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EGR cleaning, water pump, spark plugs, etc.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by sambojoho, Jun 14, 2023.

  1. sambojoho

    sambojoho Proud conservative

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    I have just purchased a 2015 Prius 2 for my daughter. It has 80k miles on it.

    I want to maintain this car optimally, and I typically do all of my work myself. Not because of cost necessarily but because I want to make sure it gets done right.

    So my questions are the following:

    1. i have read online that the water pump impeller can wear and cause reduced flow. The implication is that this is a major cause of head gasket failure. Any way to test this without pulling the pump? Should I proactively replace the pump with a new Aisin now or wait until 100k miles?
    2. i have read all about the EGR plugging issues and want to clean the entire system. Should I do this now? Do we have data to show when the optimal time is to do this maintenance?
    3. What about spark plugs and pcv valve? If I do the EGR, does it make sense to do these now? It seems to make sense to do all of this together but am I being too cautious?
    4. the screen on the inlet of the battery fan duct looks very clean. Should I clean out the ductwork and fan anyway or is the screen a good indication?
    5. I’m guessing the 12v battery is original. Any advice on when to replace preventatively? Any serious reliability consequences to waiting until it dies?

    i am also going to replace the WS atf now, but this is independent of the above work.

    I welcome any advice from the knowledgeable experts on here.
     
    #1 sambojoho, Jun 14, 2023
  2. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    I see nothing wrong with replacing it at 80k.



    I discussed this with my mechanic. He suggested using 'seafoam' to flush the EGR.

    Apparently manually cleaning the EGR requires a lot of manhours.



    My mechanic has a device that tests your battery under-load to verify exactly how much current it is still capable of providing. The test may be semi-destructive, which at worst simply means that you must then immediately replace the battery. But if the plates were worn and warped, it would have failed in a matter of months, anyway.
     
    #2 ForestBeekeeper, Jun 14, 2023
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Any more specifics on how to do that, where is the sea foam poured in?
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Jun 14, 2023
  4. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    I think it was fed into a fuel injection intake.
     
    #4 ForestBeekeeper, Jun 14, 2023
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  5. Noahdoge

    Noahdoge Active Member

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    Best thing to do after buying a used car is change all the fluids even if they look clean. Your water pump will be good for double your mileage. I swapped mine out at 156k and took it apart to find it in perfect condition. Spark plugs can be done early at 100k or at 120k, make sure to use DENSO from an authorized dealer. I would also wait to 100k to start on the EGR (you can always take off the intake and clean and inspect how much carbon is in the 4 egr channels). Check and replace the cabin and engine air filter. Best thing for you to do is drive the car often! Congrats on your new purchase, you got the best year for 3rd gen.
     
    #5 Noahdoge, Jun 15, 2023
    ForestBeekeeper likes this.
  6. Eddie25

    Eddie25 Active Member

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    I would agree based on my experience with my car. My plugs at 150k had zero wear and or course I proceeded to get counterfeits. I have a water pump ready to go, but the original is doing OK at 210k. I'm all about preventative maintenance but 80k it too early in my opinion.
     
    #6 Eddie25, Jun 15, 2023
    CR94 and Noahdoge like this.
  7. sambojoho

    sambojoho Proud conservative

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    I couldn’t resist checking the intake manifold ports so I removed it. It was not restricted at all, just minor carbon coating in the pipe and inlet. The individual ports were all clear though. Replaced the pcv while I had it apart but it was perfectly fine as well. Oh well at least now I know for sure. Overall pretty easy job. I think I’ll do it again at 150k
     
    #7 sambojoho, Jul 28, 2023
  8. Eddie25

    Eddie25 Active Member

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    There's individual ports for air and then there's small individual ports in each of those ports (for EGR gasses), those are what get clogged. I'm sure you checked it correctly, but just something to keep in mind.
     
    #8 Eddie25, Jul 28, 2023
  9. sambojoho

    sambojoho Proud conservative

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    Yes understood. Thanks
     
    #9 sambojoho, Jul 28, 2023
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