter).

    There are 2 separate systems to the car that contains fluid, the one that needs coolant now seems to be the radiator. Look up to your post #26 to see that you have a picture with the cap off, and it's not full.

    You have to learn the terminology and the parts of the systems in your car in order to properly address the issues yourself.

    To fill the radiator and bleed the air out, you don't need any special tools. Usually just turning on your heater on HIGH for 10-15 minutes will usually bleed out most of the air.
     
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  17. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Alright yeah I got confused because in the video he is activating a "pump" with a voltmeter of some sorts (thought this was the inverter pump) and it looks to be helping assist the newly-poured radiator coolant down into the radiator itself (After squeezing both radiator hoses).

    However, upon further research and what you appear to be describing, turning the car on into IG-ON mode with the heater on full blast appears to have the same effect, as long as the radiator cap is OFF. As always, be sure to correct me on this one as it could be important?

    Are both circuits attached to the heat storage tank? Or only one and which one?
     
  18. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    Guys I just put a funnel into the radiator cap and it displaced coolant. The funnel displaced coolant up to the base of the funnel.

    Turns out the pic from before didn't tell the whole story. Posting new images now.
     
    #38 Blackwing, Jun 15, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2017
  19. Blackwing

    Blackwing Member

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    ICE will not stop idling both before and after refilling the reservoir. Is that the new P0505? Do I need to clean the throttle body?

    Thinking I now need to replace the Coolant Control Valve (that shipped today). As well as clean the throttle body.

    Image 1: New coolant filled in the reservoir

    Image 2: Coolant is actually in the radiator, looks like.

    Image 3: Placed cardboard in case of a leak. IMG_6831.JPG IMG_6827.JPG IMG_6832.JPG
     
  20. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I believe you should just concentrate on your p1121 error for now. If this were my car, I would replace the water pump and belt at the same time. However in your situation, better stick with the "if it's not broken, don't fix it".

    1. Buy enough coolant to drain the system (about 2 gallons)
    2. When the car is cold, 1. drain the coolant, 2. replace the bad valve
    3. Refill the coolant and bleed out all the air in the system.

    That's it....simple. Many videos you can follow if you need visual aid.