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Does it matter what brake fuild you use?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Higgins909, Nov 18, 2020.

  1. Higgins909

    Higgins909 Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
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    III
    I know some things are specific, like Honda, you use only Honda ATF fluid, maybe even their powersteering units, have to use Honda fluid. I want to flush out my 2010's brake fluid but Toyota fluid is expensive and will take too long to get here. While autozone has some dot 3 for $8~ that's 32oz while Toyota DOT3 is $10 for 12oz.

    Does it matter what brand I use for brake fluid in my 2010 Prius?
     
    #1 Higgins909, Nov 18, 2020
  2. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    No, as long as it meets the DOT 3 specification (Owner’s Manual (PDF), page 564: “SAE J1703 or FMVSS No. 116 DOT 3”).

    Keep in mind that you’ll need a Toyota Techstream diagnostic system (or true equivalent) to bleed the brake system.
     
    #2 Elektroingenieur, Nov 18, 2020
    pjksr02, Majafamily and Higgins909 like this.
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    There is a non-Techstream method outlined in the Repair Manual. @NutzAboutBolts follows it in his video, apart from jumbling the order a bit. The diff is basically that you put the car in "invalid" mode before starting the bleeding.

    Up here I get the the Toyota DOT3 in pint (16 oz) bottles for around $7.50 CDN. A couple seems to suffice; I can't find system capacity anywhere.

    Edit: I think they're pints. It's something like 470 cc, I can check.
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Nov 18, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2020
    pjksr02, NutzAboutBolts and Higgins909 like this.
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