I straddled something in the middle of the lane going 75 mph that looked small enough to clear but which obliterated this metal bracket on the undercarriage. I’ve looked online but can’t find a part number or description of it anywhere. The bolts holding it in (2 on each side) look ok, didn’t feel stripped when they came out either so hoping i can replace it and bolt it back in. I was actually driving the future owner of the car when it happened and after inspecting the oil pan and looking for leaks he seemed unbothered so we elected not to go back for whatever did this which i kind of regret because i would love to know what i hit. It was either a reddish rock or a rusted piece of metal but it was big and hard enough to mangle this steel and rip it out of 3 bolts.
This is when you go to a tow lot or a junkyard somebody with a car in their yard whatever I don't know what the part number is it should be on the official Toyota breakdown of the car but it should be pretty quick to round up actually probably the same on all the generation twos and you got from 04 to '09 to pick from more or less
It's a brace. It's important enough that the engineers put it there in the first place, but probably ain't that critical. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Bracket for protecting the exhaust pipe with a catalytic converter? https://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/repair%20manual/04pruisr/15/20zxpc1u/w140001.pdf OEM 58251-32010
I would suggest jacking the car up and inspecting the underside, especially the exhaust and the bottom of the gas tank. Definitely a piece you would get from a pick a part or junkyard. I estimate the demand for this part is very very close to zero, any lot that has this model Prius will probably have one.
I took a closer look today after the CEL lit up and pulled codes for evaporator and purge valve and indeed, whatever ripped the bracket off also sliced through the exhaust line between the cat and muffler (see pics). I didn't notice any additional damage or see anything leaking or notice my gas running out any faster. I checked a local pull a part inventory and they have a 2004 Prius, I'm going to try to make it over there this week and see if I can yank these off it, probably be wise to jack mine up and get a comprehensive damage report. I'd love to know what I hit, I don't see a rock doing this but I've never had this happen either.
After a cursory search it's dawned on me that there is a weld connecting this exhaust line to the rest of the cat... man, anyone got any suggestions? I'm about to sell this car, the guy buying it was in the car when this happened but we didn't see the extent of the damage. The cost of a new cat is roughly what he's paying for it. The only other thing I can imagine involves a sawzall and welding, if I can get the cat off the Prius in the junk yard which, if anyone's looking for anything off a 20 year old Prius it's liable to be that.
Check the local laws. There may be restrictions on who can do what with a catalytic converter. Part of that has to do with maintaining environmental protection laws, and the other part has to do with reducing catalytic converter theft.
You’re right, can’t buy a used CAT. I’m starting to think JB weld might do it, the line is not only ruptured but bent so it might restrict flow but I don’t know what else to do.
JB weld isn't going to hold that together. Any muffler shop can cut out that bent section and weld a clean pipe back there. It's behind the CAT so it shouldn't affect EPA smog laws - whereas JB weld may earn you a NO PASS. When you're at the junk yard, pull all the Evap equipment near the fuel tank, so you can cobble back together a sealed working Evap system. Hope this helps..... I would normally suggest cutting both ends off a beer can, wrap, and clamp it into place - but your pipe it too far out of round, and would leak.
That pipe is not even close to the catalytic converters. Those are at the front, near the engine. What you're looking at is the pipe downstream of the resonator. Every salvage yard cuts the cats out during car prep, before it even goes into the yard area. The remaining pipe section can be unbolted right at the rear suspension and the pipe section you need can be pulled right off for probably less than 20 bucks. That section of pipe is ~1.5" od. Get a splice or just take it to a muffler shop and they can patch it for you or splice in a short piece to replace the damaged area. This is a SUPER simple fix, even for an exhaust shop worth their weight in dirt. On another note, I would have some concerns about the integrity of the fuel tank. That took a pretty big hit. I'm pretty sure the emissions system pulls a vacuum test on the area between the bladder and the case, so if there's a leak now, you're going to be throwing codes.
