Water Pump

There are three coolant pumps on your Gen II Prius: #1) the normal water pump; #2) the inverter coolant pump; and #3) the coolant transfer pump for the thermos bottle.

Any of the three could be leaking. Make sure you keep an eye on the coolant level for the inverter as well as the engine.

Tom

 

There are three pumps on the UK Prius as in 1 and 2 above, but there is no transfer pump as in the US. There is a third pump that circulates hot water to the heater when the engine is not running. However the pump that is most likely to be leaking is the one that is driven by the engine belt and should run with a minor leak for some time yet, but keep an eye on the level of coolant and top up if required. I know i'm going to get shot down hear but if you need to top up urgently and do not have the correct fluid use clean water. Any coolant is better than no coolant, and when the pump is changed so will the coolant.

 

Oops. I missed the OP's location. No transfer pump as stated above.

Tom

 

Should have said in my previous post the inverter coolant pump is under recall (changed free of charge) even if it is OK and it does not have to be in warranty. Check with your dealer some do not check for recalls.
The engine water pump is the same as any other car and after market pumps seem to be more reliable than OEM any garage could fit one, and if you are a DIY type you can do it yourself, also a good time to change the belt.

 

tell the independent mechanic that if they muck your car up you're gonna recreate the Vinnie Jones Lock Stock Two Smokin Barrels car door scene with his head.

 

The pump on the engine is much the same as any other petrol car, the main difference is the coolant should be replaced, (with the correct Toyota long life coolant) and it is more difficult to get all the air out of the system.
Do a search On engine water pump replacement in the search box at the top of this page and print it off for your garage to work from, but as I have said before the pump is easy to change.

 

Do check with your dealer if the inverter coolant pump witch is an electric pump needs to be changed under the recall, it is free of charge and could save you problems in the future.The coolant in That system is changed along with the pump.

John

 

Mine is leaking too (pink "turds" per prior post). It is a generic issue on many of this vintage. I am unclear how long we can defer, but that is my currect plan.

This is exactly what the pink residue looks like:
:cheer2:

 

I say to both ajayre and wjtracy. Fix this problem yourself. It is not hard. Removing the cover/skid plate on the bottom of the car and the passenger front wheel gives you easy access to it. Bleeding the cooling system is not scary either. I would consider this an easy to moderately easy task.

1) Loosen the passenger front wheel lug nuts
2) Jack up the passenger front and place on jackstand
3) Remove the front wheel
4) Remove the passenger skid plate/cover
5) Loosen the belt pulley (top left of the engine)
6) Loosen the idler tension adjust screw and remove belt
7) Drain coolant
8) Remove water pump and replace
9) Reverse to step 1 (ie: fill coolant, replace belt (new), tighten idler tension screw etc).

Its tooooooo easy.

I may have missed a step or simplified it too much but, get a manual (I prefer Haynes) and it will be detailed for you or, its probably on here with step by step procedures (although I couldn't find it).

I'm guessing its about a four hour job for a novice.

 

One small point Ajayre's car is a UK vehicle so every time you say passengers you mean drivers other wise he will never find the coolant pump.

 

...are you assuming I have a ramps to lift the front end up?

 

Ramps won't work, you will need a jack (in the trunk) and a jackstand (purchase). Even if you have to buy all the tools, it will be cheaper to DIY.

Originally Posted by Britprius
One small point Ajayre's car is a UK vehicle so every time you say passengers you mean drivers other wise he will never find the coolant pump.

Good point.

 

Do not let them put you off, it will be obvious if the pump was not changed because I believe the part number changed. Ask for the phone number of Toyota UK and speak to them, they will get things moving.
This pump replacement is important as if it fails it could damage your inverter £s X 1000. Not trying to scare you but keep pressing.

 

Any idea why the UK version didn't get the vacuum flask system?

Thanks.

Steve.

 

When they changed my engine coolant pump at the dealer under warranty they DIDN'T change the coolant. They put the old stuff back in.

Keep an eye on the underside of the hood. Coolant will be thrown there as well. When the leak gets large enough it looks like someone "decorated" the engine compartment. That is what I found early last winter. Very pretty.

You might as well get it changed as soon as convenient. If you don't it will absolutely need to be changed when NOT convenient.

It's one of Murphy's laws!

 

The vacuum flask system was added to help meet US emission control specifications. It wasn't needed anywhere else.

Tom