1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Brake fluid flush with Mini VCI

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by andrewclaus, Nov 14, 2015.

  1. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Has anyone here done a brake fluid flush using the Mini VCI? How did it go? Any tips about using the Mini VCI?

    I saw reference in one post to there being nearly a gallon of brake fluid in the system. How much did you use in your flush?

    Thank you in advance.
     
    #1 andrewclaus, Nov 14, 2015
  2. mark5211

    mark5211 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Houston, Texas
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    One
    About to change my brake fluid on my 2008 gen II. I have the same question and I have a mini VCI. Did you find an answer?
     
    #2 mark5211, May 24, 2016
  3. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    No, I didn't, but went ahead and did it anyway. I found decent enough instructions somewhere online and muddled through it. The MiniVCI part was confusing and I'm not sure I used it right, so I won't give any instructions, but it worked out okay. I used about three quarts to get everything running clear. Two may have been enough. As I remember, you need to get the pump to work to bleed the back brakes, but the fronts will work with traditional means. (As long as you don't get air in the accumulator.) Good luck with yours.
     
    #3 andrewclaus, May 24, 2016
    mark5211 likes this.
  4. mark5211

    mark5211 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Houston, Texas
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Thanks for the reply. It will help. I find the Techstream software a bit confusing and buggy so I'm not surprised by your experience. Thanks again.
     
    #4 mark5211, May 25, 2016
  5. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Yeah, it might help if you're a trained Toyota mechanic first. You don't get a comprehensive manual and training academy with a $25 MiniVCI! Running it on the ten-year-old laptop retired to the garage probably doesn't help much, either.
     
    #5 andrewclaus, May 25, 2016
  6. Currahee

    Currahee Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2016
    103
    33
    0
    Location:
    CT
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    It's covered in detail in the repair manual, but with the "handheld tester" not the Techstream PC interface. I don't know how much they differ. On the other hand, dealers seem to charge less for this service than ostensibly easier things like trans fluid.
     
    #6 Currahee, May 25, 2016
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)