2004 Prius Suspension and Brakes Questions.

Here are a couple of links to get you started:

100K maint - 1
Brake service

Some rust removal can be done just by getting the car up to speed, putting it into neutral, and braking to a stop, forcing the use of friction braking only. That will clean the rust if it is slight, but probably not a great idea if it is severe.

It sounds like you might need front struts, but not sure. There are posts here on PC that describe the process.

 

You can download official Toyota repair manual info at a subscription website: techinfo.toyota.com and there are also several posts on PC regarding how to replace brake components. The brake job is similar to conventional vehicles with two exceptions:

1) You must disconnect the 12V battery negative cable from the body first, and press the brake pedal a few times before you start work. The point of that is to discharge existing hydraulic pressure in the brake pressure actuator (squarish box with lots of hydraulic tubing, mounted on firewall) and the capacitor bank (black rectangular plastic box located next to the 12V battery) that stores emergency electrical power to activate the braking system in the event the 12V bus loses power. You don't want the skid control ECU to power up the brake pressure actuator while you have a front disk caliper removed, for example. That would cause the piston to shoot out of the caliper.

2) Do not attempt to flush the brake lines or allow air to enter the hydraulic lines when working at each wheel. It is not easy to remove air from the brake lines if you do not have access to the Toyota diagnostic laptop. If you decide that the brake fluid needs to be changed, have your local Toyota dealer do that job.

It is likely your car's front struts and rear shocks need to be replaced. I have posted on how to do both jobs. The struts and shocks are coil over shock assemblies so you will need reliable spring compressors for the job.

Good luck with your Prius ownership, I hope you will enjoy driving it.

 

There's no harm in trying to burnish the rust off with some hard stops (be careful out there) but be sure to inspect the rotor surfaces afterward (particularly on the back side, by the splash shield). I believe you'll be well served with new pads and rotors in the front.
Drum brakes are much better protected from the elements and should be in better shape with respect to rust. Pull the drums and see what you see, but I doubt there'll be any problems back there.

 

A very good subscription option for manuals is alldatadiy.com. You can subscribe for over a year and they keep TSB's, etc. up to date.
I'm a happy customer.

 

Enjoy! this car can give you many happy moments, you will miss it if you ever decide to sell it!

 

Pay, what happens since we didnt undue 12v ground when changing all in rear brakss...? cleared codes b 4 reading them...
did have dealer do bleeding/ fluid change afterwards.... the short version. but it seems to me actuator accumulator notice runs more often and longer than b 4. brakes seem fine otherwise. its been over a month... non oem parts. cylinders were a heavier steel not aluminum oem. i know... not my choice.. i messed up all around this... live n learn..
chap said normal, but i cant rest until i kno... do i need a dealer full bleed service that involves alot? the dealer i took for the bleed flush said, " thats too complicated" and decided short version was enough. i noticed afterward dealer work, the reservoir was at min... it was at half when i went in. fronts have about 60 to 70k. 3 or 4 mm.
any thoughts appreciated.
trying to find an honest toyota mech in northern new jersey is impossible... the stories i could tell... glad my brother helps, but his non oem tightwadeness drives me crazy....
2004 184k... trying for 250k if rust doesnt get me trim7 or 9 bg?

 

Might want to check that the adjusters of the rear brakes are doing their thing.

Drum brakes can have different types of adjuster, "reverse travel" or "parking brake" style. Prius uses the parking-brake style. Adjusting only happens when both the regular brakes and the parking brake are regularly used; one adjustment event happens if the parking brake is applied and released, and then the service brakes are applied and released, and each adjustment event affects the shoe-to-drum clearance by 0.03 mm. After doing the work on the rear brakes, it might take a bunch of adjustment events before the clearance is in spec.

When the clearance is larger than spec, a larger amount of brake fluid gets displaced every time the brakes are used. That leads in turn to the pump running more often.

 

ok will do

 

about 2 months in, i felt the brake prdal get soft half way, then hard again, .. seems normal now.

fluid came down in res a bit. brake accum running less but longer when shut down.
could non oem rear cylinders be a problem?
will the adjustment be self correcting over time?
i always use pkg brake.

new hv... so im praying all goes well for a few more years.. 2004 184k.