How to find and check all the hoses

I have sort of went through the same thing, but honestly, there is no way for someone who does not to fully immerse themselves into auto mechanics to check all hoses.

My Prius repair manual says to check all hoses every 6 months/or XXXX miles, which is a lot sooner than 60K -- and I think 60k is way too long to wait. The manual gives some basic examples, but in no way does it list all hoses in the maintenance section, although, I am sure, over the few hundred pages of the manual, the hoses are listed and detailed.

Yes, many of the hoses are in spots where it is impossible to check without a lift/jack stands or without tearing out several other pieces of the car. .

To add to the confusion, the manual says something like "vacuum hoses cannot be properly checked without completely removing them from the vehicle."

When my car died on the side of the road last Sept., the guys here told me to check all the hoses and wiring. I did the best I could, but I could not, in any way, see probably a fifth of it all.

I think you have an O.K. idea, but, like a lot of ideas, not really practical unless you want to become a real hardcore DIY. Check your local library for any Prius manuals they may have, read what they say about hose checks and do the best you can and call it good.

Really, the $1000 figure is I am sure just a WAG from them. A lot of the genuine Toyota hoses are quite pricey for just a few inches of rubber.
Kris

 

Post #18 here was written by one of our members who logged 400K miles on his 2G.
400K Miles, One Prius/One Owner | PriusChat

You will see that the radiator and heater hoses on his vehicle are still original equipment.

It is true that some of the hoses will not be easy to find. For example the cabin heater hoses, the engine coolant heat recovery system hoses, the hoses to/from the pump that routes coolant to the cabin heater core when the engine is not spinning, some of the inverter coolant hoses, etc.

It is great that you are interested in checking the hoses periodically. My suggestion is that you be content with checking the engine radiator hoses for now. Squeeze both of the hoses and make sure they remain pliable. If there is any sign of cracking on the rubber surface or if they do not feel normal, then replace them.

If the engine radiator hoses are good, and if you don't have any driveability issues, then don't worry about the other hoses.

May I offer, instead, three other items to check, which sometimes are overlooked:

engine coolant pump bearing to make sure it is not weeping coolant (if it is, replace the pump)
serpentine drive belt (if it has not been replaced in the last 75K miles, do it now)
PCV valve (replace after 100K miles)

 

I don't think you are going to find such a video.

I suggest you start by replacing the radiator hoses then, which requires that you be able to drain and replace the engine coolant. I have posted on how to do that, as the procedure is not obvious with regards to the coolant heat recovery system and getting air out of the CHRS canister.

As you remove the hose clamps, you may find the hoses are stuck. Use a single-edge razor blade to slice the hose, so that the hose can be peeled off. Make sure you do not damage or scratch the metal fitting that each hose is attached to.

Factory repair manual info is at techinfo.toyota.com which is a subscription website, and one I highly recommend to you.