Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos

Here's third gen Repair Manual instruction for bleeding brakes without Techstream. I've done this myself a couple of times now. Do watch that @NutzAboutBolts video multiple times. In particular the front brake technique: you really want to just blip the bleed bolt open/closed, just a split second at a time.

The bleed order in Repair Manual is a bit different than the video: start at front/right corner, and go around counter-clockwise.

Also, I was able to do this without mechanized suction. The only suction I used was a syriinge with tube and skinny spigot on the end for prelim basting out brake fluid from the reservoir. The skinny spigot at tip is needed to get through the slit in the basket inside the reservoir. Still I didn't go to low, didn't want to risk introducing air. Then topped it up with fresh.

I used Toyota DOT3 fluid, two pint bottles was enough for a good bleed on each corner, plus the initial refill of the reservoir. You have to kinda pace it. And try to end up with level same as at the start, with maybe an oz left over, just incase you want to fine tune in a day or two. Discard (recycle if possible, dealership might take it) any extra after that though, it doesn't store well.

With the bleeding I had a kosher bleed bolt coupler (can be bought from auto supply store), about 2 foot of clear hose, and a large empty/clean mayo jar with hole in the lid for the tube. Worked fine.

I raised and put the whole car on safety stands with the wheels off. You could do this with the car on the ground, wheels on, but it's harder I think.

I had my wife sit in the car push the brake pedal when needed. Good to have all the windows rolled down before you start. If you've got a smart battery charger, good to have it hooked up as well: you'll have the car "on", but not "ready", ie: fully awake but the engine won't start.

When doing the invalid mode chicken dance, keep in mind:

1. You need to step on brake pedal to shift to Neutral.
2. The parking brake HAS to be set. (crazy, but I missed this the second time, did the procedure about 10 times till I figured this out)

Attached are both with/without Techstream procedures. Without worked for me .

 

Nice, going to try tonight, Tks!

 

If I'm reading correctly, the left pdf file is bleeding the master cylinder, and the right pdf file is bleeding the brake lines like what I demonstrated in the video.

 

Both PDF can do brake fluid replacement. But yeah I get the uneducated sense if there's been air getting into the two components on the firewall then the Techstream method is needed?

@ChapmanF can explain maybe.

 

Got it completely done, I think, brakes work great. But when I was putting the 12 volt battery back in completely (in trunk) I noticed this little black tube, any idea what it is? Looks like it just ends just to the right side of battery with it just open, I can’t anything to attach it to. Then it runs along forward right side of trunk and exits through a little plastic bracket (3rd pic).

 

Very likely the battery vent tube. The stock battery has a vent spigot just below the top edge, at the positive terminal end.

 

Following Mendel's suggestion, is it the battery vent tube shown in this video (missing from the OP library) ?

 

Doing coolant changes changes today. I've heard next-to-nothing drains from the block drain. Had to see for myself:

 

My 2010 has the engine coolant bleed bolt. I filled with it open and a clear plastic tube attached. Near the the end of the fill the tube filled with fluid, and I shut it at that point.

I ran the engine in maintenance mode for a good half hour, coolant level in reservoir never budged. I get the sense it's due to that bleed bolt?

@NutzAboutBolts had the level drop as the engine ran, with a 2012, that doesn't have the bleed bolt.

The fans never came on in my case; everything was pretty toasty though. And I had cabin heat set to high, and fan speed low.

I got a yellow triangle and skid control icons on dash, plus key not detected warning. I was running the car (in maintenance mode) with the front raised, AND a charger still connected.

I'm really hoping those warnings were benign, will see.

 

I have "flushed" several times with just the radiator valve, each time draining a little over 1 1/4 gallons as measured. I then put in an equal amount and it usually reads slightly over full cold. After running up to circulating temp the level drops to a quarter inch below full when hot. Clearly it was eliminating air.

I suspect pulling a vacuum on the system would be a better way to flush and refill.

I have used maintenance mode at least ten times and once had a hybrid light set. I had the hood open, cap off and ran it about thirty minutes. It was inverter temp which cleared easily. Since then I don't run it long in this mode with the cap and the hood open

 

Your 2012 v doesn't have the "bleed bolt"? On mine there's a knurled white plastic screw cap atop some sort of sensor (temp I'm guessing), in a black plastic t-junction connecting to coolant hoses just above the EGR cooler.

It's just barely reachable under the windshield cowl. I backed the screw out and attached hose to the adjacent spigot. I'm thinking it was very effective at allowing air to vent during the refill. I'm hoping...

Yeah since I was doing both circuits it could also be the inverter circuit that raised the alarm. With inverter I did put the car in ready, for about 5 seconds, I believe 4 times. That did drop the level (dramatically the first time) and then stabilize.

I'll start it up today and see how it goes. Have a carista and dr Prius too, if warnings persist.

 

Set to ready for a few seconds this morn (not long enough to start engine) there was no trouble lights. Think it's good. Engine coolant was slightly lower in resorvoir, assume pulled back into engine as it cooled, with cap on. Will monitor till stabile before topping up.

 

Ny 2015 Prius was way too easy to bleed the air from. Just ran it in maintenance mode for about half an hour and the level never changed since (adjusting for hot and cold fluctuations which I marked). Even recently did a middle of the night 7 hour drive with the heater on most of the way and the level never changed. Thought I messed up because coolant levels have never stabilized that quickly for me before.

 

Just an update: went for a long drive yesterday, no warning lights, coolant stable. I really think the half-hour idle in maintenance mode was unnecessary, and I suspect due to using the bleed valve: the coolant level in the reservoir never budged. AFAIK that bleed valve is completely effective, allows the coolant to rise up, expel the air as you fill. Just too bad they discontinued it (as of 2012 model year?). If you don't have the valve, I think pulling a topmost hose off while filling, untill coolant flows out, is just as effective.

 

the idle in maintenance mode was for the coolant to warm up and once the fan turns on, you open the heater so that coolant can flow through the heater core for the cooling system.

 

Yeah I set heater on H and set fan speed low for good measure, right after start up in maintenance mode (no delay). Does seem fine: a few days later we were driving all over town, heat ok and level stable.

 

Engine coolant bolt is by the timing chain cover, exhaust side. (I think)

Side question: Does anybody know the procedure to crank the engine w/o starting it? Put in a replacement engine and I want to crank the oil pump to circulate the oil to the top of the head. Don't want to dump fuel into the cylinders.

 

You could pull the fuse/relay for the fuel pump and then start the car normally, w/o the spark plugs.
It should spin pretty fast w/o starting. You'll probably get codes so you'll have to clear them.

 

Hm, will look for them in the engine bay fusebox.