Bought 178k miles used Prius, what maintenance should I do?

welcome!

everything!

go to toyota.com/owners and sign up. any dealer maintenance and recalls will be there.

the schedule is there as well, and you can compare what's done to what is recommended.

consider changing the tranny fluid, which toyota calls 'lifetime'

 

Can you share a picture of the battery cable issue... Just because it's not the one Toyota uses, doesn't mean it's not working properly... As for fluids, I wouldn't worry to much about that yet, but changing the transmission fluid at least once is wise.

As for hybrid battery pack, get yourself one of these OBD2 readers: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265484403768 and use Dr. Prius app to monitor voltage difference between the 14 blocks of the battery pack. As that difference gets worse you'll need to do some maintenance or repair. Saving up for a Project Lithium upgrade battery pack in a year or two would be the best way to improve overall vehicle performance.

 

Buy some pH test strips which work in the 5-10 range and verify that the coolant in both loops is still basic, 8 or higher. If not, change the coolant in that loop. (Chemically it isn't acidic, and so a problem, until the pH is below 7, but if it is less than 8 it is wearing out and should be replaced.) Note, take out a drop using a clean rod or straw and apply to the strip. Don't dip the strip into the coolant tank because most strips will leech one chemical or another into that fluid. Bad for the car? Who knows? Don't do it. Coolant test strips available at auto supply stores might be calibrated to read in something other than straight pH, for instance, they might read 1 to 5, where less than 3 is "replace".

Check the oil level and color. These cars tend to burn oil if they have that many miles. Check often at first, just in case yours burns a lot.

Check the engine and cabin air filters, and replace if dirty. Wait, you already did that. Never mind.

Check the dates, tread depth, and general state of the tires. Replace if needed. Rotate if needed.

Check that the brake fluid level is OK. Have the brake fluid tested when the car goes in for service. Or buy some strips and do that yourself.

Check the voltage on the 12V battery. (Search in this forum, there is a way to do it using the MFD.) If the battery reads too low replace it.

Test the windshield wipers and replace if needed. (I now test wipers on rentals before leaving the lot - much better than finding out they don't work well the first time they are needed.)

Get a compatible OBD2 reader and a copy of Dr. Prius, or the right cable and Toyota's Techstream software, and check the voltages on the traction battery. Best to find out now if it has some weak modules.

 

replace the transaxle fluid, pcv valve, and both coolants. get the parts and fluids from your local toyota dealership parts department

 

Hello & welcome to PriusChat.

Things to consider doing on a Gen2 Prius (sooner rather than later):

Change all the fluids - including the transmission. Replace spark plugs and PCV valve. (Don't be surprised if you need to replace the ignition coils at some point). Clean the throttle body bore and MAF sensor.

Check the oil and coolant levels every week until you know how stable they are (& if the engine uses oil).

Might be a good idea to get some type of shield for the catalytic converter (slow down any cat thieves by a minute or so).

Consider replacing the inverter coolant pump (with a genuine Toyota part). Inspect (and replace as needed) the engine water pump drive belt and tensioner pulley. Inspect the water pump , hoses, and radiator for leaks.

Inspect the underbody brake and fuel lines for rust.

By the time the inlet pipe on the muffler begins to leak, the muffler body is probably on its last legs. I cut out and welded in a section to repair the pipe on mine, and a few months later the seam on the muffler blew out. Got a new OE stainless assembly- that'll outlast the car. Most parts store replacement mufflers will rust out in 2-3 years.

If your appraisal indicated that the tires, brakes and suspension were ok, then drive the car and see how things function.

You might want to read my scantool app review thread (stickied at the top of the Gen2 Technical Discussion forum) - having a capable scantool for your Prius might be a good idea.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If it hasn’t been done in past 60k miles, change the serpentine belt. Can’t often see the wear until you remove it to check it and at that point, just change it.

 

Strap on battery post is missing a bolt, while in there take off the end bolted to the chassis and make sure all metal to metal areas are shiny.

 

While that bolt is missing this will always be an unsatisfactory and unreliable connection.

 

Maybe the tech took the pic while work in progress? I can’t imagine them not noticing bolt missing from cable clamp at post.

 

That's the original ground cable that comes with the car. Looks like the car lot replaced the battery since it probably sat on the lot for a while and forgot to install the bolt and nut. Also looks like the post is shorter on that battery. Show us a full photo of the battery. It may be a weird battery.

But all you need to do is buy a nut and bolt and install it. Cable looks ok.

Here's mine you can see it matches yours so the dealer is full of dookey that's the factory chassis cable.

A G2 with that mileage & dealer maintained will eat alot of oil. Its important you check it every few days before starting the car to see how bad the oil use is. If its low top it off.

I would also move up to a 40 weight oil too like Mobil 1 0-40. Five quart jug at Walmart for $26. It will help with the oil loss.

 

For reliability, first thing I'd do before dumping a ton of money into it on the basics is check the HV battery for origin/health/age and determine what a NEW, not used/rebuilt, replacement battery will cost.

I'd check the bottom of the battery tray for the missing bolt/nut first. BTDT