Prius Classic Exhaust

Well, depending upon emissions control enforcement in your locale, here are two possible options:

1. Install a used system from a salvage vehicle
2. Install a generic aftermarket catalytic converter and have pipes welded and bent to fit

 

I believe there is a Guy in my area, which is reading pa on craigslist, he has a classic prius exhaust system for 900. Don't know if he would ship it. Ill double check make sure it is still available.

 

How many miles on your car and the condition. I would not get rid of it, I think you can buy it online, I think its about 1300 to 1500, if you cab patch the holes you can install the exhaust, I think its bolt on anyways.

 

I might start with looking at similar, 1.5L, Toyota cars to see how much of their exhaust might fit to your Prius. The Echo is similar body style but the Scion series were also 1.5L, Toyota vehicles. If you can get some Echo/Scion exhaust parts and then compare them to the Prius part. Take the ones closest to a machine or welding shop and ask if they could modify or adapt them.

Bending to match the route might be impractical but you might also look for a 'clever cut' and weld-up to make the curve. Since the Prius engine passes substantially lower gas-flows, the catalytic convert and muffler from the other cars would be exceptionally, oversized.

As for what it would cost? Probably $3,995 . . . <grins>

Bob Wilson

 

Try a good muffler shop that does custom work and ask what it would cost to do what you want using generic parts. A good exhaust system guy can fabricate a system pretty fast (read that as low labor cost). You might get by for a very few hundred dollars if you can get by without new cats

 

asinc,
Xs650 is giving you great advice here. I agree with the scrapyards looking at you like you're crazy wanting used exhaust parts. The reason they're looking at you like that is because new exhaust parts are cheap. Yes buying one from the dealer is expensive but, like xs said, any good custom exhaust shop should be able to install an exhaust on your car.
Here's what I know:
1) There's no way I would ever spend $4000 on an exhaust system (ever)
2) Exhaust systems only have a few parts. They include exhaust pipe, cat converter, bypass valve and muffler
3) You can get an aftermarket muffler for your Prius, you can get an aftermarket cat converter and exhaust pipe fits any car

With all this in mind, why not just locate a custom exhaust shop and talk to them about what you're trying to do, buy the bypass valve from Toyota (or get one from the scrapyard), buy the other parts individually and have them fix your car. You can do it and this shouldn't hardly slow you down.

 

You might start at partswebsite.com and look among their participating Toyota dealers. These are dealers, selling completely new shiny Toyota parts, online at discounted prices. You might want to check several because they set their own discounts, but you will find that searching the parts catalog is the same for all of them, because that's the service partswebsite provides for them. I have not checked whether any of the participating dealers are in Canada, and I don't know what shipping costs might be as the parts are awkwardly shaped.

As you can see from this example, your original Toyota exhaust system is two parts. The front pipe assembly includes both cats, the HCAC valve, the sub-muffler, and bolts right on to the manifold in front and to the main muffler assembly in back. The main muffler assembly is the rest, from where the front assembly ends all the way back to the tailpipe. Total price for these two would be around $891 + $282 or $1173.

Remember, that's the price for a brand new, Toyota supplied, complete exhaust system including two cats, a valve, sub and main mufflers, and fully stainless-steel piping, which should last a very long time provided you keep the valve from sticking. You must have more road salt there than we have in Indiana because my exhaust still seems completely sound at over 300000 km. Yours also lasted a very long time. These are high quality parts that don't seem like a bad value to me.

I didn't add up all of the parts in the diagram; you obviously want new gaskets too, possibly hangers, who knows how your heat shields are doing. Just eyeballing the numbers I don't know if you'd break $1500 even ordering every item on the list. (I am also looking at US dollars and I don't know the current exchange rate.)

I don't quite see how your dealer quoted $4000 - that seems to be about $2500 in labor for a job that involves four bolts with the car on a hoist.

-Chap

 

Excellent advice Chap and research too.

 

I'll bet you can get it. $4000 is ridiculous.

 

There you have it, under 1500 for an exhaust, that's even better news. I saw I believe 1500 from the manifold back on a Toyota site a ways back

 

Yes, the HCAC valve we all love to hate is built into that assembly. (And to be honest, mine still moved smoothly when I bought the car at 200000 km 4½ years ago, and I smeared some antiseize around the shaft at that time because of all I had read here, and I hadn't touched it again until last week when I checked and it still moved smoothly, so I don't really hate it all that much.)

You'll probably want to look the diagram over carefully to avoid leaving any needed parts out of your order. The gaskets you will certainly want. You might want to scoot under the car and look at the condition of any of the bolts, springs, rubber hangers, and heat shields that are shown before placing the order.

I guess I didn't give the link to the diagram with all parts called out (except 18, not sure what that is). I also see I overstated the price earlier because I had the MSRP for the muffler instead of the discount price.

Possibly 18 is the actuator for the HCAC valve, in which case you'd have to move it from the old pipe if it's still leak-free and working, and you'd probably have to move or buy the two oxygen sensors also. Ok, so there is a bit more labor than I implied with my "four bolts" line (and maybe ~ $450 more on the parts tab if you want those all new).

-Chap

 

try ebay, there is one on there for 1200 shipped, at least in the USA

 

One what? Which components are included?

-Chap

 

If it's what I just saw on eBay, it's only the front pipe assembly ("ref #1 on diagram only") ... that's the part that's $891 from Toyota of Puyallup.

-Chap

 

Chap,

Yes, that's the one. And he can get the muffler from bosal for 112 shipped I think

 

A appreciate the posts. I adjusted the figures for my '06, and I see that the price from "autopartspeople.com" go up. My dealer is quoting me $2200, so I am guessing that is $200-400 for labor. I think I read somewhere that the computer takes info from some sensor at the catalytic converter to determine when it is warm enough to shut the ICE off? Like on a cold morning? By the way, mine has 346K on the odometer.

 

HCAC is not on the 2006. NHW11 only.

They have to remove the bracket and weld it back on do transfer the diaphram and linkage rod to the new HCAC.

The O2 sensors are used for closed loop operation to make sure the catalytic converter is constantly flooded then starved of fuel (ie. combustion products).

The ICE is shut off based on coolant temp and transaxle decisions.