Hi all, new Prius C owner

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by farmecologist, Jun 27, 2021.

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  1. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Hi all,

    Thought I'd start a thread to document my plans for this vehicle and to ask you fine folks some questions.

    We acquired this vehicle due to an accident our daughter was involved with. Our 2010 liftback ended up being totaled. Discussion about that is here : Our 2010 Gen3 is going to the great Prius graveyard in the sky ( due to accident ) | PriusChat

    Finding a replacement for a decent deal was difficult in the current crazy used car market. Ended up doing a craigslist deal and it turned out to be a win-win for us as well as the seller. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about it.

    Ended up with a 2012 Prius C two with 63K miles. Stellar maintenance records as well : (y)

    upload_2021-6-27_13-47-15.png

    I plan on doing a bunch of maintenance and other things to it :
    • Replace ATF fluid.
      • DONE ( pic below ).
    • Inspect/clean hybrid battery fan under the rear seat.
      • DONE. It was 'clean as a whistle'. (y)
    • Replace front brakes...
      • Looking at it, I'm not sure the brakes have been touched since new! Nothing in the service records point to any brake service other than 'inspections'.
    • Replace rear drums.
      • Same comments as above.
      • I've never done drum service before....so that should be interesting.
    • Install new head unit with backup camera.
      • I ordered the 'BOSS' brand kit with backup camera from Crutchfield.
    • Some items under the car seem a little rusty. Mostly bolts and the control arms.
      • At the very least, spray with FluidFilm or replace bolts and control arms as I'm able to do so.
      • Has anyone replaced control arms on a Prius C ( I suspect not )? (y)
    • Check/clean EGR.
      • Accessibility looks far easier than the Gen3.
      • Hopefully it will be OK with only 63K miles?
    • Possibly install a lift kit.
      • Seems like a lift kit would be great to get a bit more clearance for Minnesota winters. Clearance is so low that the front curb shield hits my ramps.
      • Any idea how difficult this is? BTW - I did replace the strut assemblies on our Prius v wagon so I do have some experience with suspension components.

    Regarding changing the transmission fluid. I wanted to get the car as level as possible so I drove up my front ramps, jacked the rear of the car up ( it's pretty light compared to the Gen3! ), placed the rear ramps, and then let the car down onto them. Did a similar thing with the Prius v wagon.
    • Note that the old ATF fluid had a dark tinge ( almost black )...but was not nearly as bad as when I did the 2012 Prius v wagon a couple years ago. This was expected because the Prius V wagon had around 130K or so when I did it. The C only has 63K...(y)

    upload_2021-6-27_13-55-37.png

    upload_2021-6-27_13-56-25.png

    Ok so my jacking method to get the rear ramps placed was a bit sketchy. However, the rear of the Prius C is pretty light so I felt comfortable doing it. (y)

    Anything else I should be on the lookout for?
     
    #1 farmecologist, Jun 27, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2021
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats! very sharp looking. all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 27, 2021
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  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    The old prius c trouble list is pretty short... power door lock actuators come up fairly often on this forum.

    The OFF button next to the temperature setting knob sometimes sticks down, leading people to think their HVAC has died.

    The 2012 has a one-year-only underhood electrical box which lacks the useful jumpstart terminal. I'm sure you could make up an equivalent, but it's the sort of thing where it helps to know about it before dead battery day.

    Drum brakes are not difficult to work on, but they can be dustier and the dust is bad. Be generous with the brake cleaner spray and dispose of the drippings appropriately. It really, really, really helps to get a set of spring pliers, adjuster spoon and a retainer release tool, often kitted up as a 'drum brake tool kit.' Many are too big, meant for heavy trucks. Look around for something intended for small cars.
     
    #3 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jun 27, 2021
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  4. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Congratulations! Now clean your hybrid battery air intake/filter! These are known to get clogged, and burn up their small hybrid battery.
     
    #4 Aaron Vitolins, Jun 27, 2021
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  5. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    #5 Aaron Vitolins, Jun 27, 2021
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  6. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Thanks! I'll look for the drum brake tool kit. So for drum brakes....do you / can you replace the 'drum' part like you replace the rotors on disc brakes? I usually go ahead and replace the rotors on discs since I'm 'in there'. However, all I really see are drum pads kits out on the parts sites...not the drum itself. (y)

    Reason I'm asking about the drum itself is because the current one looks kind of rusty...I usually like to swap out the rusty stuff when I get a new used car.


    Oops! Added that to my list as DONE. That's actually the first thing I did! It was clean as a whistle. (y)

    And in that video you posted, the guy uses a clip puller to remove the clips...BAD IDEA! They remove and reinstall without tools. Maybe this is why people are complaining about broken clips. However, he does do the 'correct' thing by pushing the center of the clip in to release it...and *then* uses the clip puller. I bet people skip that first step and just use the puller...and ruin their clips!
     
    #6 farmecologist, Jun 27, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2021
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  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    It works about the same- the drums are stamped with a dimension. You put a caliper across the inside surface and if the reading exceeds the stamped number, you know there isn't enough drum left- replace item.

    Also just like a disc rotor, you can cut it on a lathe to even out the surface- and this is less common now as with discs.

    I'm 90% certain it's the same drum they used on the Yaris. (The whole car is made of Yaris parts with a little Corolla sprinkled in and 2% Aqua-only rarities)

    You'll want to verify the condition of the rubber sleeves on the wheel cylinder and replace all the springs and retainers. Spring-and-hardware kits are very cheap, not the place to skimp.

    The fiddliest bit is usually getting the initial setting for the parking brake. Too much and you can't put the drum on. Too little and the handle has no effect. Just a few teeth on the adjuster makes a big difference.

