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Wobbling Pulley

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by KaneMano, Oct 2, 2019.

  1. KaneMano

    KaneMano Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2016
    1
    1
    0
    Location:
    North Richland Hills TX
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Sorry if this is either in the wrong place or had been covered already. I can't find this topic.

    2008 Prius
    140,000 miles
    Usually just highway driving, 60 miles, 3 days/week.
    Bought from deceased family member.
    Regular maintenance not done.
    Obviously, out of warranty.
    I get regular oil changes.

    Now for my story;
    I was going on vacation and after driving about 75 miles, I started hearing a rattling noise from the engine compartment. I stopped to look at it, but didn't know what I'd be looking for, so I didn't notice anything obvious. But I have Multiple Sclerosis and not much of a car DIY'er.

    I was in the middle of nowhere, so I continued driving to the nearest city, about 25 miles. I went easy on it. About a mile from AutoZone, warning lights started coming on. I forget which ones. It also said "Problem". I didn't risk it. I left it at AutoZone, rented a car, and continued on. (A little trick, I joined AAA a few days later. When I got back to the car, I called them, they arrived in 15 minutes and towed it 100 miles to my home. There's a 7 day waiting period for it to be active though.)

    When we got it home, I looked more closely. There's a wobbling Pulley. Pic and video included.

    Video link;



    Like I said, I'm limited in what I can do. But knowing why there's a wobble helps me get the right honest help.

    I don't recall hitting anything in the road, or an initial loud noise. Just got louder the longer I drove.

    You're the experts. What exactly am I seeing here?

    Thank you very much! Screenshot_20191002-170328_InShot.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    donbright likes this.
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,474
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1. The engine coolant pump probably has failed.

    2. Check engine coolant level in the reservoir behind the radiator; and ALSO in the radiator itself. Remove the large black plastic cover over the radiator for access to the radiator cap.
     
  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,176
    6,722
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Agreed looks like a failed water pump. That pulley you see shaking is definitely the main water pump, usually an internal bearing failure allows it to wiggle like that. It probably hasn’t been moving coolant very well for a while.

    The bonus warning you got was probably overtemp due to poor coolant circulation. Hopefully that didn’t cause any consequential damage.