Hi all, new Prius v owner

Well, I'm resurrecting my thread for the new season. Thank god the winter is over...I have never seen so much snow! Plus, we were smack dab in the middle of the 'polar vortex'. Yes..it got down to nearly -30F....which is unheard up here in Southern MN ). It literally hadn't been that cold in decades.

I'm happy to say that my zinc coated brake discs survived the winter in great shape! Here is the post from last year with pics when they were new :

Hi all, new Prius v owner | Page 3 | PriusChat

They really haven't weathered much,...no visible rust like I always see on the 'cheap' discs. I plan on installing these on our 2012 Hyundai Sonata this year. Our 2010 Prius liftback also has them on the front.

So the first order of business this year is to replace my Clazzio seat cover bottom that a mouse ate. Luckily, Clazzio was able to special order me the part. More details here :

Had my first Wth moment - Varmit ate thru seat cover! | PriusChat

Edit : Just caught another mouse nosing around under the car...up to three now!


After that...do the normal maintenance stuff and possible do the catch can thing. I may also try a brake bleed. Has anyone done this? I know @NutzAboutBolts has a couple vids on it...but is it necessary? Other than that...not much to do since I did pretty much every conceivable thing last year!

To catch up , here is a list of all the things I did last year ( details in posts above ) :

128,009 - OIL CHANGE -
- Used BG-EPR treatment before oil change.
- Replaced Engine Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter.
- Replaced Engine Under Vehicle Splash Covers.
- Installed Clazzio Seat Covers
- Replaced 12V Battery
- Cleaned Hybrid battery Fan
- Changed Transmission Fluid
- Changed Engine coolant
- Changed Inverter Coolant
128,532 - Changed PCV valve & tube.
- Changed Spark plugs.
- EGR cooler removal and cleaning, EGR tube cleaning.
- Intake manifold removal and cleaning.
- Rear Brakes ( Zinc plated rotors, new pads ).
- Front Brakes ( Zinc plated rotors, new pads ).
130,267 - Rear Shocks
- Front Strut Assembly
131,700 - Suspension component torque specs? | Page 3 | PriusChat
- Replace Front Control Arms
- Replace Front Steering Knuckles
- Replace Front Brake Dust Shields
- Replace Front Hub/Bearing Assemblies
- Replace Front Tie Rod Ends

Edit: Made list more clear.​

 

Yep...I have been thru the EGR and intake manifold cleaning process twice..so no worries there (I updated my list above to make that clearer ). I'm still on the fence whether or not the catch can is worth it vs. just cleaning the EGR/intake periodically. I can see why it certainly is 'good' to do though.

 

True. I think I'm just rationalizing the fact that I have been lazy on installing it. I even have all the parts. The next time in there I'll do it. I think I was obsessing over where to put the bracket too much last summer and due to that never installed it.

 

Seasonal Update.

I ended up not installing the oil catch can. In fact, I did very little work on it this year...other than changing the oil!

Still no discernible oil consumption to speak of either. Averaging about 42 MPG overall. Not great but not bad either. Frankly, it is a beast to maintain 'glide' vs. our 2010 liftback due to the large weight difference. I'm thinking that is where a lot of the MPG loss comes from.

I'm wondering if my battery might be getting a bit weak, etc... I'll have to test it this spring.

 

Update time. She now has around 160K on the clock. Still no discernible oil consumption.

I did run into one problem recently. The drivers side door front lock mechanism seems to be 'stuck'. What I mean by this is the motor only engages the lock about 10% of the time. When engaged manually...it does seem to take slightly more pressure...but certainly not much more.

Any ideas? Maybe I need to get to the mechanism somehow and try lubing it up? I guess it does make some sense that the drivers side front door lock would 'go bad' first...because it gets a lot more action than any of the other doors.

@Raytheeagle, @Mendel Leisk, I thought I would add you in case you know of anyone we can add that might know ( if you don't have any ideas that is ). Mendel, do you happen to have any diagrams in your maintenance book that shows how to get the panels off the door to expose the lock mechanism?

Thanks all!

 

Thanks much! I'll take a look.

 

Looks like the second document has door disassembly instructions...and shows the clip locations to remove the door panel. I think I can just remove the panel and try oiling the lock mechanism and/or determine what is causing it to stick.

 

Looks like I need to replace the lock actuator.

Found a great video on Prius V lock actuator replacement....part is on order.

 

Well I replaced the actuator and fixed the problem. However, now I have another (small) problem...that I can live with...but it is bugging me. I did a bunch of testing...and the keyless lock isn't working ( i.e. - touch the door handle and the doors lock ). The keyless unlock *does* work. In fact, everything else works great.

Any ideas? Adding @Raytheeagle and @Mendel Leisk too see if they have any ideas.

Thanks in advance!

 

Every other incantation of locking the door(s) works...except locking the doors via touching the drivers front side door handle. Note that this is the door I replaced the lock actuator on ( see video above ). Very strange....

I'm not aware of any 'little button' on Gen 3's or Prius v (wagon)'s.

 

Yep...it certainly must have something to do with the actuator replacement. I have double checked the connections twice now. The odd thing is that the unlock function works ( i.e. - putting your hand in the door handle to engage the unlock sensor ). However, the lock function doesn't work ( i.e. - touching the top left side of the door handle to engage the lock sensor ). All other lock/unlock incantations work great.

I wonder if it is possible to find a document that describes the electrical path the door unlock sensor takes? Maybe that is in the repair manual ( @Mendel Leisk ) ?

@Raytheeagle I guess I'll try disconnecting the 12V to see if it 'resets' anything. I wouldn't think that would make a difference...but stranger things have happened!

Edit: @ASRDogman Here is a discussion for GEN2's where someone fixed the problem by pushing a button under the steering wheel. Good observation @hill!! but unfortunately, GEN3's don't seem to have have this button...

Smart Key not working | Toyota Prius Forum