Prius Prime Oil Filter - how come there are two options for the Prime?

Oops!! You are absolutely right. I kind of got lost in the forest.

I found it in the Prime manual and it really IS different!

 

My son just bought new (used) Honda CR-Z. When I was looking up some parts for it, I found out that Honda uses the same canister oil filter on ALL of their models and years except very few cars like S2000 and Crosstour. I still have some leftover filters purchased for my old Civic, and glad I can use them. For Toyota PRIME (2017 model), even the same model of the same year uses two different oil filters. Mine is the cartridge type, and I'm glad that I can use leftover from my previous Gen3.

 

Spell correction fail

 

Woops. Corrected. But...I wish it is made of biodegradable materials extracted from shark skeletons. lol

 

They used to use a larger diameter filter, and the current size was just for motorcycles. I had both sizes of oil filter sockets, got out of bikes, but when they switched their cars to the motorcycle filter size I landed on my feet.

And that same socket fits the Prius, and our son's new Mazda CX-5.

 

I've carefully gone through this thread and researched the web for over an hour. Has anyone determined how to tell which oil filter is required without lifting the car and seeing for yourself? I'm trying to avoid lifting the car and getting under there just to see if I have a oil filter element or a screw-on filter, then taking it down and going home order the parts, and then having to go back another day to change the oil and filter. I have a 2017 Prius Prime Advanced.

Thanks!

 

Well, oil filter changed mid-2017 production, IIRC. You can look up the production date of your car using VIN and I would say if it is pre 2017 Sep, it has cartridge type. If it is after Oct 2017, it is most likely a spin-on. But, the filter costs only ~$5. Why don't you just go out and buy both types and ask the store clerk your intention of returning one you don't use.

 

Reading between the lines, you're not raising the car at home, at some place with a lift??

 

Thanks so much for the help guys -- I really appreciate it! I am in a remote location and have access to a lift for $5 an hour and it is about 5 minutes from my house. Parts stores though are a different story. The nearest one is a 92-mile round-trip drive, so I prefer to order things online and just go to "town" every few weeks. I purchased my Prime in August of 2017 so I have a hunch it is a paper element filter, but I've found references on the web of people that bought a Prime in July and they had the screw-on filter. It's looking more and more like I will have to go rent the lift and raise it just to see, then order parts and head back.

 

FWIW, lifting the front of the Prime is a royal pain: the official jacking point is over four feet back from front bumper. What some have done is fab some low rise ramps (say 3" lift, a couple of layers of 2x), which is just enough that they roll the jack under AND have enough room to get the jack handle moving.

 

I see why you don't want to go back and force to the store. Just for checking the oil filter, you may be able to jack up right front using the scissors jack that came with the car. That's only if you own a jack before crawling under the car. If you don't have a jack stand, then yeah for safety precaution, go rent the lift.

FYI, my new 2017 PRIME Premium purchased on July 28th, 2017 had an element cartridge type oil filter. The car was sitting on the lot for a few months before I purchased it, so it was probably either late 2016 or early 2017 production.

 

You could maybe jack up front/right corner, remove that wheel, check the filter type from the side. If it's similar to 3rd gen there will be a plastic panel at the insde wall of wheel well: if you pop 2 or 3 of that panel's fastener's off you can hopefully flex it out of the way to gain some acess. Might just need to reach/feel (to tell filter type), and/or a small mirror on a wand, if you have it. Put the wheel under the rocker panel, for insurance.

There's some pics here, gives an idea of where the filter housing is. It's third gen, but basically the same engine.:

Spin on oil filter | Page 2 | PriusChat

 

Well, if it's gonna cost you $5/hour to lift your car to check the oil filter type and you are planning to buy oil filter online anyway, then going back to my first suggestion. Just buy both types from Amazon. It will cost you ~$5 extra if you don't return the one you don't use. That's same cost as renting the lift. But from Amazon, you can return it free if purchased from Amazon, not from the third party.

I looked up the parts. It is a bit more but you can buy 90915-YZZF2 for $8 and 04152YZZA6 for $6.

 

Do you have a concrete slab you could operate a floor jack on? I would probably develop withdrawal symptoms without such ways-and-means.

 

Mendel & Salamander, thank you for all of the great suggestions! I appreciate the idea of removing the wheel and essentially feeling what type of filter set-up my Prime came with, but Salamander has a very good point. For an $7 or $8, I could save myself the trouble and have both on hand. I think I'll probably take the easy way out.

Salamander, I remember you clearly...we were both getting our Primes around the same time and had exchanged some info almost 3 years ago (I was in Rhode Island at the time). And Mendel, I've admired your posts and advice for years. I've been away from PriusChat for a little bit, but it's good to be back!

Once I sort out which filter I really need, I'll post it here. Cheers!

 

Aha. I do recall. I have traded in my 2017 Prime recently to 2020 PRIME LE. I did own filter change on 2017 PRIME only once, and now I have 2020 PRIME with 2 years of Toyota Care. I was using the element type filter I bought for my previous Gen3 (bulk 5 filters at $25) for my 2017 PRIME and I still have 3 filters left. But now, with my 2020 PRIME, I can no longer use the element type. Oh well. I don't need to buy a new filter for at least the next two years.

Is your 2017 PRIME getting the first filter change out of Toyota Care now?

 

Congratulations on the new 2020 Prime! Very nice!!

This is the first oil change out of Toyota Care. We have not put many miles on our Prime since buying it. Looking forward to doing the preventive maintenance myself. I learned a long time ago that if you want something done right, do it yourself!

 

No Toyota Care up here. I wonder: do you get an invoice with the Toyota Care visits? Would it list the filter part number?

 

Yes invoice with $0 due, but no part number if I recall. At least that is the way my Toyota dealer write it up.

 

Score!! I knew if I brought it up here some smart folks would help me figure it out! I just found the receipt from one of my ToyotaCare visits and it lists the part as the Replaceable Element, Part # 04152-YZZA6...so that confirms which one I have. Now, when I go to change my oil, you can rest assured that I will verify before loosening that drain plug!

Thanks again!