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Looking for mods/maintenance to breath new life into my 140k '07

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by kyleroden, Sep 28, 2017.

  1. kyleroden

    kyleroden Junior Member

    Joined:
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    I bought my 2007 Touring package 2 new. It's been an amazing car, but a pretty uneventful life:

    1. When I first got it I added the EV button and a switch to cut the speed signal to the MFD.
    2. in 2011 I replaced the 12V battery
    3. at 120k miles I changed the coolant, sparkplugs, and belt
    Other than that, no maintenance beyond air filters, oil, and tires.

    My wife drove the car for a while, but she just got a new ride so the Prius is all mine again. I am planning to buy an EV in the next 12-24 months, but in the meantime I want to show the Prius some love and tinker around with it some.

    Overall goals:
    1. improve MPG (seperate thread)
    2. do necessary/overdue inspection / maintenence
    3. tinker / have fun / add features

    Things I have looked at / considered. feedback appreciated.

    Maintenence:
    Brakes (visually inspect. Have had no noises/problems though)
    Transaxle fluid (is this necessary? Have never changed)
    12V battery (the readings on the MFD seem fine. 12 V with the car in ACC mode, slightly lower with AC load, but it's 6+ years old) Should I leave it?

    Mods:
    Android Auto 2DIN unit (this is probably more money than I want to spend, unless I can do something cooler than Nav / audio with it)
    Scan Gauge or other ODB2 connected tool (I have a really cheap BT one and the Torque app).
    Mount a display (old cell phone, tablet) to display car data
    Plug in engine heater (I live in Alabama, my car is in a garage that is at lowest 40-50 in the winter, is this still worth it?)
    Grill insulation

    These are just some things I've found by looking around at the biggest threads on the forum. What are the most useful/impactful/fun things you've done with your car without spending much money. I'm a computer engineer that's done a lot of work on my cars over the years. I'm very comfortable with doing pretty much anything as long as I can figure it out. I've got a 3d printer sitting around (i'll probably search for some stuff to print on that)

    Anyway, thanks for reading, any feedback/suggestions appreciated
     
    #1 kyleroden, Sep 28, 2017
  2. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
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    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Welcome to PriusChat!
    Sounds like it might be to your advantage to read up all you can about Prolong Battery Grid Charging and Hybrid Automotive! (…or not!)
    Your AuxBattery (12V) is getting a bit long in the tooth (if it has never been changed) and might lead to all sorts of weirdness and flakey behaviour!
    Good luck! :)
     
    #2 WilDavis, Sep 28, 2017
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  3. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
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    N/A
    You are past 120,000 mi, but how many miles now?
    What is the purpose of this?
    Officially it is not on the service schedule, but members here recommend first change at 30,000 mi then every 100,000 mi. I think Toyota expect it to last 150,000 mi which is the theorised planned life. However, these car go a lot longer, as you probably know, and changing the ATF WS fluid in the transaxle is beneficial. Here (in NZ) it is on the schedule and changed every 90,000 km (~56,000 mi).
    I wouldn't bother with this, not really cold enough. I'd be very cautious with grill blocking as well.

    I haven't read your other thread yet, but, with your MPG in the low 30s, it is likely you have lost HV battery capacity. If that is all that is all that is wrong with the HV battery, you may consider the HA grid charger, or else, if that does not appeal, you should budget for a new battery – if you contemplate keeping the car for another 5-10 years. There are other (cheaper) options, if you are at all handy with HV electricity and wrenches.

    As far as your 12 V battery is concerned, I'm not a big fan of replacing it just because "it is time" Check it by giving it a full charge overnight using a modern multi-stage automatic 12 V battery charger with an AGM setting. When you remove the battery charger, switch on the headlights for 30 seconds, leave it an hour or 2 and then measure the voltage at the battery terminals (in the RR well). If the voltage is 12.4 V or higher, your battery is ok for a while longer. If the voltage is between 11.8-12.4 V, plan to change it soon. If it is 11.7 or less, change as soon as you can.
     
    #3 dolj, Sep 28, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2017
  4. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Had an 06, upper front strut bar, mid underbody brace, rear underbody brace, replace the struts with kyb struts, now you can buy koni struts, front wheel bearings, clean your cabin air filter, just wash it in the sink, change the transaxle fluid.
    Get a new traction battery from Toyota, another 255,000 trouble free span of miles
     
    #4 Lucifer, Sep 28, 2017
  5. kyleroden

    kyleroden Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2007
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    Car is currently @140k miles (post subject)

    Switch to cut the speed signal to the MFD - Some functions of the MFD are disabled with the car moving, for example browsing an mp3 cd, or viewing the msg of a fm radio station.

    I'll look into the health of my HV battery and explore options from there thanks!

    I'll also test the 12V more thoroughly.

    Thanks for the reply
     
    #5 kyleroden, Sep 28, 2017
  6. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    Prime Premium
    definitely clean your hv battery cooling fan and ducts, pump your tires up to 40psi, do change the trans fluid (easy job), and that original 12v battery needs to be replaced. batteries really can't be expected to last 10+ years. after you do all that stuff, your mpg should go up unless the hv battery is dying.
     
    #6 69shovlhed, Oct 1, 2017
  7. kyleroden

    kyleroden Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Thanks. I -think- the hybrid battery is healthy. or at least the cells have uniform voltage when I check with torque. The cooling fan looks like a lot of work to take out and clean, are there indicators that it needs to be cleaned (battery temperture, etc). I do not have the original battery. I replaced it in 2011. That being said it seems to be on its last leg. I tried charging it overnight and that didn't help much. right at 12V in ACC mode.
     
    #7 kyleroden, Oct 2, 2017
  8. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    Prime Premium
    actually, not too bad to clean the fan. you got to remove the rh panel in the cargo area, and the duct comes out pretty easy. there is a thread showing how to do it, and even folks that never have dogs, or drive offroad have found crud on the fan. I found a rodent nest next to my hv battery when I cleaned my fan, so even though the fan wasn't clogged it was good I went in there.
     
    #8 69shovlhed, Oct 2, 2017
    offib and SFO like this.
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