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Where is Inverter Coolant Pump (electric water pump)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by MilkyWay, Feb 6, 2017.

  1. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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    P261B indicates a problem with your gasoline engine coolant pump. If there had been an issue with your inverter coolant pump, the code would have been P0A93 and/or a "check hybrid system" message on your dash display. Looking for turbulence in the reservoir is an inverter loop thing, and I'm guessing you're looking for more movement than there actually is. The turbulence is very gentle with the Gen 3 Prius. It's more obvious with Gen 2 - where the entire concept of checking for turbulence really became a thing. Pumps for both loops are electric, there is no belt-drive, mechanical pump with Gen 3. The gas engine pump is mechanical on Gen 2 while the inverter pump is electric.

    So it appears you really need a new gas engine coolant pump. However, you state some performance issues in your other thread:

    How do I know if I need a coolant pump? | PriusChat

    If these issues are for real, they could very well be a by-product of your gas engine coolant pump failure, and will need addressing sooner or later. It sounds very much like head gasket failure as per your stated issues along with a gas engine coolant pump failure code.
     
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  2. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    wasn't smoking yesterday and it has been sitting a very long time....I got it I think in December but everytime I drove it (just a few times) it was blistering cold (literally you would be dead if you stood outside without a jacket for more than an hour!).

    1) Are headgaskets extremely common on gen 3s with 150k miles? I sure hope not because the gen 1 and gen 2 run like brand new when they have 250,000 miles!

    2) Car drives fine so what are the symptoms, if any, of gas pump? Overheating? Smoke? I show zero symptoms aside from the smoke issue when it was sub-zero temperature.
     
  3. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Thank you for explaining that turbulence is very subtle / practically non-existent on gen 3....
     
  4. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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  5. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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  6. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    I'm just selling it....as long as it fixes the problem then my job is done! If it works for 1 month and goes out, sure, that sucks to the buyer, but I unfortunately have to keep my costs reduced....Plus everybody is very picky and a huge low baller anyways! Whether part is new or not will not do anything for the final sales price....

    You'd be surprised how dead my phone would be if I put a 2010 Prius up for $4995 or best offer
     
  7. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    I ordered part hopefully it is correct....his feedback shows 100% positive with other people leaving positive comments on water pump...has lots of prius parts.
     
  8. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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  9. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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    No, that would be the inverter pump. Here are links to the engine pump, both the Toyota factory and Aisin part numbers but they are one and same:

    #161A029015: PUMP ASSEMBLY, ENGINE WATER. PUMP,WATER

    Engine Water Pump AISIN WPT-190 | eBay

    I'm really struggling to understand your postings in either thread but if you're just looking to offload the car it doesn't really matter. Replacing the engine coolant pump SHOULD solve your P261B. I wouldn't say head gasket failure is common with Gen 3, but there have been a fair share reported here in recent months. A lot of them 2010's and approaching 200k miles is typical. There really is no solid data as to the why's yet. Agree that head gasket failures in Gen 1 and 2 are nothing more than isolated events. Good luck moving forward.
     
    #29 m.wynn, Feb 28, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2017
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  10. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Thank you. I ordered a used with 30k miles (supposedly) from a facility in California for $150....

    The only symptom of the bad pump I experienced was a check engine light popping on followed by a loss of heat -- but that is also a symptom of bad HG. Should know more in a bout a week.

    Would you lose heat with malfunctioning gas coolant pump?
     
  11. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    Yes, of course

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