New owner of not-so-new NHW11

[ChapmanF]

Hi all,

I've been driving my new (to me) 2001 for a couple of weeks now and
am very pleased with it so far ... I'll have no regrets as long as I can
successfully hope the "Imminent Death of the Traction Battery" is
still a while off. I think I'll add an EBH (because I make some regular,
really short trips where it's warmup MPG almost the whole way)
and a cruise control kit from metrotpn (as soon as my manuals and
HV gloves arrive). I've been lurking for a while but finally joined,
so, Hi.

Say, speaking of the cruise kit, my NHW11 doesn't seem to have
daytime running lights either. Has anybody put together a similar
kit for adding that? For cruise it seems like the wiring and firmware
support is already there and the kit is just the switches. From what
I've looked at (shop manuals not here yet) it looks like DRL might be
harder: I see no glint of metal in the DRL fuse and relay sockets,
so I'm guessing at least a wire harness is missing as well as those
parts. But has anyone gone down that road already?

I think I'll go start a couple threads in Technical now ... see you there.

ChapmanF
Indiana

[tochatihu]

Don’t think you’ll have any use for HV gloves while installing the cruise control! But do wait a few minutes after disconnecting the 12 v battery before proceeding. Nobody wants a face full of airbag.

There is a welded nut to be removed while replacing the brake light switch. I found that much easier after ‘nicking’ the welds with an abrasive wheel and Dremel mototool.

You can leave the headlight switch on all the time for DRL effect. If you exit the vehicle normally after shutdown, the headlights will turn themselves off. I have read that this increases the parasitic drain on the 12 v battery, so it might not be good to leave the car inactive for long periods like that.

Separately, I suggest that you take the VIN to a Toyota shop and have them confirm that the required SSCs have been performed. I think those would be HV battery resealing and crankshaft position sensor. It would also be good to know if any TSBs have been done on the vehicle.

[Tideland Prius]

and congrats!

DRLs.... hmm... is it easier to leave the lights on? Or do the NHW11 not have auto-off? (I think the Canadian ones had automatic headlights)

[ChapmanF]

Originally Posted by tochatihu

Don’t think you’ll have any use for HV gloves while installing the cruise control! But do wait a few minutes after disconnecting the 12 v battery before proceeding. Nobody wants a face full of airbag.

Thanks for the tip. Yeah, I wasn't really expecting to need the gloves
for CC ... it's just that those and the manuals seemed like the first things
to make sure I had on hand to be prepared for whatever might want to
be worked on (plus the idea of PriUPS conversions kinda tickles me). CC
will probably be on the next list.

Originally Posted by tochatihu

Separately, I suggest that you take the VIN to a Toyota shop and have them confirm that the required SSCs have been performed. I think those would be HV battery resealing and crankshaft position sensor. It would also be good to know if any TSBs have been done on the vehicle.

You're good. 40G and 60G have both been done, and mine's out of
the VIN range for Y05. I don't recall seeing any TSBs on the printout the
dealer gave me, but I can't lay hands on it at the moment.

Of course on Friday I took a friend to the airport and got my FIRST
windshield chip, and on Saturday my first windshield chip repair....

-Chap

[ChapmanF]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

and congrats!

DRLs.... hmm... is it easier to leave the lights on? Or do the NHW11 not have auto-off? (I think the Canadian ones had automatic headlights)

Thanks! You know, what I was sort of expecting was the kind of DRL system that uses PWM to run the lights at partial power, just so they're visible in daylight but use less power than just having the lights on. Actually I thought all DRLs were like that (and it's so what I would expect of a Prius). But when I got home yesterday my manuals had arrived (hmm, why am I yawning?) and looking in the wiring diagram, it really looks like the NHW11 DRLs just turned on the ol' low-beams (but used, like, three relays, extra fuses, an ECU and some harness mods to do it). I'm less interested now. I could be better off with the Delco DRL unit my local auto shop has on the shelf, which does use partial-power PWM, as far as I know.

-Chap

[tochatihu]

Chap, the number of 'issues' affecting the NHW11 is not large, so it does not require great skill to keep track of the common ones. Similarly the maintainence requirements are so simple that it can lead to boredom for those accustomed to car tinkering.

