Prius Prime Oil Filter - how come there are two options for the Prime?

The o-ring on the permanent (plastic) housing style goes in a groove along the length of the barrel, not at the end flange. If it's leaking oil unless you tighten more, something doesn't sound right.

Instruction on the oil filter box shows the o-ring position.

Torque is 18 ft/lb IIRC. I'll verify tomorrow and post an instruction PDF.

The two oil filter options is a factor with all 4th gens, not just the prime. There was a switch over, maybe half way through model year 2017 IIRC.

You cannot use one or the other. You can switch from one style to the other, but it involves significant parts to be changed. There's a thread with links on it here. Probably in 4th Gen maintenance forum?

 

An excerpt a fourth gen oil change instruction, for the permanent housing style oil filter. Someone posted it here a few years back. Here's a screen shot, showing the o-ring position:



Also, here's Georgina's thread on oil filter, and I believe there's links to info on swapping over to the disposable housing oil filter style:

The overtight oil filter catridge cap......It's not the dealer's fault. | PriusChat

 

I believe I saw a thread in the non-Prime Gen 4 section that describes a retro-fit kit that converts the paper cartridge fitting back to the metal spin on, but the basic answer is you can't use the metal spin on filter with the new style cartridge fitting. I believe the other posts described the correct way to install the large O-ring to avoid leaks. Best bet is buy the 5-pack of filter cartridges at Amazon.com, and don't forget the 10-pack of drain plug washers. These should be changed at each service.

 

@Steven Chavez If you know the O-ring is mispositioned, and opt to take the oil filter housing off to reposition it, you'll only lose about a cup of oil: the bulk of the oil is much lower, in the sump.

 

As has been explained, they are not interchangeable.

As for the leak, you need to get the o-ring in the right place as mentioned, but it's also very important to lube the o--ring before putting it on the cap and then again, before screwing in the cap. This makes sure it's good and slippery so it won't grab the housing and get twisted out of position. It's a miserable design that should be outlawed. My last motorcycle had the same system.

 

It was the Toyota oil filter, and the O-ring was in a plastic envelope in the box? I've always found the O-ring to be a snug fit. The instructions caution against doing this, but I invariably need to use a slim screwdriver to lift the old O-ring up and out of the groove. Considering it's all oil, good luck not using something to pry with. I guess they're just concerned you'll scratch the groove, create a leak. If the O-ring was a bit loose I'd say it was defective, though I've never encountered that. Maybe flakey memory?

The clip? I don't really pay it any attention, really think it was some engineer's idea, but it really does nothing. At least it does not impede removal or install. Once the plastic cap is screwed in enough that the O-ring is within the barrel, it seems to me it should seal, which make it seem a little odd, that with yours it continued to leak until you tightened it down an extra bit.

I've had one instance where the O-ring apparently jumped the groove as I was installing it, ended up at the flange, as I discovered when removing it. Lucky no leak.

I'm thinking remove the cap and check the O-ring location. You'll at most lose a cup of oil. You're description that the O-ring was a bit loose is odd.

Or: just monitor. Raise the car again in a week or two, see that everything's dry. And monitor oil with the dipstick.

 

Good point. I thought about mentioning that before. It's the o-ring that makes the seal inside the barrel, not the flange against the face of the housing. So, additional torque, once it's tight enough to stay in place should not be what keeps it from leaking. It just needs to not come unscrewed and the o-ring in the barrel provides the seal. This is quite different from the traditional spin on filter with the seal on the face.

 

Yeah examining the flange gap you might be able to tell if the O-ring "rode up". There should be zero gap to the machined face of the engine.

I've had the O-ring shift like that, oil change before last. All-in-all not that good a system, too fussy.

Again, OP said his O-ring was almost loose, sounds odd. It should be slightly tensioned, when you push it onto the groove. Tensioned enough that it's hard to remove, takes a screw driver to lift it up. It's a slippery cuss, lol.

 

Oh man. Thank goodness the Prime doesn't require as frequent changes.
So I just bought the oil cartridge which included the O-ring. But I don't have this
special tool SST:09228-06501. At the risk of starting a firestorm, can I even begin to do what I
had thought was going to be a simple job? I've done countless oil changes on
05 Prius, 02 Subaru, 95 Nissan...motorcycles etc. I'm generally fairly competent
and have a floor jack, jackstands and a wide assortment of wrenches. But y'all
are scaring me with this. And I've never bothered to torque wrench on a filter.
My hands and common sense have always been good enough.
I hate when car companies make routine maintenance unnecessarily
difficult so they can force you into going to their service depts.

 

I use the standard Honda automotive oil filter, it's worked for the last 4~5 Hondas we had or changed the oil on, our current Prius, and I see it's gonna fit our son's CX-5 oil filter as well. It's 14 flute, nothing fancy, and about 64.5 mm inside face-to-face.

 

Here's the filter wrench I got. Works perfectly. But I see that it's not available now. At least it'll help you know what to look for.

As for a torque wrench, I've never used one for an oil change either. But I've only been changing my own oil for about 45-50 years.

Many people tend to over-think the Prius. There are some things that are different, but it's not rocket science.

 

That's a few more years than me lol. I recall many honda filters saying to seat the filter, then rotate a further 3/4 turn. The had numbers on the side to help with this. A bit funky though: how to define "seated".

I stick with torque wrenches, just have them (yeah them: three sizes, lol) arrayed on a carpet scrap on my work bench, amid the other long wrenches. The biggest issue is recalling the torque value. I usually mark the inside cover of the vehicle's receipt book with common torque values.

 

Here is what I use. I had my salesman check and this is what my preferred dealer uses. (It's in stock)

 

This. You don't need a clever socket that extends down onto specifically oriented stiffener fins.

 

So up to this point this has been completely straightforward.

I got off the filter assembly and am ready to reinstall it.
Seems like superfluous to lubricate a surface that is already oily (O-ring install)
but okay.

Assuming no unforeseen issues on the remainder of the task, (NEVER MIND)

You tube had the explanation for that.

what is the process
for turning off the maintenance required warning. I know how to do it on our 05.
I assume it's similar. Thanks in advance.

 

I think they're just making sure, but yeah, I know what you mean, lol. Maybe a bit of fresh oil helps, is slightly slicker: you want it really well lubed when reinstalling, not binding at all.

They also say to remove the old O-ring without metal implements, just your fingers: good luck with that...

 

Not superfluous at all. You really don't want that o-ring to grab and twist, so even if it looks slippery, the added step is good insurance compared to what can happen if it gets out of place and your engine pukes out its oil.

I have to look it up every time. From page 432 of my manual. Yours may be in a different place, but probably the same procedure. When it says, "Keep pressing the button," it means continue to hold the MPH-KPH button as opposed to keep pressing it again and again. Pretty sloppy writing on Toyota's part.

 

I had to double check.
The thread title is about the Prime and that process will not work on Gen 4 or Prime.