Fuel Injection Service & Brake Flush

Sounds like the dealer wants more profit. If it's not in the service schedule, I don't do it.

IF - you were going to keep the car "forever" - flushing the brake fluid every so often is reasonable - but I wouldn't be doing it this soon.

 

A can of BG 44K for around $20 will save you $190 on the fuel injection service. Wouldn't hurt using it every once in a while if you want to keep your fuel system squeaky clean.

 

Come to think about it - TOYOTA has this:


I've never used it - nor read the label!!!

 

Toyota Canada recommends brake fluid replacement tri-yearly or 30k mile (48k kms). $100 is a pretty good price.

I would pass on the fuel injector service.

 

Probably rebranded Lucas Oil or some other major name brand. If you want to clean your fuel injectors, just go buy a bottle from the autoparts store. Would be cheaper.

 

Be aware, a brake fluid flush with some garages sometimes just involves changing the fluid in the reservoir as that's where water tends to get into the system. A proper flush involves bleeding the system through each nipple after changing the fluid in the reservoir. As for the fuel system service, there's no need unless you use poor quality fuel, most branded fuels have cleaning additives in them.

 

@NutzAboutBolts does a brake fluid change, in the videos linked at top of 3rd gen maintenance forum. Attached is some repair manual info, for brake fluid change without techstream.

Something else to consider is an occasional throttle body cleaning. @NutzAboutBolts has a video on that too, linked at same location. One thing: I found it handy to unbolt and lift off the throttle body (coolant lines still attached): makes it easier to do a thorough cleaning, and clean out the intake manifold directly below. The latter will be an oily sump if you don't have an oil catch can installed. Throttle body hold down bolt torques in attached repair manual intake manifold info.

 

+1 on the Brake FLUSH, if it is a true flush $100 is a good deal.

All other maintenance they (the dealership) tell ya, stick to the toyota schedule.
But also read up on your model/year behavior on the forum.
aka brake lube, coolant, throttle body, etc

 

There is no longer an industry standard mileage or time interval for flushing brake fluid. You do when your moisture content level or copper ppm rises above a threshold.

Modern day fuel injectors don't need flushing either. All gasoline additive detergent packages have fuel system cleaners already. With the advent of pintless injectors decades ago and modern detergent packages, fuel system flushes are completely unnecessary.

I have 314K miles on my gen II and it's never needed a fuel system flush and amazingly it's on the same original brake fluid still showing 0% moisture and 0 ppm copper. I've had other cars that needed flushing every 30 to 40K miles based on these criteria but the Prius brake fluid rarely gets heated and it's the heating cooling cycles that result in taking on moisture.

 

How do you check brake fluid moisture and copper? And do you check at the calipers? There's no circulation between the reservoir and the calipers, so I think you'll find the fluid in the calipers is usually in much worse shape than in the reservoir.

 

Sorka, are you on the original hybrid battery for your Gen 2? I was thinking about buying a 2010 with 150K and wondered if it would need a new hybrid battery soon.

 

You can do a little bit of a bleed from one of the calipers (perhaps the one stuck on the end on the longest line) and use the fluid you collect from the bleeder for the test, and just put an equal amount of fresh fluid back into the reservoir. You can proceed to flush everything if the test makes that look worthwhile.

Mine at 145,000:



hobbit's at 110,000:

 

I have checked at the calipers from time to time using Speed Bleeder one way valve. In my experience, the moisture and copper levels are always the same at the caliper and the reservoir.

Just google or amazon any brake fluid moisture probe and copper test strips. The moisture probes are electronic. The copper strips are use once and throw away.

 

Yup, that's what I'd expect in a Prius. Assuming that's original fluid?

 

www.amazon.com/Goodridge-Speed-Bleeder-Size-SB7100/dp/B000OO4K30

Don't leave them permanently installed. Only use them when you bleed. When installed, you can press the brake pedal to expel brake fluid and the valve will close when you lift off the pedal preventing air from going back inside.

If you want, you can use these to do an entire brake flush in about 60 minutes(time included for taking wheels off etc.

 

Do you put the car in invalid mode when doing the Speed Bleed?

 

Are you asking about gen II or gen iv?

 

Lost track of where I was.

Anyway, looks like Invalid Mode is still recommended, for fourth gen. Or techstream.