If this happens to you, consider:

See if the throttle plate (under engine air filter) is sooted up. If so, clean it.

If the tires have perfectly even wear patterns, suspension alignment is probably not necessary. Most often we see extra wear of the tread edges; mostly a result of chronic under-inflation. It used to be somewhat controversial whether Prius tires work best within a few psi of the sidewall max psi, but that cotroversy seems to have passed.

The transaxle just does what it does, with still quite a low failure rate (but we do see those posts...). All one can do to perhaps increase its service life is fluid changes. Toyota Type IV is the original specification.

A green neon underbody light kit?

[ChapmanF]

Originally Posted by tochatihu

A green neon underbody light kit?

I think if I really start to miss tinkering I'll maybe deglaze the brake linings and descore the rotors a bit. They're a little noisy. That should improve things until the linings are actually worn thin, which by the looks of things will be in another 100,000 or so.

My very favorite repair manuals are still, in a way, old Ford factory manuals. Where these Toyota manuals (and my old Mazda and a friend's Honda are much the same way) are mostly parades of line drawings with a few sentences describing steps, the Ford books would have paragraphs and paragraphs of detailed theory of operation and practical judgment (like, when to replace rotors, when to turn them on a lathe, and when to just apply some 150 grit paper and a little elbow grease). It was really refreshing that they came from the factory and were so candid with tips that would minimize their parts sales by helping you maximize life of existing ones. (There was a paragraph in the tranny section for my Bronco II that basically said "based on our experience, it's really unlikely you'll need to replace the release bearing.")

I was thinking of those manuals last night as I was reading about the VVTi cam sprocket and OCV in the Prius. Sure, I can look at the line drawings and make some pretty sensible guesses at how it all works, but if it were an old Ford book there'd be two pages and a complete written explanation. Of course my Ford books I was reading in the original language, which surely makes all that easier. And that level of detail for the Prius would probably mean at least one more bound volume.

-Chap

[ChapmanF]

Originally Posted by tochatihu

Say, I notice the forum lists your car as a 2001 with package "Pioneer #1".

When I registered on the forum I picked "base" for the package, just because I didn't really know there had been different packages available in the 2001 model year and, if there were, I have no idea what mine is. Is there a description of different historical packages somewhere?

-Chap

[tochatihu]

Way back in '01, there were not Prius packages. The only options (in continental US) were the cruise control, single CD player and sumptuous Toyota floor mats. Maybe the 6 CD changer and trunk net, I can't recall. Other options like DRL in Canada, were for somewhere else. Optional side airbags and GPS NAV arrived in '02.

You can remove rust from the friction brake surfaces by braking downhill in neutral (which disables regeneration). But it sounds like you want to disassemble something. The donut spare hold-down bolt can be used to 'convince' a sticky drum to come loose.

I guess you can raise the front end, pull tires and let the car spin 'em while you sandpaper. Might get an error message because of 4 wheel speed sensor disagreement. But you know what to do about that - 12 v battery neg disconnect. Enjoy the spark when you reconnect it (that will also happen at the end of your cruise control installation).

[ChapmanF]

Originally Posted by tochatihu

You can remove rust from the friction brake surfaces by braking downhill in neutral (which disables regeneration). But it sounds like you want to disassemble something. The donut spare hold-down bolt can be used to 'convince' a sticky drum to come loose.

Oh, so it's the right size and thread for a drum-dislodge hole? Good to know.
Reminds me, I need to go measure the tow eye thread and see if I have a
thread chaser that size. The tapped hole in front has reached the point where
no amount of finesse will start the tow eye into it. I wonder if I should
clean it up, grease it, and pop a rubber stopper in.

I'm not really that eager to take the brakes apart. There's no rust on the
rotors (at least the outboard surface that's easy to see) but they are lightly
scored. Probably the brake-in-neutral trick won't improve that, until whatever
caused it changes.

I once had an old Mazda where the factory brake pads were some super
long life metal composite. They would last forever, but chew up the rotors
just the same as if they hadn't. :/

-Chap