I should work on my Prius.

Bought my Southern US '08 in Aug '22 at 201K with P0420. Replaced my cat. Replaced sparks. Edit: now 207K. No major issues, but ...

I keep thinking I should start reviewing small things:

- that nobody usually looks at as a normal consumer,
- that I have noticed and done nothing (0 things) about

So, chuck me some first-step advice so I can start checklisting before winter.

In order of priority crossed with ease-of-answering:



1) I eat oil, something like 1qt every 2000 miles. (Just kidding, that's my engine eating it.) This is normal. (Right?)

2) I found the enable wire for the inverter coolant pump partially chewed through by $VERMIN. It's the one with the 2-pin connector at the top right of the engine bay (driver's side). I should re-splice that, right? I'll overheat the inverter if that wire breaks on the highway far from home, right?

3) I haven't looked at installing a catch-can. Snake-oil or reasonable? Where does this go -- I seem to remember as part of the intake or PCV system?

4) TPMS. I'm remembering that the right way to reprogram them is to record the IDs using an RF tool that can pick them up, then re-add them to the TPMS ECM using a TechStream. Is that right?

5) Maybe I should send oil in to Blackstone, just to get a baseline? Do PriusChat people do this (links appreciated, I'm bad at using the search bar correctly so I don't get Gen!=2 stuff), or are Gen2 engines so easy to come by that you don't worry?

6) Brakes: I haven't touched the pads or shoes myself. They sometimes squeak. What is the TechStream UI path for bleeding brakes, or rather, do I even need to open up the fluid system to replace pads / shoes / do I even need to do any replacement there?

7) Rough start when cold. In one instance, EXTREMELY rough (thought car died) at 15*F outdoors with nothing in the CHSS (sitting for a week). That was last winter. No issues since. I hear this is normal.

8) Undercoat. This isn't a question, it's a checklist item so nobody tells me that I should. It's minty under there, even my mechanic was aghast to see no undercoat on it yet.

9) Is there anything below I'm obviously forgetting? I live in Vermont.

 

Edit: fixed the numbering because it was bothering me. :^)

 

> I'd use a preflush engine cleaner a few minutes before the next oil change

What is that product -- are Motul and what the layman knows as SeaFoam examples?

> thicker

Will less burn if it's thicker? I'll plan to start measuring 5W30 burn rate precisely for a baseline. Correct me, but you measure level at warm, 60-90s after the engine stops, yes?

> and change it more often to see if the oil burning is not as severe

Happy to change oil frequently. It's cheap, PO killed my Insight's ECA1 by not doing so. Still, how does more frequent changing improve measurement -- am I measuring the QTY of oil I get back? I'm sorry for the exhausting questions.

> but it's also about how many miles you have on it and you didn't say?

Fixed. 207202 now. I borked my draft and left only the start mileage.

> As for maintenance, periodically put car in neutral when doing hard breaking from freeways speeds which gives you all mechanical brakes and will clean the rust off the rotors

I drive like a nutbag, so my rotors are clean *and* hot enough to eat off of. Mostly reflecting on rusty car experiences ("rebuild early, rebuild often").

p.s.: Ironic that you'd be the one to answer ... Oh, well. If the wheel keeps turning I can't complain, can I? :^)

 

> I'd put cleaning, inspecting and undercoat paint service at the top of the list before the cold weather returns... It may well be that there's too much rust to go further,

No rust. And thank you. Now I can really beat myself up each day I'm too lazy to call David's. "Even those I see as morally ambiguous pity my foolishness."

I've gotta get this one done soon. It's like the tires, I can't get nice ones for my Insight, but they still sell Michelin Defenders for the Gen2 Prius, so I have no excuse not to take advantage of the availability.

To cap it off: thank you, glad to know I'm overthinking some of these. Too many options spoil hurricos.

 

> We have one guy in @Fatmatt86 who has been posting for six years in a thread where he told us he was using 4 quarts of oil per thousand miles and you'd think he'd not be able to use that engine much longer but as the years go by we've all been surprised

Wild.

I'm not expecting miracles. I need a boring and safe car so I can work on turning my Insight into a fun, safe, comfortable, efficient project car. Good success so far, but I need time.

> 207 You're just getting to the well broken stage which is around 2:50 and you say you're burning a quart every 2,000 mi that doesn't seem too bad ... get hit

Sounds 'bout right

> brakes ... close it back up.

Good conf that I don't need to expose the fluid. I'll open things up (edit: at some point, if they get bad) just so I'm convinced.

 

> Only thing you're doing wrong with achieving this objective is trying to do anything at all to your Prius. Based on the info in this thread there's nothing that needs to be done.

That's kind of where I'm at, thanks to the consensus here. Thanks for soothing my concerns.

Edit: Except the undercoat. Get to work, numb-nuts!

/hurricos immediately forgets he needs to call David's

 

I tried to make the original post really short so it was easy to read edit: but maybe it made it harder to read because it was so terse. I don't mean to make fun of you, but here you go:

> Bought my Southern US '08

It's from the Southern US. edit: It is with me in Vermont, yes, and it's my every-other-daily driver.

 

FFS. I think about my Prius once, and I get a P0420 after replacing my cat last December.

 

Yup. That's the one you recommended me, and the one I bought and installed! See P0420 question, New member | PriusChat

We'll see if the code comes back. My OBDII sensor reports the catalytic converter test cycle is sensing 0.037 O2 capacity.

 

I did not. I'm not that smart. I assumed it'd last ;^)

 

P0420 has not returned.

Maybe the code has been aggravated by my drive-cycle? I drive about 5 miles at a time -- I live close-to-town.