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Just bought a 2009 prius with 100k miles. What are your best tips?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by morglum, Aug 29, 2014.

  1. morglum

    morglum Junior Member

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    Hey everyone,
    We bought a used 2009 Prius this summer with 160k kilometers on it. It is our family (1 baby daughter and parents)'s only car and we drive approximately 20k kilometers per year. We often have roof bars to carry tandem bike, canoe, cargo box, etc... We decided to buy a Prius after spending 3 months driving a Gen3 prius in France on a home exchange.

    Anyway, I am quite the geek, so I believe I will love this car. I would like to know what are your best tips to improve the fuel economy without annoying my passenger too much? I have found the two following options:

    A) Try to accelerate around 2000 RPM (following Hobbit's sweet spot article), then glide (no power but no drag) if going less than 42 MPH/65 km/h) or warp stealth (as little electric power as possible) if going above that speed.
    -Am I understanding correctly?
    -I've been trying to have narrow window between my max and min speed (maybe 16km/h), but my wife really did find this annoying. How do you guys do it?
    -Is buying a PLX Kiwi 2 to send RPM data to an android phone worth it?

    B) We live in Canada, this car will be used for a very short 4km commute to work every day during that season. Apparently the fuel efficiency is destroyed on a cold engine.
    - Is buying a block heater worth it?

    that's it
    thanks!
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome to priuschat! definitely the block heater, grille blocking, max tyre pressure, sit low and drive slow, all the best!(y)
     
  3. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    morglum,

    Welcome to Prius Chat!

    Where you are, definitely will need to grill block, keep in heated garage or invest in a block heater, keep tires at maximum pressure, P&G when you can, hyperstealth otherwise, use climate control sparingly, make sure alignment is good, change the coolant in both loops. Basically everything bisco said above and a little more that I can think of.

    FWIW, Short trips kill MPG in the Prius. Roofracks don't help either. Cold weather always gives the worst MPG. But even with all that said, you should still be able to get better than any other traditional car out there in your neck of the woods.

    Check the maintenance log of the car. If it is not up to date, you should bring it up to speed. Transaxle Fluid as per Toyota is lifetime. Most here recommend change every 60K. Also Synthetic Oil helps to increase the MPG's. Tires can be a kicker on this car. OPT for LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE tires as much as you can. Not many snow's fit that category, but some do have some pretty good ratings. So pay attention to that factor when it comes time to put shoes on her.

    Invest in a new 12 volt if you think the one in her is getting weak. They give no warnings really, just one day won't start. Not like a regular car where you hear the starter dragging down. There is a link in my signature that shows how to run the onboard 12 volt battery test. If the battery falls below 12.0 volts on the test, I would suggest changing it. A fully charged AGM battery should measure 12.9 volts or higher with a digital volt meter with NO load applied to the battery. In the Prius, a fully charged NEW battery usually tests around 12.6, 12.4, and 14.0 respectively when running the test.

    Best of luck to you,
    Ron (dorunron)
     
  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Change the transaxle fluid if it hasn't been changed yet.

    SCH-I535
     
  5. morglum

    morglum Junior Member

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    Hi everyone,
    Thanks for all the replies. I learned a lot of new tips that I hadnt stumbled on before. I have quite the "to do list" now and it should keep me busy for a while.

    New To Do list:
    - grille blocking
    -block heater
    - replace transaxle fluid (was that 60k miles or kilometers?)
    - replace coolant in both loops (there's two loops of prestone?)
    -check alignment
    -replace my balding summer tires with LRR tires (any crowd favorite?)
    -synthetic oil (any crowd favorite?)

    Already done:
    - 12v battery was changed this winter.
    -max tire pressure


    thanks!
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ Can't really comment on grill block technique, how much where/when. With third gen there's a thread, not sure about second gen. I'd be conservative, research. I would not use grill block any time I'm using AC for cooling, that's just totally counterproductive. But in winter yes. Read up on it, foam pipe insulation is popular, what I use.

    ^ We got the block heater installed at time of purchase for exhorbitant $400. But, check Toyo Canada website now, they list it with a significantly lower installed price. And yes, I'd recommend the BH for anyone, world wide, year 'round. In summer a single hour is good, the rest of the year two hours, before the first run of the day. For faster warm up, happier engine, etc. You can install it yourself, and the part is maybe $80~90, but it's not a walk in the park.

