Oil Change 2010 Prius - do it yourself

2 questions: Is this the correct plug gasket part # 90430-12028 ?
and when removing the 3 plastic pins to access the oil pan what do you use to pull the center out to relieve the tension on the pins ? (fingernails,pliers)
Thanks

 

To remove the plastic clips you can insert a slotted (regular) screwdriver into the gap under the center pin and twist. The center pin should pop out.

Good luck,

Marty

 

The part number I have for the crushable drain plug washers is 90430-12031, I bought them from Toyota of Dallas. But, of course, there may be more than one part number for the same thing. The ones I have look identical to the original one.

I get the pins out the same way Murphy does.

 

Thanks to all for the nfo.
I have a package of the 90430-12031 from a couple of years ago.and I sure they will work. I was reading one of the pdf files on oil change for the 2010 Prius and they had the part # as 90430-12028. May be the same ??
I received this nfo from another source:
90430-12031 is specifically made for 1994-1998 4 cylinder Toyota's, where as part # 94030-12028 is for all
Toyota's with that size of plug.
Wonder if 90430-12028 is the crush type?

 

Re: Oil Change 2010 Prius - do it yourself the 13 inch door

My attempts to change my oil failed this weekend.

My ramps did not get the car up high enough to get the 13 1/4" door out of the way to drain the oil. The car starts at about 5" so the ramps need to add 8.5" I figure.

My floor jack could not lift the car high enough to get the jack stands under the hard points further back, I'm not even sure it could add the 8.5" either.

I didn't like the strain it seemed to take to get up my existing 6.5 inch ramps and I'm concerned about the approach angle on higher ramps also.

It looks like I need a little more floor jack lift and maybe some shorter jack stands, what a waste.

Maybe I'll just buy one of those full lifts for my garage instead, it has 12 ft ceilings ;-)

 

I haven't tried an oil change on my GEN III yet, but on my Gen II, my ramps are too high to just drive on, so I put my car in my driveway backwards with the nose pointing out front, put the ramps at the edge where the driveway meets the road and that gives me extra clearance to drive up without hitting quite easily.

I don't know if this method will help on the GenIII or not.

Has anyone bothered to measure just how much clearance is needed to drop the shield effectively so it hangs all the way down?

 

For my oil change, the jackstand height was 16"; this gave plenty of clearance. Since the jack support point was 7" off the ground, the car was actually being raised about 9". This fits well with esoniat's estimate of 8.5".

Marty

 

Since it's flexible and can bend, that's kind of a non-issue.

For me, the first notch on my stands or just using ramps is enough. Photos of both are in the downloadable document on my website.
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Hey, If no-one has thanked you lately for all the hard work you have done compiling all the prius info... just want to say THANKS!

I"m constantly turning newbies your way to learn thier way around the basics as well as the nitty gritty.... so some of this other makes sense... thanks for your effort! .... you da man! :cheer2:

 

The oil drain plug has a fiber type of gasket that goes next to the oil pan to seal the plug from leaking.

 

That door was not designed to be bent when changing the oil, is is not that flexible and it has a backing material. The change in radius will probably detach that material in spots and the door will probably not return to it's original shape. So unless your talking about very minor distortion at the very edge I would not recommend bending the door.

 

Yes, I regret using the word "bend". If you have to pull that hard, you need to reconsider lift height. The door has "give" available (since what it's attached to a little moves too). But that's pretty much it. On the lowest setting, that's all that was needed. And since ramps & stands are so cheap with the respect to the change price anyway. My old metal ramps didn't fit and had quite a bit of rust. The new plastic ones ($35.99) were a welcome purchase.
.

 

I thought the same thing - I still have my TR7.

 

Thanks to all here for the great information.

I have a simple question. Have 4K right now and will have the oil changed within a month - first change. I bought the 0w20 Mobil One and filter - on sale months ago. I am quite handy but haven't changed my own oil for about 5 years. I do have a floor jack and stands. I have 3 different sizes oil filter cap wrenches. Not sure if any are the correct size. Rather not find out with the car up in the air.

Want to make sure the oil change is done properly. The right oil, the right levels, etc. Is it worth the peace of mind for this to do it myself? Or simply bring the stuff to the dealer (and hope) they use my oil. I wouldn't want to be judgemental and stand over them while they pour in my oil... And I really don't care about a tire rotation - can do that myself anytime. Oil change labor cost isn't a big issue, but wouldn't want to get soaked. Approx how much would labor-only be?

I know this may be a personal matter, and since you don't know me a tough one to answer. But would appreciate your views.

 

Filter wrench is 64 mm (65 will work but is a bit loose) in addition to oil and filter you may want a fiber drain plug washer. Torque values are 27 ft lbs for the drain plug and 18 ft lbs for the filter cap.

If you take it in make sure to tell them you want the left over oil back. It takes 4.4 or 4.3 quarts and if you give them 5 you should be able to tell how much they used. Dealers here (two of them) both charge $18 if you bring your own oil and that includes a filter. Just be sure to make it clear you only want an oil change not a 5000 mile service.

 

You can do it Dean! Just do it over the weekend so if anything goes wrong you got a day or two to work on it (and to log back into PC for feedback). Follow the instructions and take your time. After the first one or two, you may never take it back to the dealer.

I just changed oil in our van recently. It had been to the dealer (not Toyota) this fall for some gasket replacement. They changed the oil at the same time. Get this... not only was the drain plug on so tight (way over spec) I ended up ruining the bolt head trying to get it off but the oil filler cap was loose and just flopping around! Unbelieveable.