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rain water entering engine compartment

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by jbpersmail, Feb 17, 2011.

  1. jbpersmail

    jbpersmail Junior Member

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    i have a 2011 prius II, and i noticed that rain water is leaking into the engine compartment. after i look at the hood design and how it closes, it was very obvious to me that water will leak into the engine compartment by design. i found this prius V picture online (i think it is very similar if not identical to my prius II). the blue pointers indicate holes and gaps where water can leak in, and the read circle indicates where water end up.

    i have owned 2 other cars before this one, and i have never had rain water leak into engine compartment. do i have to worry about this?
     

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  2. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    it's pretty normal for that to happen. You got to think water spray and rain will go through the grill through the radiators and will land all over the motor, hoods are also never water proof, so some water will get in.
     
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Nope. 97 Camry was the same way. There is a thread with a mod that insulates the area though...
     
  4. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Yes, you need to worry about this. The same design flaw cost me several hundred dollars to replace two rusted plugs and coils, not to mention leaving me stranded when they failed. I am both surprised and dismayed that this obvious error has not been fixed for the next generation. Many people have had the same problem - there is a Toyota service bulletin issued to address it, at least on the 'iconic' generation. I'm sorry, I'm not sure at the moment where to find it or what the number is, but a search should help you find it.

    edit: Oh, now that I look at the picture, this is a different area. Still, water ingress can be an expensive problem. As a first step, see what the dealer says.
     
  5. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    Are you sure your problem wasn't salt rather than water?
     
  6. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    First, water in the engine compartment WILL NOT cause a problem. If it does there was something -else- wrong. I wash Pearl's engine every time I wash Pearl and have never had a problem.

    Second, where the water is running in your car is harmless anyway. As long as you keep the fuse box cover on it won't cause any damage.

    BTW, I also polish the parts under the hood. This causes any water that does get in there to bead up and fall off the parts. As stated above, if you drive in pouring rain water will get in from the front and spray all over the engine compartment. I've never had an issue with this, other than this is why I wash the engine. The water that gets in while driving is often dirty.

    Finally, water? We have ice and snow but no water here. ;)
     
  7. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    I hate to pop yer bubble there shipmate...but unless your 2 previous cars look very similar to the vehicle in my avatar----rain water did indeed get into your engine compartment. Test depth for a car is about zero feet.
    Water was (and is) getting into your ICE locker from around the wheel wells, through the hood seams and from the gap between your hood and your windshield, and 10,000 other places.

    Uh.....lemme think about this for 1/100th of a second.....

    Nope. :cool:

    The G3 has been around for a while. If rain water (or even grimy brackish road water) were a concern, then Toyota's service departments would be littered with dead and dying Priuses.

    Life's short.
    Don't worry about it! :D
     
  8. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Really? I was wondering about this. My engine compartment is filthy now but I am reluctant to wash it. Do you use high pressure or what? Do you use a de-greaser or any cleaning product?

    Thanks
     
  9. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Uhh... If I were you, I wouldn't take a hose and rise out the engine compartment if thats what your thinking of doing.
     
  10. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    What's the purpose of washing the engine? Unless you like to look at it, what's the point?
     
  11. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    I saw that Spiderman. Looks like a good winter time mod, but with Spring coming on I'm going to hold off. I also heard it reduces engine noise?
     
  12. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Its where I cook my meals when I am on a long road-trip. I like a clean kitchen.
     
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  13. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    The design of the 2004 allowed water to leak through the cowl at the base of the windshield, and pool on top of the engine. Salt is rarely used where I live, and not at the time of year this happened. So yes, I'm pretty sure it was water and not salt.

    You must live in Canada. I've heard water freezes in Winter, but I only see it on mountain peaks. :p
     
  14. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    Doesn't the big salty body of water west of you, cause problems?
    I know people in my state have rust problems on the east cost near the ocean, I never see rust around me though.
     
  15. jbpersmail

    jbpersmail Junior Member

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    i am just surprised about this design. i am sure there is a some good reasons for the engineers to allow water to leak into the engine compartment - i just don't know what they are.

    it would be very simple to make the engine compartment rain water leak proof, just make it like the rear trunk door. rain water never leaks into the trunk.
     
  16. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Air never gets in there either.
    Even though the ICE is 'liquid cooled', you do need some air flow for heat exchange. ;)
     
  17. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    I use a garden hose and my wash mitt to clean the engine compartment. I rinse with the hose. It has -NEVER- caused a problem. Chill out folks! I also dry it with a micro-fibre towel. To stop water marks.

    And yes, I and others look at Pearl's engine.
     
  18. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    How would it be easy to make the hood water tight. Make the underbody panels water tight. Remove the radaitors and make the bumpers water tight. How would you cool the the ICE and the Inverter and transaxel? Water blows right through them.
     
  19. SlowTurd

    SlowTurd I LIKE PRIUS'S

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    anal retentive thread is still..............anal retentive.



    [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anal_retentive"]Anal retentive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
     
  20. jbpersmail

    jbpersmail Junior Member

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    sorry i am not explaining myself clearly. i did not mean to make the entire engine compartment water proof. i am not trying to change the shape or the drag coefficient of the hood, or how air and water enter the front openings near the radiator.

    i am only saying to make it so that after the rain water drip down through the gaps between the hood and the body of the car and into the engine compartment, channel the water around so it can drop to the ground without hitting any equipment in the engine compartment. i referred to the rear trunk because it already has this design. all they would have to do is to add a long strip of rubber, so that water entering through the gaps of the 3 edges (not the edge closest to the radiator) can be channel to the front of the car and released to the ground. since the hood is sloped down forward, gravity would do the trick.

    i am not worried about this, and i am sure there must be good reasons why engineers designed this way. i just don't know what they are.
     

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