Asking for some pro advice on 150K maintenance before going to the shop

I’d add a clarification to one of the points: clean egr

Is that the whole circuit or just the valve? Cause the whole circuit will need to be cleaned.

Some additional questions:

• Are you the DIY type?
• What are your plans for the Prius (how long do you want to keep it, etc)?
• How much oil does it consume?

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

welcome!

do you have a copy of the toyota maintenance schedule that came with the car?

has all the regular maintenance been done up to this point? because most of the items you list should have already been completed between 100k and 120k on the u.s. schedule.

definitely the tranny if you are going to keep her, and look into the strange noises.

all the best!

 

Has the brake fluid ever been changed? Toyota Canada recommends (in metric units, good for you) to do this every 3 years or 48K kms, whichever comes first.

Again quoting Toyota Canada, the recommendation for both engine and inverter (transaxle, aka transmission) coolant circuit is to do a first drain and fill at 10 years or 160K kms, whichever comes first, and thereafter, every 5 years or 80K kms. Toyota USA is similar, except delays the first inverter coolant change to 15 years or 240K kms (150K miles). At odds with Toyota Canada: my inverter coolant reservoir has a decal that says don't change untill 150K miles (per US recommendation).

Transaxle (aka transmission) fluid change: yes, do this, asap. Toyota Canada or USA both are silent on the subject. It is easy, and should not be costing more than $100 at a dealership. I've done ours 3 times now, a little overkill, with only 78K kms on the odometer currently. I think the optimum time for first change would be at the one year mark, around 15K kms.

Engine flush, don't really have an opinion. Would recommend regular oil change, your choice for interval. Toyota Canada recommends every 6 months or 8K kms, whichever comes first. This is what I follow.

Are you regularly getting the brakes inspected? Every 3 years or 48K kms is good for that.

 

Cleaning EGR and intake manifold, the EGR in particular, is somewhat arduous and labour intensive. Dealership would likely want to replace parts, not clean, and that would get very expensive, coupled with their labour charges. I would recommend to DIY, or find an independent mechanic.

Following is some more info. I didn't type just now; I'm getting cagey, just copy-and-paste :

I'd definitely consider doing the full EGR clean-out, before not too long. Ditto for the intake manifold, and the Oil Catch Can install. The PCV valve is probably fine, but you've got a new one, and it's cheap: for sure replace when you've got the intake manifold off.

Take your time, watch the videos by @NutzAboutBolts (pinned at top of maintenance sub-forum). Also, a couple of good threads:

EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results | PriusChat

Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! | PriusChat

I would read both threads, end-to-end, lots of tidbits.

When I got into it, I had a fairly typical arsenal of tools. It's good to have an enclosed garage with a slab, a floor jack and safety stands (ramps would also do). Ratchet wrenches, both regular and long-handle are handy, swivel head helps in some instances. Both a 3/8" and 1/4" torque wrench will be needed if you're a stickler for torque values. And E8 torx socket is needed to remove some studs on the EGR, and there's similar studs on intake manifold (for the throttle body) that are E6.

A ratcheting 12 mm box wrench is maybe not essential, but very handy, in particular for the EGR to exhaust connection. Also, you cannot have too many pliers, straight and offset, various lengths. Ditto for ratchet extensions: you'll need every length: 1.5", 3", 6".

Regarding coolant lines, somewhat contrary to the videos:

1. There's no need to disconnect coolant lines from the throttle body; you can just lift it off off and tie it out of the way.

2. With the EGR valve/cooler removal, you can avoid any coolant spillage, and any need to clamp hoses, if you drain a couple of quarts from the radiator and the outset (at the radiator drain spigot). Drain it into a clean container, then when you're done pour it back into the reservoir. This will drop the coolant level below the egr system. There will be a table spoon or two trapped at the back of the EGR cooler: just lift it off and tip it into the previously drained coolant container.

 

you won't find m(any) dealers who know about the egr problem

 

The recent mechanic you should move on from and double check all important fluids yourself as his knowledge is lacking.

Look around here for egr issues and you’ll find plenty of pics. I’ve cleaned the egr circuit 7 times now on 6 different Prii and each time they are carbon deposited up.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

Our experiences stateside with egr circuit cleaning and Toyota is that they will not do this job and they would want to throw new parts at it, exponentially increasing coststo perform the job.

I’d look to source another independent mechanic. What I would do is the following (if I was to not do the job myself):

• Check with the new mechanic and see if your car can be left with him overnight and the job split into 2 sessions
• If yes, I would request the mechanic to give you the egr cooler, egr valve, egr pipe and intake manifold once it has been disassembled so you can clean them yourself overnight
• If the mechanic will not allow overnight storage, purchase spare parts from a salvage yard or the internet
• Clean those spare parts and have them ready for your trip to the mechanic

The egr circuit functions like every other car (not unique to the Prius). But if the ports or cooler get clogged, now there is a air and heat imbalance which can cause thermal differential and potentially a head gasket failure.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

You misspelled admit.

 

good point

 

480 euro seems a lot to me for what you got.

I’d be curious what the 2-3 hours for the egr cleanse is, as I have done the full circuit 7 times now and te shortest time I got was 5 hours.

What you are describing by injection service sounds like they have a payment due soon on a large purchase they have made. If you use quality gas and oil, deposits should be low. I use BG Products EPR (also known as PN109) before I change the oil and it cleanses the oil side.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

I do have access to tools and I am also a busy professional with a family so my time is also a precious resource.

But money also a finite resource, so I try to balance the time-money equation.

I’d try to get more specifics from the shop so you have a clear understanding of their proposal.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

It is a bit of a sand pounder, that 3rd gen EGR systems inevitably clog, access is not trivial, and the dealerships are so in-the-dark.

I did the stem-to-stern cleaning of egr, plus intake manifold cleaning, plus Oil Catch Can install over the course of a weekend or two. No expenditure (well a can of Brake Clean and copious scoops of Oxi-Clean powder for the cooler), gaskets all looked fine (nearly lost one...), but a significant mount of wrenching, sometimes in stupidly tight quarters. In hindsight, leaving one or two of the EGR hold-down bolts off, the system would still be solid/secure. Next time.

Again, watch the videos I mentioned above, a real eye-openers.

Goedendag