ICE coolant air bubbles - worth taking back to the mechanic?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Beeline, Sep 25, 2013.

  1. Beeline

    Beeline New Member

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    Hi folks,

    I took my car in for the p1121 problem with the coolant flow control valve. I didn't think to check the coolant level when I dropped it off, but I asked them over the phone whether it was full before they did any work, and they said it was full.

    So I had them replace the valve. I noticed on my invoice that they also added quite a lot of coolant. Then, when driving home, I heard the gurgling sound that I've read indicates there are air bubbles in the system.

    I'm wondering - is it worth going back to the mechanic to make them fix the air bubbles? Is this something that they can/should fix in a short amount of time? I don't really care for messing about with cars and I feel like they should fix their mistake. But I also don't have time to leave my car there for another day or two.

    Also, does it seem weird to you that they added a bunch of coolant, since they told me it was full before they started working?
     
    #1 Beeline, Sep 25, 2013
  2. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Long story short, you need to take the car back to them and have them get the air out of the system. They did not do their job properly. If you had done the work yourself, I would go into more details. Since the dealer did the work, I would take it to them.

    You should not ignore this. I would take it to them first thing in the morning and have them do their job right. I would not drive the car around, and then take it a week or so later at your convenience.
     
    #2 dorunron, Sep 25, 2013
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. The mechanic may have partially drained the engine coolant system prior to replacing the valve.
    2. Yes, you need to get the air out of the system as there is a risk of engine damage depending upon how much air exists. Also, your cabin heater will not work very well with trapped air.
    3. It should be possible to purge air out of the system with an additional hour of labor time or less.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Sep 25, 2013
  4. Beeline

    Beeline New Member

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    Thank you both so much. I really appreciate it! This forum is invaluable, I've learned so much just reading through the archives.
     
    #4 Beeline, Sep 26, 2013
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