Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos

No better vehicle to rack the miles on though.

Still amazes me how low the maintenance costs are and I don't do my own oil changes. If I had a lift or access to one, it would be a different story.

Maybe other video opportunities come prior to the brake and rotor replacement . I'm still working up the muster to do the brake flush.

 

If you want to be lazy like me without rotating the tires, buy the Rhino ramps, just drive up and set it there, no need to jack it up haha. But if you plan on removing the wheels, then buy some 2 ton jack stands and low profile jack, it'll save you money in the long run. The Prius is very low maintenance, not much to do to them unless they break mechanically. I've never dealt with any electrical issues yet or any check engine lights.

 

Good advice, and I've got a decent setup.

I actually made some elevators from old wood I had laying around . Used old 2x12's and 4x4's, screwed them together and they elevate the Prius 6.5 inches. And if you are doing the front only, the angle the car takes gives a much better working height. And if they are strong enough to hold up a house, it's good for holding up the Prius.

Have a 3 ton harbor freight jack that does the job. Also have a set of jack stands and only use them when I need to remove the wheels, which the pin lube for that bill. But our setups sound similar.

 

You should have no problem with oil changes, with either your ramps or floor jacks and safety stands. 3 Ton floor jack is what I use too, and I can just squeeze 6 ton safety stands in at strong points on the undercarriage (think I posted pics before). I take the engine shield right off, makes life easy.

 

Now that the website is up and running again, I can post a pic:


Had enough wood around for 4 of them. Saw a bad experience with jack stands early on in life, so I only use them when necessary ( I have my old mans 3 ton set along with a set of ramps that have a late 70s chevy van sticker still on them that he was willing to part with many years back).

Oil changes are something I may begin to do myself. Wanted to do them at the dealer until I got to 150k just in case I needed "good will". Will be past that by years end.

 

I did a brake fluid change today. @NutzAboutBolts video helped immeasurably. A few comments:

1. Because my Repair Manual text said, I went in order: front/right, front/left, rear/left, rear/right. It works out the same, just that the more tricky front brakes you do first.

2. I basted out fluid from the reservoir (and replaced with fresh) before putting the car in invalid mode. Didn't seem to matter, less time using electrons.

3. The reservoir has an internal basket that makes it hard to baste out fluid. There's a slot running up the side, but it's quite narrow, too narrow for the tube I'd attached to a syringe. Luckily I had a skinny nozzle attachment I could push on the end of the tube, gain about another 3/4" reach, and with that I was able to draw out fluid down almost to the low mark.

4. Before you do anything, carefully note where the brake fluid level is, and aim to restore it to that level as you wrap up. A bit of masking tape and a mark with a sharpie pen might help.

5. I purchased 2 pint bottles of Toyota DOT3 fluid. That worked out well. It's actually kind of good to end up with the (easier) rear brakes. Easy to arrive where you want, regarding level. I purposely got the fluid back to original level, with just a little fluid left over, just in case. Will recheck in a few days.

6. It helps to have those kosher brake nipple attachments, holds the hose on securely.

7. It's best to slightly crack the nipple before you connect the hose or anything. Just break the tension, then snug it back up. They can be a bit stubborn at first. The front nipples, being on the back of the caliper, are kind of counter intuitive, as to which direction loosens.

Yeah, went good, thanks again @NutzAboutBolts !

 

One thing more: there are two levels you might see the brake fluid reservoir at. If you've parked the car in the garage, then come back to it later, go in through the front passenger door, reach across and pop the hood, without opening the driver's door: you don't activate that pressurizing event, and level in the reservoir will be maybe 5/8" higher.

Open the driver's door and you can see the level drop, in the matter of seconds the pressurizing is happening. When basting out fluid, it'd be best to be dealing with this lower, post-pressurized level, treat this as your baseline. If you baste out fluid starting with the pre-pressurized, higher level, it's confusing where the level should wrap up, and: if you're really efficient at basting out the fluid, and then happen to open the driver's door, you could even suck air into the lines.

 

You did all that Mendel? I admire your mechanical skills.
I can't even get the darn air filter out of my Gen4!

 

Yesterday was oil change day! Did the wife's 98 4Runner first )257 k miles) then the Prius. I wish the 4Runner was as easy as the Prius. The oil filter is hidden behind the drivers side tire and tilted upward which makes a small mess upon removal.

The Prius change took an hour stopping for lunch in between. Didn't have to remove the splash shield underneath as awhile back the oil door grew legs and walked away.

Put the following in on this oil change:



Have a family trip over the grapevine to Disneyland next week so curious to see how this combination does.

Only issue was oil filter wrench removal. It definitely wanted to stay on there.

Thanks for the video @NutzAboutBolts !!

 

Wow! Great helpful compilation.
I subscribed to NutzAboutBolts years ago when I had an '01 accord. This is going to be very helpful with my new used Prius
You da real MVP, NutsAboutBolts!!

 

I created a video showing how to clean the hybrid battery fans on the Prius Plug-in, because it's different from the procedure NutzAboutBolts shows for the standard Prius. All of the other NutzAboutBolts videos are the same on a Gen III and Plug-in.

As you can see in the preview, it is WAY easier to do this job on a Plug-in.

 

Good work Rebound!

 

All of the video have been deleted. What a shame.

 

Go to YouTube, and down at the bottom of the main page is a feedback link. Let them know you're missing the @NutzAboutBolts videos!

 

Does anyone know what happened to his channel? It is so informative!

Edit: Nutzandbolt video | PriusChat

 

He's got them up again.

Nutzandbolt video | Page 3 | PriusChat

 

@Tideland Prius While the @NutzAboutBolts video are again available on YouTube, the compilation of Prius specific videos at the beginning of this thread. I'm guessing it's no small task: maybe have to delete everything and relink??

If it would help: I could take a stab at linking them, as best I can, in this posting, and then you could copy-and-paste back to the intial post.

 

Here's the spark plug video (it was on the Collector Car 1 channel):

I can't seem to find the channel either, but google was able to find the spark plug video.

I know this might help @mmmodem this weekend.

 

Here's the channel, DIY auto projects - YouTube.

Also, if you see anyone who is using our videos on youtube, can you report it to YouTube or me since our channel is supported through view counts. We appreciate your guys support!