80K Optional Maintenance?

It's a service item in Australia IIRC. No easier to get to though: back seat out, pry the glued-on lid off the floor pan to access top of gas tank and fuel pump, haul it out, extract the filter. Fun...

 

60 vs 75 for 200 miles adds 40 minutes assuming you don't have to slow down passing through towns, which around here you have to. So realistically its 30 minutes. If there is a strong wind at your back like today's I35 northbound, increased speed in that direction does not cost much.

 

Gas saving rule #1...anything that costs you money MUST save enough gas to more than pay for itself, or don't do it. If you ask the dealership service writer about ways you can spend more money there...these guys are paid on commission...they'll have some great ideas for you!

The throttle body is the assembly that contains the throttle. The throttle plate, or butterfly, is the valve for the intake air in use when the engine is running. The butterfly and the surrounding sealing area can get crudded up with dust the has passed through the air filter (none are 100% effective) and oil vapors. It is easy to buy a can of throttle body cleaner, pull off the intake tubing between the air filter and the throttle body, and wipe the crud off with a lint-free cloth dampened with the cleaner. I don't spray the cleaner into the throttle body and let the crud particles wash into the engine.

Injector cleaning can be worthwhile, but as noted above, use a gasoline system cleaner with a high PEA (poly-ether amine) proportion such as Chevron Techron Concentrate. Follow the label instructions.

The air filter does not relate to mpg on modern electronically controlled engines. If it is dirty it acts exactly like a throttle that does not open quite all the way. You won't get 100% power, but it won't waste gas. Now, back in the pre-electronic days with carburetors a dirty air filter could cause the engine to run rich...too much gasoline in proportion to the amount of air it pulled in, but no longer. If you drive in very heavy dust, do change the air filter sooner than scheduled...and don't buy into any phony hype that a so-called high performance air filter will either save you gas or give more performance.

Iridium spark plugs aren't made to be cleaned and regapped. The change interval is 120,000 miles. The dealer probably charges a few hundred dollars to change four of these $15 plugs, and I'm sure new plugs changed early will never save enough gas to pay for the plugs & labor. You might see what the non-Prime engine plug change interval is and follow that if you are driving relatively few battery miles.

10,000 mile oil drain intervals can be OK if (a) a hybrid car that runs part time on a battery, (b) top quality synthetic oil...like our 0W-20, (c) a relatively large oil capacity for the size of the engine. (Say you have an ordinary engine with a 5 quart sump and change the oil every 5000 miles. OK. Or the same engine with a 10 quart sump and 10,000 mile ODI. Same difference.) Our little 1.8 liter sewing machine motors with their 4.4 quart sump is a relatively large sump.* A lab test of the used oil is $30 from Blackstone Labs. This will tell and lot of things including if the oil is suitable for continued service. One or two $30 tests can save a lot of money vs. unneeded synthetic oil changes & filters. So, maybe after you get 5,000 miles of engine travel on this oil get it tested. You'll learn a lot.

*This is 2.4 quarts of oil per litre of engine displacement. By contrast, my Mazda 2.5 L turbocharged engine holds 5.1 quarts, 2.04 quarts per litre, and 7500 mile ODI with conventional oil (I use syn).

 

Maybe Australia has more crud in their gas?

If something like a filter or fluid isn't listed in the maintenance schedule for your market, it probably doesn't need consideration until 100k miles.

 

Note that the following are in miles, not kilometers.

• Tire rotation—5,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first
• Oil change—10,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first (use ILSAC GF-6B or higher SAE 0W-16 only (ILSAC GF-6A or higher 0W-20 for older Prius Prime models))
• Automatic-transmission fluid if towing—60,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first (only use genuine Toyota ATF)
• Automatic-transmission fluid if not towing—no need for replacement
• Coolant—100,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first (only use genuine Toyota super-long-life pink coolant)
• Sparks plugs—120,000 miles or 12 years, whichever comes first (only use the OEM Nippondenso spark plus)

That's all.

 

A fluid that doesn't need replacement is based on what the manufacturer considers the lifetime of the car. In most cases, the lifetime is just 150k miles.

 

The transmission fluid in our Primes is serving the purpose as a gear oil, not as an ATF that also cools and lubricates clutches. As gear oil it gets much lighter usage than as a true automatic transmission fluid. I know, it is ATF, but not working very hard at the job in our planetary gearset continuously variable transmissions. So...change the ATF if you wish, but it doesn't need changing as much as the fluid in a conventional transmission. (In a conventional automatic transmission changing the fluid every 50,000 miles or so will add life to the transmission. If the fluid has not been changed until there is a problem, changing the fluid at this point often makes the problem worse.)

 

Its not serving as an ATF doesn't mean it no longer has the drawbacks of being an ATF. One of those is lower temperature tolerance than a dedicated gear oil. That's why Toyota calls for a change when towing.

Many conventional transmissions now have 'lifetime' fluid in them. The fluid has a lighter duty cycle in a hybrid transaxle, but the reasons to change the fluid more often than scheduled in a 'lifetime' transmission aren't totally eliminated in the transaxle.

 

I've done lab testing of Toyota WS ATF in my 2004 Prius. At 60k miles the ATF needed to be drained and refilled. 60k miles later (fresh ATF) it was OK but nearing EOL. I tested again after 60k miles and the results were similar.

My approach now with Prius ATF is to do an early change at 30k miles (to flush out the leached factory sealant and reduce the metallic wear materials due to the gears lapping in) Then at 90k miles (60k miles on the 2nd ATF) and every 90k miles after that. I tend to keep my cars a long time and this is inexpensive preventive maintenance (about $100 per drain/refill. but now with inflation a bit more).

JeffD

 

The 4th gen Prius got a cooler core in the radiator for the ATF like a traditional transmission. So your maintenance interval could be extended with one.

 

My 2 cents: best time for a first, and possibly last, transaxle fluid change, is around one year or 10k miles.

 

I did my tranny drain and fill 2 years ago at 34k. I have everything needed to do it again, so I'll be sure to report back when I actually get around to it. probably at 90k or there abouts< .
I got my first taste of winter this morning and slapped on my pipe insulator grille block for the morning warmup around the neighborhood, getting good and ready for the commute during rush.