    If there's a thing to do while you're in there? Check the wheel bearings. Those back wheels should spin a lot when thrown by hand, and it should be inaudible. If you hear gritty grindies, just replace the bearing. The whole car will be a lot quieter afterward.
     
    #7 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jun 27, 2021
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  8. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    In other countries did the c get rear disc brakes? Ordered the appropriate parts for my iQ to change the drums out to discs. Before trying to remove the drums you can back down the star wheel so they are easier to remove, (at least with the old Cadillac de Ville that I dealt with that was one trick)...


    I've removed control arms on the v. If you don't have a techinfo subscription I suggest you open one and pull/print to .pdf all you need for the job. Might consider researching polyurethane bushings if they are available. Ride gets STIFF but may last your lifetime.

    moto g(7) power ?
     
    #8 jzchen, Jun 28, 2021
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I’ve never needed to replace a brake drum, in all our years of cars. And for that matter, only once for disc brake rotors. For rotors, it’s good to get the thickness and runout specs, check with micrometer and dial gauge (with magnetic base) occasionally. For drums a large caliper is needed. Don't think I've ever bothered with the latter.

    Don’t have the c info, but you might want to spring for a short term Toyota Tech Info subscription if really interested.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Jun 28, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2021
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  10. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    I'll admit, the rear brakes are really low on the priority list. *Hopefully* both the front and the rear are ok...since the car only has 63K miles on it. However, it is a 2012...and time can matter more than miles for any component that touches road salt. I'm thinking sliding pins for the front disks at the very least...and who knows what for the rear drums. The fact that things look a bit rusty is what got me thinking I should look into it. Maybe the drum hardware is rusted out...who knows.

    I think I still have PTSD from our Prius v wagon...the brakes were in pretty poor shape at the time we got it. Pic of that in this post :

    Hi all, new Prius v owner | Page 3 | PriusChat
     
    #10 farmecologist, Jun 28, 2021
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah Toyota USA Prius maintenance typically says "visual" inspection every 5K miles or 6 months (guy rotating the tires looks at them...), AND gives a vague-but-distinct mention of a more in-depth inspection, every 3 years or 30K miles. My take-away from that is to do a full brake inspection at the latter interval, ie: pads/shims off-and-cleaned, then relubed with anti-seize, caliper contact points cleaned, then relubed with anti-seize, calipers pins cleaned-and-relubed (with Sil-Glyde or Toyo's proprietary grease). Maybe every 6 year or 60K for the latter.

    With drum brakes I tend to "mail it in" some, typically: remove drum, check shoe thickness (never seen low drum brake thickness...), remove the shoe hold-down clips, pull the shoes slightly off the backing plates and relube the contact points with anti-seize. I use something like a chopstick tip to sneak the grease in there, carefully avoiding the shoe face.
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Jun 28, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2021
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  12. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Well...I did order a zinc plated rotor/pad kit for the fronts...it was a good price and the zinc plated rotors have held up really well on the other vehicles. So I'm going to do the full brake job there....just not sure what to do for the rear drums.
     
    #12 farmecologist, Jun 28, 2021
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I edited my previous post some.

    One thing, I'll wager your winters are worse than ours, and more salt on the roads.
     
    #13 Mendel Leisk, Jun 28, 2021
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  14. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    On the iQ the rear caliper mount is actually built into the rear axle so I had ordered one from Amayama.com .

    The calipers I got were from a Yaris SE (5 door I believe).

    I don't believe it is the same for the Prius c/Yaris so you may be able to get away without changing the axle. Anyways the tricky part would be the parking brake wiring. I ordered iQ specific wires for that and not sure about the Prius c, whether you can get away with Yaris wire or if some c's came with rear disc...



    moto g(7) power ?
     
    #14 jzchen, Jun 28, 2021
  15. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    You are WASTING a LOT of money with your "rust obsession". :whistle:

    A little surface rust on many/most under body parts is NOT necessarily a bad thing.
    And certainly not on the "non-working" surfaces of brake rotors or drums.

    Same thing goes for rotors that don't show any abnormal wear.
     
    #15 sam spade 2, Jun 28, 2021
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  16. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Haha you have a point there. What I don't get is why all the vehicles we have purchased new barely have any rust...and the used ones have a ton. Different use cases I guess ( i.e. - I take care of them ). (y)

    Plus brake jobs ( at least discs ) are easy to do, the kit is cheap, and I like things nice and shiny (y). So why not...I have to go in there anyways to service the pins...
     
    #16 farmecologist, Jun 28, 2021
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Our past Honda’s seemed to fair better, for suspension rust. More galvanizing? And maybe coatings that are now banned?
     
    #17 Mendel Leisk, Jun 28, 2021
  18. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Yeah it's weird. Both the Prius v wagon and this Prius C had/have a significant amount of suspension component rust. Of course, I did replace the entire from suspension on the Prius v ( for 'fun' :whistle: ) and the replacement control arms and other components are holding up really well. Probably won't do that with the Prius C if I can help it ( I don't want more 'fun' (y) ).
     
    #18 farmecologist, Jun 28, 2021
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  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    My boiled linseed treatment has held up well. I forget who recommended it, maybe @tvpierce.
     
    #19 Mendel Leisk, Jun 28, 2021
  20. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Ok dumb question...

    I was looking into how to install the battery Minder RTA-2415 ring terminal assembly to the Prius C's battery under the seat.

    http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200622842_200622842

    First of all, the rings are small. I guess I'm supposed to find some other mounting point *other* than the terminal posts on the battery?
    • Edit...I think I answered my own question. You connect the ring to the battery post tightening bolt...correct?
    Second of all...do I connect the negative ring to the negative terminal on the battery...or some other point? Does it matter?

    Thanks!
     
    #20 farmecologist, Jun 28, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2021
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