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How to remove undercarriage "screw" 2011 Gen 3

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by spicegirl, Oct 13, 2019.

  1. spicegirl

    spicegirl Prius shopper

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    Hello,

    Can anyone tell me how to remove the plastic undercarriage cover? There's gravel stuck in the cover and I can't get it out (tried to "sweep" it and vacuum it).

    Underneath the car, at the right front (passenger) door, there's a plastic undercarriage cover. It's held in by what look like plastic screws that have a wide "top" (sorry, not very technical language). It's not a body clip, it has what looks like (large) Philip's head slots and a little "lip" that you can use to unscrew them. I tried unscrewing by hand, but it didn't do anything. I don't want to force it or break them.

    Thanks!
    SG
     
  2. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The center part pulls out. Use a flat blade screw driver. I may brake, most of them do sooner or later.
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm usually pretty "up" on checking those underpanels, remove a lot of them, just to see how it's done, and/or to check for mud/dirt accumulation. But that side piece stymied me. I see on ours one or two of the "fasteners" have actually rattled loose and departed. There's several different styles of fasteners too? A real committee design for sure. Good luck, hope you get it figured out. (y)

    Attached is a relevant Repair Manual excerpt, not sure how helpful.
     

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  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Dirt falls into the backside of these and they jam up. It makes it inevitable that you’ll break a couple. You can get cheap generic replacements from most local autoparts stores. They may not have the same style heads but virtually all 8mm pop fasteners will work for you.
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Whenever you have plastic fasteners out, wash them in a pail/bowl of hot soapy water, and work the mechanism a bit too. It helps some.

    For prying plastic fasteners out, I find a paint can opener like this:

    upload_2019-10-13_7-4-1.png

    to be most useful. I'll sometimes also use a small flat blade screwdriver, alone or in concert with the above. If the fastener head is up but the dang thing still won't come out, one of these:

    upload_2019-10-13_7-6-45.png
    the conventional automotive fastener pry tool, can sometimes help: wedge it under the fastener collar and gently lever up.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Oct 13, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2019
  6. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    I find that a pocket screw drive works best to remove the compression tab from these types of fasteners. D371F1B4-BC66-4911-BC50-8CE90DB4A8C4.png
     
  7. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    If the heads are not already stripped, push the tip of a blade screwdriver on the outer ring or "washer" of the fastener to hold it in place. The center should screw out in the anti-clockwise direction. Not holding the "washer" will cause the entire fastener assembly to spin and stay in place.

    If the center is stripped, you can drill them out with a 1/4 inch drill bit and pry off the remaining "washer" part with a screw driver.

    Toyota uses 7mm Nylon 6-6 push rivets. More common 8mm ones used on many other import cars will not work, so make sure you get genuine Toyota 7mm ones or their generic equivalents.
     
  8. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Thanks! apparently I’m buying 7mm fasteners out of an 8mm bin.
     
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That's one thing to be cautious of: bin-stored fasteners in hardware stores get badly mixed. To be fair: it's easy to do, lol.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Oct 13, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2019
  10. spicegirl

    spicegirl Prius shopper

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    Just to be clear, here's a pic. Are we talking about this type of fastener?

    Thank you!
     
  11. Ed Beaty

    Ed Beaty Active Member

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    More along the lines of this:

    UnderbodyFastener01.jpg
     
  12. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    o_O
     
  13. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    No, those are different than the ones kindly described in earlier postings. Here’s a page in Japanese with a good photo showing how those clips work and advice on removing them. If you try to loosen one with a screwdriver, the natural tendency to push in on the fastener will just press it back onto the bolt. Instead, turn the fastener gently while pulling the cover away from the car.

    If you break one, though, it can be replaced: parts catalog Figure 51-02, Suspension Crossmember & Under Cover, says the list price for a clip, part number 90467-17025-C0, is $2.61.
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I was thinking of the rocker panel, thanks for clearing it up.
     
  15. spicegirl

    spicegirl Prius shopper

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    Thanks so much @Elektroingenieur

    I used translate to try to figure out what to do. I'll play with it and see how it goes. Appreciate the parts catalog info as well!
     
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  16. spicegirl

    spicegirl Prius shopper

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    Sorry @Mendel Leisk and all that I didn't include a pic in the first place. Lesson learned. ;)
     
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  17. spicegirl

    spicegirl Prius shopper

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    Hi everyone,

    I got it! I added an image with notes on how I got the clip to detach (the clip stays on the the undercarriage tray once you unscrew it, then just pops back on). It wasn't difficult once I knew what was going on.



    Thank you all so much.

    SG
     
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