Preventative Maintenance

oil catch can, and don’t use steel wool as a filter medium. That info made it way from youtube on over to this forum as the go to medium.

 

thats a good place to be.

more info:

Bad Flywheel | PriusChat

If you can manage something like an oil change, you can do the EGR. Start with the easier bits, work up to it. Work logically, label everything as yo take it off, take lots of pics, the hose and conduit routing, whatever. Don’t rush.

 

There is a significant difference between steel wool and Scotch Brite (made by 3M) stainless steel scrubbers (SSS), the latter being what most people that say they use "steel wool" are actually using.

So is your position that we shouldn't use the stainless steel scrubbers either? I've noticed several companies, including spendier ones that seem to have good reputations, selling OCCs and including a SSS. I'm on the fence with mine and would love some well-reasoned perspective one way or the other, especially if anyone has actually seen evidence of damage (or of improved catching) caused by a SSS.

 

Siintered bronnze filter built in.

 

to the OP - EGR system clean at around 80 or 100K miles is a good job to do. There are videos by a channel on Youtube called Nuts About Bolts that covers it. You will want to do the following jobs to clean the entire EGR system (all can be done at once while you have the car apart

1. Clean intake manifold
2. Clean EGR Pipe
3. Clean EGR cooler

While you have everything apart you will also want to do these things

1. replace PCV valve (its a 10$ part, probably hasnt gone bad yet, but why not replace it?)
2. Install an aftermarket oil catch can

You can consider doing the following jobs at the same time:

1. Spark plug replacement
2. Engine coolant drain and refill

 

Uh oh... I installed the steel wool scrubber provided with the cheap Amazon Ruien brand catch can. We were talking about that in the other thread but I forgot about it since I've installed it and now I've driven the car about 300 miles since. Should I take it out? Or is the damage already done? I wiped off and blew on the catch can itself and the steel wool scrubber. Didn't notice any metal shavings coming off either.

Still regretting running the Dr. Prius test that requires you to floor the car after putting this in. I feel like if anything sucked tiny shrapnel into the engine that did.

 

I bought the same one and the scrubber it came with is NOT steel wool. It's a steel scrubber... I'm thinking it's a Scotch Brite SSS.

This is real steel wool. I WOULD NOT put this anywhere near my intake because it definitely dissolves:

 

You are right - I forgot, big difference between steel wool and a steel scrubber. Steel wool really does dissolve quickly.

Did you end up putting the Amazon stainless steel scrubber in, or did you buy a better one? I guess the Amazon one could still shed flakes if it was poorly made.

 

I chickened out and didn't put it in. We'll see how much the can collects on its own. I'm considering making a simple baffle by drilling a bunch of holes in a rectangular piece of metal and sticking that in.

I also realized the little baffle bit unscrews and I'm wondering if the one inch version of these would fit the threads:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07TSKNDTR/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_5?smid=A3DDU64V0NHDQT&psc=1&th=1

 

Change ATF, bleed the brakes

 

I think the common wisdom is to do it as soon as you can to reduce the amount of buildup in the EGR. If you're dexterous, you could install it without removing the intake manifold. Just remove the airbox and you have decent access to the PCV and the port on the intake manifold.

 

For any new Prius owner I'd say get in the habit of checking your oil. It's easy to get lulled by having the Prius lose almost zero oil between 10,000mi changes. Then sometime after 100k miles they can "suddenly" burn more than a quart before the next OCI. Checking oil on every gas fill up is overkill but works for me.

 

I wish we had data on people that followed 5,000 or 7,500 OCIs either from new or at some point before 100k, and then what the next 100k looked like in terms of EGR, oil consumption, and head gasket.

If I had a Prius with 60,000 miles on it, I would change oil with the specified 0W20 synthetic at least every 7,500 miles and probably more often than that. If you DIY, a jug of Pennzoil Platinum or Mobil 1 is only $30.

 

what about people with 13,000 or 15,000 miles oci? Right now I’m averaging 63-65 mpg, no oil burning & my data dont matter?

 

"my data don't matter?"

One person's story is not 'data'. That is known as an anecdote....

 

Pretty sure at some point the fancy cars are going to get "AI-Protect" (TM), where data is uploaded to the cloud after every drive (and then is merged with your credit rating to see what services to advise).

Is your commute downhill both ways? Or are you that guy driving exactly 34mph on the freeway? Either way nice job.

 

I can add one data point. Carfax shows local dealership maintained my car since new up to 155k miles or so. Outside the first oil change at around 10k first owner was religious about 5k changes.

It has 175k on it now. Oil maintenance light went on last week. Oil was at the full mark on the dipstick.

Cleaned EGR cooler two weekends ago and it was plugged! Could blow through it but sure couldn’t see through it. Took an entire cam of oven off and about an hour on the pressure washer.

I did water pump and thermostat at the same time. Coolant was still full but a little darker looking than the inverter coolant was.

Anecdotal evidence of course..

 

close, it gets towed uphill by aaa and drive it downhill just to keep the mpgs stats consistent.