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The $800 hole

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by whicks3, Apr 25, 2012.

  1. whicks3

    whicks3 Junior Member

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    My daughter's 2011 Gen III had the check engine light come on,and no fiddling with the gas cap helped. The dealer ran a smoke test, and it revealed a small rock nick in the evap line coming off the top off the gas tank. This line only comes with the tank, at $500. Toyota thought to protect the fill hose to the tank,but didn't seem too worried about any of the hoses associated with the evaporative emissions system. With labor,the bill was about $800. No warranty of course. I know a little dab of silicone would have fixed it,but the dealer said that couldn't fix it that way. Her insurance should cover this under a comp claim,still waiting to hear back. Anyway,I just bought a length of 3/4" pipe insulation,and wrapped all of this tubing on my 2012. Of course we will do her car next,and then I'll do my dad's 2010. Remember Murphy's Law,this is a 20 minute fix,don't wait !!! BTW,just in case you were wondering, the tank is coated inside.
     

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    #1 whicks3, Apr 25, 2012
    3 people like this.
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    What a bummer !!

    I think I can understand why the dealer could not repair this hole being that it is part of the evaporative emission systems. I would have told the dealer that I would repair it myself and then patched it when I got home.

    Thanks for the heads-up !!
     
    #2 jdcollins5, Apr 25, 2012
  3. szgabor

    szgabor Active Member

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    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ubleshooting/107559-pinhole-in-fuel-tank.html

    check out this thread for alternative solutions ... pay attention to the self tapping screw and duct-tape :)
    :):D:rockon:
     
    #3 szgabor, Apr 25, 2012
  4. whicks3

    whicks3 Junior Member

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    That's exactly what I told my daughter i would have done. They could have made up something to get paid for the trouble shooting,we did it all the time back when i worked at a Ford dealership. We are saving the old tank of course, remember the "pin hole" post of a few days ago.With 3 Prii in the family, we may need it!!
     
    #4 whicks3, Apr 25, 2012
  5. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    Whicks, is that a picture of the hose wrapped with your 3/4 pipe insulation or is that what the stock hose looks like, (before its wrapped). The first picture looks like your possibly holding the damaged end (damage about 3 ribs down from the top). Thanks!
     
    #5 GSW, Apr 25, 2012
  6. whicks3

    whicks3 Junior Member

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    The wrapped pipe in the photo is the fuel fill tube. The smaller flexible tube is the damaged one. there are quite a few tubes in this system once you get under the car. I wrapped them all while I was under there. Since this is a sealed system, a hole in any one of them should cause the check engine light to come on. My next project is to design a skid plate for the gas tank. Plastics are a great weight saver, good at fending off sharp objects,not so much!!!
     
    #6 whicks3, Apr 25, 2012
  7. spiff72

    spiff72 Member

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    OK -

    I am curious about the photos...

    What is the large hole on the top of the tank for? It looks like it is about 4-5" in diameter?
     
    #7 spiff72, Apr 25, 2012
  8. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    I'm going with fuel pump.
     
    #8 adamace1, Apr 25, 2012
  9. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Please keep us updated.

    BTW, I'm curious, what is the blue lining inside the tank made of?
     
    #9 Former Member 68813, Apr 25, 2012
  10. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Smurf poo.
     
    #10 fotomoto, Apr 25, 2012
    1 person likes this.
  11. theprius

    theprius Junior Member

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    hahaahaaa! the real reason the prius is expensive
     
    #11 theprius, Apr 25, 2012
  12. car compulsive

    car compulsive Active Member

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    Good to know. I drive a lot of gravel roads.
     
    #12 car compulsive, Apr 25, 2012
  13. whicks3

    whicks3 Junior Member

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    That is indeed where the fuel pump assembly attaches. There is a locking ring and seal of course. Quite a large hole compared to some others I've seen.
     
    #13 whicks3, Apr 26, 2012
  14. Judgeless

    Judgeless Senior Member

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    When I read your post the first thing I thought of was duct tape. I noticed the link that recommended duct tape. That would have fixed it for a lot less.
     
    #14 Judgeless, Apr 26, 2012
  15. whicks3

    whicks3 Junior Member

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    I haven't been able to find out what the liner is made of,of course it's a given that it's flexible enough not to pop off,and let's hope it lasts forever.As a motorcyclist, I'm all too familiar with tank coatings that failed ,let's all hope Toyota got this one right!!!
     
    #15 whicks3, Apr 26, 2012
  16. csolsen

    csolsen New Member

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    Whicks3,
    Can you post a picture/description of where to find this hose underneath the car? Just purchased at 2012 Prius.
    Chris
     
    #16 csolsen, Apr 30, 2012
  17. schorert

    schorert Member

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    "rescue tape" would have sealed permanently, more fuel resistant than duct tape....
     
    #17 schorert, Apr 30, 2012
  18. schorert

    schorert Member

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    Saab had this great idea to route the fuel filler pipe through the wheel well. So if you cut a tire or picked up some road debris you could split that tube. My wife absolutely shredded a tire and tore the pipe all to hell. So after replacing a wheel and tire, I got a thrilling gush of gasoline at the next fill up!
    Junkyard reduced my total repair bill to $250(incl wheel)...Saab wanted $425 for the filler tube, $80 for the rubber bushing (tubing) to attach to the tank, $500 for the wheel.

    Hope the OP kept the tank, likely has some value on ebay!
     
    #18 schorert, Apr 30, 2012
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