    Do get a timer; you may not always need it, but it's handy. Do make sure the cord is securely anchored in the front grill, with maybe 2 zip ties, a few inches apart. Make sure the plug will pull out from your extension relatively easy, and won't end up dragging on the road, if you forget to unplug. Because it'll happen, sooner or later.

    ^ Re when to change the transaxle fluid at 60K miles vs kilometers: either, lol. Just get it changed. I changed our 3rd gen's ridiculously early, no regrets.

    ^ Prestone?? Careful, think it's a special fluid, or at least safest to stick with Toyo fluid. I'd be inclined to let the pros do this.

    ^ If the tires look ok and there's no obvious misalignment issues, I'd skip the alignment.

    ^ Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 for tires? For winter, Michelin X-Ice. See if you can get some sort of steel rims for the snows. One dealership got me sorted with snows on Corolla rims, about $70 each.

    ^ I'm liking Toyota's OW20, I think second gen is authorized by Toyo to use it now. Under $6 per liter from my dealership

    ^ Max tire pressure? Meh..., I'd go a little lower. Maybe split the difference between what Toyo says and the max pressure shown on tire side wall? Experiment. Really high pressures WILL make for a rough ride, may reduce cornering traction, could be transmitting more shock up into the suspension.
     
  7. morglum

    morglum Junior Member

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    Hey Mendel,
    Thanks for the reply!
    ^I thought grille block was only for winter anyway, so no A/C at the same time. Foam insulation it will be.
    ^Thanks for the heads up for the BH, will check the toyo canada website.
    ^ Yeah, sorry, prestone or whatever it is that goes in the car... I'll ask my mechanic to do it anyway :)
    ^ I checked previous owner and the transaxle fluid was changed in October 2013. So I guess the 60k miles/kilometers issue won't come up for another 2 years.
    ^ There is a slight pulling to the right, I haven't had time to make sure that it isnt simply due to the road's shape. Will skip for now.
    ^6$ per liter for synthetic oil? That seems cheap, or I'm just confused ?
    ^Will experiment with tire pressure.

    cheers!
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ Yes, full synthetic Toyota 0W20 was $5.65 per liter, last time I bought from our nearby dealership. They'll also sell you Mobil 0W20, for around $11~12 per liter. The Toyota stuff's worked fine for me. There's some published data that it's quite good (over my head) and debate as to who makes it. The manufacturer may have even changed.

    ^ The transaxle fluid change is straightforward, DIYable if you're inclined. Second gen is Toyota ATF-WS fluid, same as gen 3, I believe, but do verify. Some brave souls are expounding other fluids, but hey...
     
  9. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    To add to and clarify what Mendel posted, here is my take on your questions/comments "To Do List".

    Grille Blocking - On the Gen II Prius, block the lower half for cooling the inverter. Block the upper half for cooling the ICE. Best to monitor temps with a Scangage II. Lots of info here on PC about grill blocking. Do a Google search. I would not block the grill when temps are above 50 Fahrenheit as you will risk overheating. Use minimal blocking if you do not monitor temps. The foam pipe insulation works great for the grill blocks. If you ever get a Gen III, you will learn that the loops are reversed from Gen II. Radiator is now on bottom and Inverter on top... Toyota loves to change things.

    Block Heater - Your call on that one. Don't need it if you are in a garage. Will help with keeping coolant warmer for faster warm up and entering S4 mode quicker for full "hybrid" operation. S4 mode is explained in the link in my signature below.

    Transaxle Fluid Change - Minimum of once every 60,000 MILES. More is better, not doing it all is not the greatest, but Toyota says it is lifetime. Use the Toyota WS Fluid when doing the drain and refill. No flush required. Pages are posted here on Prius Chat concerning the topic. Patrick Wong did an excellent write up on the subject. Do a Google search and I am sure you will find it.

