knob costs $700 to replace?

Two words. Salvage yard. Save a ton of money and get the part from a salvage yard and have a nondealer repair shop do the work.

 

I'd be tempted to try a shot of lubricant to see if that helps.

 

Here's one offered on e-bay:

eBay Motors: TOYOTA PRIUS SHIFTER SHIFT SYSTEM OEM HYBRID SILVER (item 190177371957 end time Feb-21-08 14:52:06 PST)

 

Acknowledging I'm nothing close to a Prius tech, I told Infael that I found it hard to believe that, if the only problem was the shift lever assembly, it would cost $700 to replace. Since Prius shifting is a "by-wire" function, my assumption based on the symptoms is that the assembly itself, easily accessed by removing dash panels and presumably a simple mechanical device, would be a rather straightforward and not-too-expensive replacement. Of course I've been wrong before.

I'm interested in hearing what Galaxee's DH and others who work on the car have to say.

 

I was thinking if it was only sticking a bit, then a quick shot of lube might help free it up. But if it's already making 'popping noises', it's too late for that.

 

THERE IS ONE HERE FOR $89.00!!!

Home > eBay Stores > XVIPERS1 > TOYOTA PRIUS PARTS
Darn caps lock!

Sorry about the bold and weird formatting; I cut and pasted over from that web site.
Guy in WNY

 

This place should be helpful, good personel service.

04 and newer Prius Parts Cars

 

we went through this once before with jen-

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-t...eed-little-insight-2005-shifting-problem.html

but i don't know where my pictures went off to

 

The piece does cost >$200, but some of the problem might be caused by a small piece of plastic that slides along with the shifter. This piece is essentially a dust cover for the internal mechanism. When sliding to the left, the piece of plastic catches on the back of the "spacer" between B&D causing a clicking sound (which gets worse when cold). If the dust cover piece gets warped enough, I could imagine it causing the shifter to stick.

Try this, when the shifter is stuck, take a thin blunt object (I use the back of a pen) and press back on the dust cover on the right side of the shift lever (inside the "track" where the lever travels). If the lever becomes unstuck, it is only the dust cover binding.

This is happening to my shift lever (and others if you read these threads), but by pressing with the back of a pen, I can get the dust cover stop catching for a while. I plan on heating the dust cover a bit, perhaps with a hair dryer, to see if I can get a more permanent fix. Originally, I had looked into replacing, but at the prices for the parts it's not worth it.

I hope this helps, and I'm sorry if this isn't clear, but I think if you poke around with a pen you might have a problem similar to mine.

Thanks,
Shawn

 

I have seen a couple where foreign material got into the shifter. All it needed was a quick bit of cleaning. The material was not inside the actual shifter but caught at the slide plates where the shift lever enters the unit. Disassembly is simple. Too bad Galaxee can't find her photos. She had an excellant series that showed how to get down to the shifter.

I will try to describe the process here. First remove the A/C vent on the far left by prying gently with a plastic tool so as not to scratch things. It is held in with plastic clips which pull straight out towards you. Behind it you will find a phillips head screw. Remove it and the one next to the hood release handle. Then you will be able to grasp the lower dash panel and pull it loose. Again, it is held with the same type plastic clips. You can disconnect the electrical plugs and remove the panel entirely. Next, lift the upper panel which is above the steering wheel. More of those little plastic clips. (You should be growing to dislike them by know) Now you will remove the silver panel on the right of the steering wheel. It is the same as the A/C vent, with and electrical plug for the Park switch. Under that panel is the shifter. It is held with 10 mm bolts. Remove them and the shifter will pull out. Disconnect the electrical plug and examine it carefully for any signs of dirt, string, (like from an air freshener, don't laugh, I have seen it!) or anything else that might be messing with it. If you would like to try, one other thing you can try is an electrical cleaning spray like LectroMotive. USE CAUTION HERE!!! I don't know what some of the commercially available sprays will do to the plastic! Your local hobby shop may be a good solution. I play with R/C cars and they have a cleaner spray for the electrical motors which is actually quite mild. Just be sure everything is DRY before reinstalling. Let it sit in the sun for a hour or so if necessary. Reassmeble in reverse order.

Good Luck!

 

I steered Infael here from another forum in the hopes that some of you Prius mechanical/technical experts could help. You never disappoint!

Infael, I didn't think about this sooner, but in case you want to make this a DIY job, here is a well-prepared set of instructions for satellite radio installation. For your purpose it includes pictures of the dash panels that need to be removed to get at the shifter. After you get past removal of register panel #3, Bear68's instructions for removal of the shifter itself ought to be pretty straightforward.

I'm not mechanically inclined, but I have taken the dash apart to install my XM radio. It seems a little intimidating at first, but these instructions help tremendously. If I had a problem with the shifter, I wouldn't hesitate to try to fix it myself after seeing the advice offered here, especially if the dealer quotes $700 for the job!

Good luck!

 

for $120... i would have to do a lot of thinking to justify that expense... at $700, i would simply learn to put the shifter back to the neutral position manually

 

BTW....... if you are looking to install Sirius, XM, DICE units, etc. and need to access the plug at the back of the radio head unit...... Drop the glove box, remove the A/C vent on the right side of the radio, remove the 10mm bolt at the top of the jucntion block (that big white plastic thingie with 750,000 wires going into it) and then release the plastic clip portion at the bottom of the junction block and you can reach around to theback of the radio and insert any plug you wish! No need to remove all those left side panels, the MFD, the cubbyhole box under the radio and the entire radio assmebly.... most of you probbably already know this, but sometimes a little hint can help save a lot of time, sweat, blood, shredded flesh and swear words.....

 

personally, i think you will be fine...probably just a mechanical stick that a little cleaning will clear up

after seeing your post, i noticed that i subconsciously nudge the lever back to the neutral position anyway so maybe that is why it has never stuck for me

 

Try WD-40 before you plunge that $700 for new replacement....

 

Ummmmmm...... I would avoid using WD-40 on an electrical device like the shifter control....... WD-40 tends to hang around a bit and can attract dirt and dust. Not such a good idea..... Try using brake clean or an electrical cleaning spray meant for such a purpose...
Just be careful to test a hidden spot first!!!

Don't take a chance on some chemical damaging the plastic and making the unit stick even worse!!