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Strange honking sound

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by tom1l21, Mar 30, 2009.

  1. tom1l21

    tom1l21 Member

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    When I'm at a stop, occasionally I will hear a very faint honking news (as if you were to lightly tap the horn on a gm vehicle). It happens maybe once or twice a day and it is usually only one to three honks at a time. I notice it because I'm always looking around thinking someone is honking at me. It almost sounds like the sound of a dry squeegee on your windshield. Its not my wipers either. They are off when I hear it. Any ideas?
     
    #1 tom1l21, Mar 30, 2009
  2. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Is the light green by any chance?

    Tom
     
    #2 qbee42, Mar 30, 2009
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  3. tom1l21

    tom1l21 Member

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    LOL, no. I've even heard it when I pulled into a parking lot and had the car in park for a few minutes.
     
    #3 tom1l21, Mar 30, 2009
  4. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    It is something wonky with the brakes. Many of us have experienced it, and I believe that there was even a TSB on it. It only happens in my car when I'm at altitude - and others found the same thing. Very odd. Since it doesn't happen where I drive the other 360 days of the year, I've decided not to worry about it - but I do know how disconcerting it can be!
     
    #4 darelldd, Mar 30, 2009
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  5. magruder

    magruder Average Member

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    Are the geese heading north early?
     
    #5 magruder, Mar 30, 2009
  6. tom1l21

    tom1l21 Member

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    What do you mean by altitude as well as technical service bulletin (i believe that is what TSB is)
     
    #6 tom1l21, Mar 30, 2009
  7. marzprius

    marzprius Junior Member

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    I've heard this too! Only when I apply firm brake pressure while the car is stopped, like when I'm trying to FAS it. It's infrequent, & I've only heard one, possibly 2 honks at a time. Curious as to what it might be. :confused:
     
    #7 marzprius, Mar 30, 2009
  8. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    #8 jdenenberg, Mar 30, 2009
  9. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    There is a TSB out for it. Take it to the dealer, they will first try to bleed the brake lines. If that doesn't work they will replace some gizmo or other. In the case of my wife's car, that fixed it:)
     
    #9 Zythryn, Mar 30, 2009
  10. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    Tom -

    What I mean is altitude... uh... height above sea level. And TSB... Tech Service Bulletin as you have correctly surmised.

    It happens to me when I leave my roughly sea-level city, and drive to higher places... at altitude. And there is a tech Bulletin issued on it - since posted here. Not sure what else I can add.
     
    #10 darelldd, Mar 30, 2009
  11. tom1l21

    tom1l21 Member

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    yeah I didn't know if you meant hi or lo altitude. I'll see if my dealership can fix it. If I do nothing about it, will it become a problem later?
     
    #11 tom1l21, Mar 30, 2009
  12. tom1l21

    tom1l21 Member

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    I am going to take my car into the dealership early this week to have them fix my SKS. My car is a 2005 with 83k on it. I know the service bulletins were only for 3 years or 36k, but should I have the dealership fix the problem? I have a 30 day warranty on the car since I purchased it only 3 weeks ago. Will this become a major problem in the future?
     
    #12 tom1l21, Apr 6, 2009
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Since brake system performance is not affected by this, it should not become a major problem. However if you can get the 30 day warranty policy to cover the problem, why not.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, Apr 6, 2009
  14. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    My master cylinder starked squeaking last fall when we were out west at altitude. It stopped when I got back to the lowlands of Michigan.

    Tom
     
    #14 qbee42, Apr 6, 2009
  15. oldensign

    oldensign Junior Member

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    After much investigation (precious little of it by my Toyota dealer), I narrowed the very brief honk down to the pump in the "thermos bottle" that holds warm engine coolant. The honking noise in my 2005 was typically present when the car hadn't been started for awhile. It's been going on for about 6 months.

    Once I TOLD the dealer where the noise was coming from, they consulted Tpyota and solved the problem.....by declaring it to be a "normal operating noise". Problem solved! :boxing:

    As far as I know, it's not harmful; at least nothing has exploded yet. My wife's 2006 and my sister's 2007 haven't started making this noise yet.
     
    #15 oldensign, Aug 24, 2009
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