Funnel for adding oil to a 3G Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by kc410, Mar 25, 2017.

  1. kc410

    kc410 Active Member

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    In another thread funnels were mentioned in changing oil in the transmission. This reminded me I had forgotten to post a pic of my homemade funnel to add oil to the Prius engine - it is the top half of a quart, glass cleaner spray bottle. Its the perfect size to sit in the limited space of the Prius.
     

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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    ingenious!(y)
     
  3. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    That grey serrated plastic cover lifts straight up. You should remove it before adding the oil to protect against spills and keep it nice looking.
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

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    There's a part of me that wants to just ditch that cover. :sneaky:

    Trivia: the offical name for that piece is "NO. 2 CYLINDER HEAD COVER". It took me a long time, to cotton onto what that actually was. And whatever happened to it's NO. 1 counterpart; guess we'll never know.

    upload_2017-3-26_12-50-7.png
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Mar 26, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2017
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  5. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Just looked it up. Japanese write top to bottom, right to left. Probably means cylinder head cover of #2 cylinder, whatever that means as well......
     
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  6. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    i didn't know people were as cheap as myself. I make my disposable funnels from tops of soda bottles.
     
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  7. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    I decided to treat myself and bought this premium funnel. There’s a twistlock valve at the tip (the blue section), lid etc. Comes with transparent hose with plug. Not sure if i ever need the hose.

    BA800CEF-CDC7-4A24-8BE8-A4734233CE51.jpeg
     
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  8. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    That's pretty nifty! I'm sure it will work nicely for you.
    I have one that almost screws into the filler, it holds enough to pour 4.5 quarts
    in without spilling.

     
  9. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Baby that cap. I’ve been using that for years, the cap will discolor and get loose. Great for measuring though, at least while you have the cap. (I tend to lose them somehow)…
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

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    @Ragingfit (in his videos) was using a cut off top of a motor oil bottle, the neck offset similar to above pic. Not sure what brand, but it might have even had threads that match the oil filler cap.
     
  11. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    I’m thinking to add some string to avoid loosing it. Hope somebody at Flo Tools is reading this
     
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  12. Mr. F

    Mr. F Active Member

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    Directly underneath the (plastic) No. 2 cylinder head cover is the (Aluminum, No. 1) cylinder head cover assembly.
    upload_2023-6-10_16-53-45.png
    From a Smashing Magazine article:
    upload_2023-6-10_17-27-2.png
    The plastic vanity cover would be listed in a catalog as Cover, Cylinder Head, No. 2, and elsewhere, unfurled right-to-left (like translating Yoda-speak), it would be the No. 2 Cylinder Head Cover. The parts catalog version is clearer as it unambiguously tells you it is the cover, [for the] cylinder head, [and is] the second of its kind. Using this notation would help sort parts by function when arranged alphabetically. In a printed list, all gaskets would appear together, as would all nuts, clips, manifolds, coolers, and covers.

    The unfurled version could say a few different things depending upon where you imagine the commas originally were (Head Cover, No. 2 Cylinder; Cover, No. 2 Cylinder Head; Cover, Head, No. 2 Cylinder; etc.), but not all of these will make sense.
     

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  13. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    My advice to anyone changing the oil on a Prius is always remove the plastic beauty cover before adding oil. It is quite difficult to clean oil from it, especially if it “cooks” on from the high engine temps. If you spill a little on the valve cover instead, no big deal; it will be covered.
     
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  14. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Hey that's what I use to refill transmission fluid in our Prius and, a few weeks ago, was very helpful to refill the fluid in my rear differential in my AWD Prius. (NO room down there to work and I hate those pumps.) My funnel has a pretty long hose attached to it.
     
  15. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Just cut a plastic water bottle in half. Fits right in and no spill.
     
  16. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    And if that one really said "No. 1 Cylinder Head Cover", Encyclopedia Brown would know it was a forgery.
     
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  17. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    A small regular (non-offset) funnel works best for me if I leave the "plastic beauty cover" on. The funnel must tilt forward to clear the cowl, and the plastic cover nicely prevents it from tilting too far and falling out. That way, it's stable, so I don't have to hold it in place.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

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    I use a medium sized, non-offset funnel, with the cover off. Jammed in the fill hole and against edge of cowl, it “works”. Looks awkward but meh. Maybe if I’m browsing in an automotive store I’ll pick up an offset funnel sometime; it would be an improvement.
     
  19. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    That may be about the same thing I do, with a tilted plain funnel wedged between cowl and the edge of the opening in the plastic cover. It "works" well, as long as I don't try to pour too fast.
    Depending on circumstances, the top half a 1-quart oil bottle can be a useful offset funnel. I doubt it would be as stable as the round funnel in that spot..
     
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  20. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Easy inexpensive funnel
     

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