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Maintenance on a 2005 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by FirstFlight, Feb 25, 2011.

  1. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    I just bought a 2005 Prius with 119K miles on it and wanted to do some maintenance because I don't know what the previous service intervals were. The things I want to do are:

    1. Spark Plugs
    2. Transmission fluid
    3. Oil and filter change
    4. Tires


    Can someone suggest specific part numbers for all of these? Should I just get this stuff (other than tires) from Toyota? I've read about a million posts today and my brain hurts so I just wanted to put this all in one post for clarity.

    EDIT: Oh, and is changing the transmission fluid on a Prius the same as a normal car with a regular transmission?
     
  2. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Spark Plugs: Denso IK16 or NGK xxxx
    ATF: Toyota ATF WS or Redline D6. There is no dipstick, filling is the same as a manual transmission.
    Oil + Filter, Tires: not even gonna go there...

    Also do PCV (19mm box wrench!!!) since you are doing plugs, and clean the throttle body and MAF sensor since you have to pull the air intake.

    There has been a recall for the inverter cooling pump on your car. You can register at toyota.com/owners to see the maintenance/recall history. If the recall has not been performed, then you get an inverter coolant exchange for free in the process.

    Take a good look at the engine water pump. The service life is 100K - 150K on those. Engine coolant exchange is tough because technically you need a scan tool to fill the coolant storage tank, but Patrick Wong has posted a workaround here at PC.
     
  3. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    For the oil, I wasn't sure if you guys use synthetic or standard oil.

    I checked Toyota's website and it was changed 2 months and 4000 miles ago. That means they should have changed the coolant too, right?

    I also checked Toyota's website and it was changed three years and 30K miles ago. I guess I should be good for a while but what about the engine coolant? I see that the engine and inverter coolant should be changed at 100K miles. Do I just change those when the color starts to look off or do I just stick to the 100K mile mark?

    I'm glad to hear the Prius has a timing chain. That's one less thing to do....
     
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. Denso SK16R11 or NGK IFR5T11
    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ting/76323-what-spark-plugs-should-i-use.html

    2. Toyota ATF WS, 4 US quarts needed and two aluminum washers for the drain and fill plugs. Changing the transaxle fluid is much easier than on a conventional vehicle because you don't have to worry about the fluid being at a certain temperature, removing a transmission drain pan held on with ~15 tiny bolts, replacing the transmission oil filter, etc.

    3. Engine oil: Prius is not a Porsche or Corvette. A quality 5W-30 mineral oil is sufficient, changed at 5K miles or 6 month intervals. If you wish to use 5W-30 synthetic that is fine. I buy name-brand synthetic from Walmart, whatever is on sale: Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, etc.

    Engine oil filter: I use the correct Toyota-brand oil filter, 90915-YZZF2 which sells for $32.90 for a case of 10 here:
    Champion ToyotaWorld

    4. Tire choice is highly personal depending upon your location, driving requirements, the need to deal with winter snow, etc. You need to do your homework here.

    The engine coolant needs to be replaced at 100K miles. Use the correct Toyota Super Long Life Coolant which has a pink color and pre-mixed with distilled water. You'll need two gallons of this for the engine coolant loop.

    As previously mentioned by seilerts, I have posted on how to do this without access to the Toyota diagnostic laptop. See my post #42 and jreed's post $56 here:
    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...shooting/30813-changing-engine-coolant-5.html

    Subsequent inverter and engine coolant changes need to be done at 50K mile intervals i.e., 150K miles, 200K miles, 250K miles, etc. Good luck.
     
  5. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    One more question. Is the transaxle fluid and the transmission fluid the same?
     
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, in the case of Prius. Usually, front wheel drive vehicles have a "transaxle" because the transmission and differential functions are combined into one physical unit, while rear wheel drive vehicles have a separate transmission and rear axle with differential.
     
  7. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    Great, thanks for the help.
     
  8. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    For the hell of it, I called two Toyota dealerships that are within 30 miles of me and got two different quotes.

    At one dealership, they quoted me $200 for the transmission and $155 for the transaxle.

    At the other dealership, they quoted me $210 for the transmission. When I asked about the transaxle, they said it's part of the transmission flush.

    In both cases they don't drop the transmission pan. What do you guys think? Does the transmission pan need to be dropped?
     
  9. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    There is no pan. Service is the same as a manual transmission: a drain plug on the bottom and a fill plug on the side. And, there is no torque converter, so the word "flush" doesn't apply, since this is a drain+fill. Both of those quotes are high. You should only spend $32-$36 for the fluid,1 hour or less of labor, and $0 for flushing equipment.
     
  10. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    There is no transmission pan on a 2005 Prius? I know the transaxle doesn't have one but the transmission?
     
  11. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Two separate jobs and two separate charges. That's nice of them, since they're the same thing.

    Just for fun see what they say if you ask them to just change the transaxle ATF and to leave the transmission.
     
  12. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    Now I'm confused. When you drain and fill the transaxle, that's all one item (transaxle and transmission)?
     
  13. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    There is no transmission. You have a hybrid transaxle that contains two motor generators (MGs), a power split device that ties together the engine and MGs, and a differential that drives the axle shafts.
     
  14. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    Um, then why the hell did the dealer quote me $200 for the transmission oil and $155 for the transaxle fluid. I guess I should call them back and tell them I just want the transaxle fluid changed....haha!

    I'll attempt it myself. If I understand correctly, I just need a 10mm alan wrench, 24mm socket, funnel and 3 foot tube. Is this right?
     
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I just went through this issue so I understand your confusion. All you need to ask for is a transaxle fluid change. The total bill should be no more than $120. I had 2 dealers quote me nearly $300 because they confused the procedure with what is required for the Tacoma trucks. The dealer by my work explained the correct procedure and it did not require a flush like the trucks. They charged $120 for the transaxle fluid change AND an oil change.
     
  16. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You may recall that we had the discussion earlier in the string about why changing Prius transaxle ATF fluid is so easy. The Prius transaxle does not have a drain pan, unlike conventional transmissions which require removal of this part in order to replace the transmission oil filter and to drain the fluid. Whoever gave you the two separate quotes either doesn't know what they are doing, or consciously wants to rip you off, big-time.

    You need a 10 mm hex key socket which is not the same as a 10 mm Allen wrench. The former is a socket which fits on your ratchet wrench and has a 10 mm hex key that can be inserted into the drain plug for removal. The latter is an L-shaped piece of metal that will not give you sufficient leverage to exert 29 ft.-lb. of torque.
     
  17. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Be forewarned, it may take >100+ ft-lb to get it loose. I used a 2' breaker bar on mine.
     
  18. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    Where can I dump the old oil if I don't get it done at the stealership?
     
  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You need to find out what hazardous waste recycling is available in your local area. For example, the landfill for my town accepts antifreeze, batteries, engine oil and ATF for recycling.
     
  20. FirstFlight

    FirstFlight Member

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    Just curious. Do you pay for that?