Error Code P261b

[Robin Gibbons]

I was driving today when my 2010 prius stopped warning came on saying check hybrid system the car wouldnt go i couldnt even engage drive the R A C arived and disconnected the Battery when reconnected it worked ok but engine management light came on after plugging in the computer it came up with a fault saying secondary water pump b malfunction 

 error code p261b  any ideas anyone please

[Gerg]

Hi, I have just googled this to check for you.

It would seem that your engine water pump has a fault.  On the Prius this is electrically driven. as opposed to being driven off the 'fan' belt or camshaft drive belt as it would be on other, conventional, cars.  This fault will not clear without the pump being replaced, as it is likely the impeller shaft has seized. There is another electric water pump that is dedicated to the cooling of the inverter.  That pump can be checked for its operation by removing the top from the coolant container on the passenger side of the engine bay (after the engine has cooled down!) and looking for turbulence in the tank when the car is turned on, just to check.

This is a popular enough part for there to possibly be other suppliers for the pump apart from Toyota themselves.  Replacement could be done by any competent mechanic, I would expect - there are no special hybrid tools or skills required.  The EuroCarParts price is £320 inc., as a guide for the part.

How many miles has the car done, by the way?

[Robin Gibbons]

thanks

145.000 miles do you have any idea of cost involved

[Robin Gibbons]

do you think its safe to drive in its current state

[Gerg]

36 minutes ago, Robin Gibbons said:

145.000 miles do you have any idea of cost involved

Hi, just edited the post before you replied.

ECP say £320 but out of stock, for an AIS brand (?).

German,Swedish and French (GSF) are asking for £900 inc.for a 'Premium' brand(?)

A online discount code usually works for both these web sites, note.

That's quite a span.  There will be other potential suppliers, of course.

 

[Gerg]

7 minutes ago, Robin Gibbons said:

do you think its safe to drive in its current state

No, the engine will overheat quite quickly, that would likely prompt a head gasket failure and a big bill, so best not to.  Even if the pump is only partly seized or intermittently failing, then I wouldn't want to risk it.

I've never had this failure or replaced one, perhaps someone else has personal experience of this?

[Devon Aygo]

Part number 161A0-29015 £266.01 + vat from your local Toyota dealer, includes gasket but you will need Super long life coolant part number 08889-80072 for 5Lt

[QuantumFireball]

13 hours ago, Gerg said:

I've never had this failure or replaced one, perhaps someone else has personal experience of this?

Not personally, but I've seen posts elsewhere about water pump failures on Gen 3's so it's not completely unheard of. Given the mileage it doesn't seem too unexpected.

[johalareewi]

Do you have extended warranty cover? 

[Liviu1980]

Hi! I have the same problem with my Prius 2014. Fault code P261B. My car have done so far 210.000 miles. I change the water pump brand new and The thermostat but stil have The same problem. I don’t understand why? Something solution for expert will be great. Thanks!!!

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Liviu1980 said:

Hi! I have the same problem with my Prius 2014. Fault code P261B. My car have done so far 210.000 miles. I change the water pump brand new and The thermostat but stil have The same problem. I don’t understand why? Something solution for expert will be great. Thanks!!!

Hi, have you fitted a brand new original pump or used one, or aftermarket? You may have faulty pump or bad connection, you will need to investigate again. You can Double check if pump is operational with 12v electrical power and check if propeller is spinning, contact spray to clean wire harness, that’s pretty much I can think of. Make sure there is enough coolant in the reservoir before first start of the car after new pump is fitted in., if the pump runs dry is likely to be damaged. 👍

[Toyota Prius 16]

on my dashboard it said pre-collision sensor malfunction. Error Code P261b And p0117. I added coolant antifreeze.

[Dr Gunsmith]

On 3/27/2021 at 9:04 PM, Liviu1980 said:

Hi! I have the same problem with my Prius 2014. Fault code P261B. My car have done so far 210.000 miles. I change the water pump brand new and The thermostat but stil have The same problem. I don’t understand why? Something solution for expert will be great. Thanks!!!

Hi, my Prius 2010 had this fault code so I bought a Toyota original coolant water pump, driving one day and the check engine light came back, I checked the code and it was the same code back again, is my new genuine pump faulty after one day? So I’m having the same problem as you, did you get it solved. Please let me know, thanks.

[TonyHSD]

13 hours ago, Dr Gunsmith said:

Hi, my Prius 2010 had this fault code so I bought a Toyota original coolant water pump, driving one day and the check engine light came back, I checked the code and it was the same code back again, is my new genuine pump faulty after one day? So I’m having the same problem as you, did you get it solved. Please let me know, thanks.

Hi, who had changed the pump and has it done an air bleed from the system? Did you put the car into maintenance mode with interior heater set to max temp and blower fan set to minimum speed and let the car run for 20 min to circulate the coolant through the system, topping up coolant into the reservoir and wait until two big radiator fans start spinning which means the second loop of the system is open and thermostat had been opened? All that needs to be done after change of coolant, thermostat or pump. If you haven’t done it you may had an air locked inside the system and this can trigger also fault code and overheat your engine and in the worst case scenario blow your head gasket. Double check your work. 
Good luck 👌

[Dr Gunsmith]

On 10/29/2021 at 4:50 PM, TonyHSD said:

Hi, who had changed the pump and has it done an air bleed from the system? Did you put the car into maintenance mode with interior heater set to max temp and blower fan set to minimum speed and let the car run for 20 min to circulate the coolant through the system, topping up coolant into the reservoir and wait until two big radiator fans start spinning which means the second loop of the system is open and thermostat had been opened? All that needs to be done after change of coolant, thermostat or pump. If you haven’t done it you may had an air locked inside the system and this can trigger also fault code and overheat your engine and in the worst case scenario blow your head gasket. Double check your work. 
Good luck 👌

Hi, I did it myself and your absolutely correct, I did not burp the thing as I’m new to them, I should of did a little more research, I should of joined sooner and asked, I took it off since to check it then fitted it back and then put her in maintenance mode and got out any air pockets then run her again for a long while with the heating on full blast till I could hear the fans kicking in, I did that a few times to make sure, thankfully she’s ok now and running great no more engine warning light. Thanks for your reply and help.

[Dr Gunsmith]

Thanks for all the help and this club….Iv learned so much already 🙏

[Kellyglo]

Thank you!

That conversation I read about the P261B has helped me very much.