    Replace Coolant in both loops - Recommend you only use "Toyota SLLC" (Super Life Long Coolant). It is available at your local Toyota dealer parts dept. This is a DIY job IF you are certain to bleed out all of the air in the system. Patrick Wong has written up quite a bit of info on how to do the Gen II Prius. Any Toyota dealer should be able to drain, refill, and bleed BOTH systems for you. Changing the Inverter Fluid (one of the two loops) will help to keep the inverter cool which should aid in the operation of the Prius as well as add longevity to the inverter itself. It seems the channels and ports in the inverter are small and thin, and stop up easily over time with the aluminum particles. By changing the fluid, you help to remove risk of contamination. Changing the Radiator Fluid will keep the coolant nice and clean which should aid in protection from both corrosion, freezing, and also overheating. The Radiator Fluid is the second of the two loops.

    Alignment - I think you know what needs to be done... I would not skip this, as it will wear out the tires quicker and lower your MPG.

    Tires - F8L wrote up a Tire Suggestion List a while back. It is rather dated, but some good info is still there. I hear good remarks about the tires that Mendel suggested, so you should consider those plus other favorites in your list. Try to go with LRR type tires when you can. Do a Google search for F8L's post, or you can browse through the forum above. I believe that post is a sticky.

    Also on tires, try 42 PSI front, and 40 PSI rear. Too bumpy? Drop them a pound or so and try again. Keep the front tires two pounds higher than the rears. Rotate tires every 5K MILES.

    Synthetic Oil - I myself preferred Mobil 1 5W-30 in our Gen II. Really helped boost the MPG. I noticed a difference immediately from the standard dino stuff.

    Best of luck to you.

    Ron
     
  10. Fifine

    Fifine Member

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    Sorry Morglum, borrowing your Thread a moment here.

    RON,
    Just curious: I have a new inverter (just put in per recall) and new inverter coolant. Should this coolant be changed sooner than the 30k service to remove "new" particles?
    Thanks!
     
  11. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Ok, now I am confused. If you are referring to the "inverter pump" recall, I would think the coolant should be ok for a while if the dealer changed the fluid and bled it during the swap. What confuses me is you wrote "inverter" without pump after it. I haven't heard of any recalls on the inverters...

    Fifine, how many miles on your Prius now? Also, welcome to Prius Chat!

    Ron
     
  12. Fifine

    Fifine Member

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    Hi Ron and thank you!

    Yes, inverter pump replaced via recall campaign. Yes, the inverter coolant service was done a couple hundred miles ago.
    The car has almost 133k miles. Runs beautifully. I finally caught it up on all the maintenance. (y)

    Enjoy the long weekend!
     
  13. morglum

    morglum Junior Member

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    this reminds me of another thing on my to do list: check with dealer for recalls!

    Anyway, I see that the scangauge 2 has been mentionned a few times. I was thinking of getting the PLX Kiwi 2 so I can set data to the torque android app. Is there any reason to prefer the scangauge?

    thanks
     
  14. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Torque requires the ELM 327 Adapter and Bluetooth IIRC. I believe Torque offers a little more than the ScanGage II. Of course you have to have a smart phone also. So a lot more expense when comparing to the Scan Gage.
     
  15. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Sounds like you got her all in good order then. Have the spark plugs been changed? If not, they should have been changed at 120K. Iridium Plugs is what the Prius runs.

    Enjoy the long weekend also!
     
  16. Fifine

    Fifine Member

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    Yes, spark plugs put in a few days ago.
    (PCV valve replacement was delayed until a later time since it is a bit more labor intensive)

    Hopefully I didn't inundate their "housing" rinsing out the engine!!!!
     
  17. writes123

    writes123 Junior Member

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    I replaced my PCV valve via the method shown: Prius Spark Plugs and PCV valve - PriusLiftSupports.com

    It is tight and cramped but with a long socket and some wiggling it'll save you the hassle of removing extra stuff like the wiper etc.

    I was in a similar scenario as yourself with my newly acquired 05 prius with 101k miles. Did what you have done and then some.

    Good luck.
     
  18. Fifine

    Fifine Member

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    Thank you. I saw a similar write-up, in one of the PC threads I think. Attached.

    When the spark plugs were put in, I didn't recognize the layout and didn't have the diagrams nearby for reference.
    Next time, I'll have 2 sets of instructions!
     

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