Oil Catch Can Update, 2013 w/ 199K

Nice work. Seems it is making a positive difference.

 

I'd change the oil at a 5K OCI instead of a 10K OCI interval that your post suggests you are on.

Oil is relatively cheap compared to a headgasket replacement or a rebuilt engine that is sometimes the outcome on high mileage Gen 3 vehicles.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

please excuse my ignorance, but what does oil change interval have to do with head gasket failure?

 

Hey, I've been called OCD for recommending 50K interval for the first EGR cleaning. It's working for me though, and a lot easier than waiting till it's a complete lump of carbon.

Definitely do EGR cleaning, but once you've got the codes I'd focus on head gasket first.

 

Mine is almost 100k miles and has not cleaned the intake nor EGR yet. But I have 2015 engine and burn 0 oil. I cleaned the throttle body 80k miles and not dirty, just some oil standing at the bottom of it which is normal in Prius. I am not sure if we still need cleaning the EGR and intake manifold that often if the engine burns no oil.

 

Our 2011 at 114K didn't burn any oil, but the EGR cooler and EGR valve valve were about 75% clogged with oily carbon that was very difficult to clean out.

Don't wait till you have problems or codes to clean the EGR cooler and EGR valve.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

You change the oil in the engine BEFORE the oil fails, thus causing engine failure.
You don't wait until the engine burns up then change your oil.

Cleaning the EGR system is the same principal. You clean it BEFORE it causing damage.
Plus it will keep the engine running smoothly and less strain on it.

 

Yeah I’ve seen it mentioned a few times here, that it’s only 3rd gens with oil consumption that clog the EGR. And the ones with revised rings (commencing partway through model year 2014) are not clogging. Fool’s paradise.

 

No way! And miss out on swapping in another engine?!

 

Ok..., I should plan to clean them accordingly. Probably in spring when it is warmer and we have more sunny days.

I did checked the EGR valve at 60k miles and it was still moving freely. I do not have pressure washer nor air compressor. Cleaning the EGR cooler will be tedious. The intake is probably not too hard to clean.

 

You don't NEED a pressure washer to clean the cooler, it just makes it a LOT easier and faster.
Use oven cleaner at both ends and let it side for 5 minutes and spray again. After 30 minutes or so
you can use a garden house to wash it out. You may need to do this a several times depening on
how clogged it is.
Don't use it on the aluminum though, or plastic.

If you use Gunk, the flamable one, on the intake and a 22 caliper bore brush in a drill you can clean
those egr ports out quickly.

You should at least do the intake. It is easy to do.
But don't wait too long to do the cooler. That's the most important part!

 

My approach is to first get the cooler out and propped up in a corner of the laundry sink, wirh a cork in one end, filled with a concentrated, hot tap water solution of Oxi Clean Versatile Stain Remover (powdered laundry additive, mildly caustic).

Then carry on cleaning the EGR valve and pipe, and intake manifold. About once an hour rinse and refill the cooler with the same solution. After about 5 repetitions, around the time everything else is wrapped up, the cooler will be clean.

That is unless it is so socked-in with carbon that the solution has trouble flowing. In those cases you'll need some mechanical/hydraulic intervention as well I suppose. But if you were do these interventions every 50K miles, you will have effectively fixed Toyota's design shortcomings.

 

Damn Toyota!!! EGR cleaning should be easier than this ifthey keep in mind it will be part of maintenance. Honda EGR is much easier on the front of the engine.

 

With fourth gen EGR cleaning is not needed; even with 300K there are barely any deposits*. 3rd gen owners were Toyota's beta testers for a new (and evidently untested) system.

The third gen brake booster gizmos are similar I think, installed like they would be there forever, way back, difficult to access. And then they started failing.

* @jerrymildred, working for Tampa Hybrid, reported this.

 

honda doesn't last as long as Toyota. Nor is it built as well.
And you only have to do it every 75,000 or so....

 

Meaning if you’re not burning oil you won’t have EGR carbon build-up? I wouldn’t count on that.

That IS the something serious happening, namely head gasket failure.