I just acquired a new project vehicle

That looks like a fun project. Nicely done so far.

One trivial suggestion: since they're exposed and easily accessible, replace those foolish sounding horns. Horns are supposed to grab attention and command respect. The horns in a Prius sound like the protests of an angry runt chipmunk. They provide bonus amusement to the truck driver who's about to run you down. Seriously though, slap something in there that will actually perform the intended function of a horn. Best wishes on the rest of it!

 

Ahhh yes, missed that... You are, of course, many steps ahead of me, and in no danger of having me catch up to you. My hats off to you!

 

jelloslug,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

That's awesome!

 

[/QUOTE]IT'S ALIVE!!!!

Today was not without some issues though. I "forgot" to paint both sides of the lock support . The 2 nuts that are welded on the upper radiator support that are for the hood latch are no were near in the correct spot. I'm going to have to do some Dremel work on those. A few places that were suppose to have holes for wiring clips either have the wrong shape hole or no hole at all. I still need to fix one of the wires for the horns. When I was refilling the cooling system I discover that one of the inverter hoses had a hole in it. It was near the end and I was able to cut off the bad section and still use the hose though. When I powered up the car I had a dreaded airbag malfunction light. After reading the airbag section in the shop manual I found out how to extract the airbag codes without a scanner and I found out that I just forgot to hook up the passenger side pretensioner squib. I hooked up and and all was well. I really did not have any problems refilling the cooling system though. I rigged up a connection for the inverter pump motor and had the inverter section filled in about 5 minutes. The engine side took a little while longer, and I think I will have to keep an eye on it for a little while, but all together I was able to get over 2 gallons in the systems. I did take it out for a little test drive around the block and everything seems to work fine. [/QUOTE]

 

While the RF fender is off, could you please take a few photos of the air intake resonator and other parts in the RF corner of the vehicle, so that we can see what is involved? The repair manual doesn't have good exploded parts diagrams covering that area and I don't have access to the collision manual.

Regarding the issues noted at the end of your post 119, would you attribute that to use of aftermarket body parts vs. Toyota parts?

Regarding the engine coolant refill, did you run the engine sufficiently so that the radiator fans came on? I suspect you'll find that after the engine cools down, substantial coolant will be sucked down from the overflow container into the system.

Congratulations again on your excellent success. Further, congratulations on picking the right accident vehicle - one that you could repair without requiring outside assistance, and one with very low miles so that your wife can enjoy many miles of service from it. This is so exciting!

 

Something went haywire with my last post attempt, but just wanted to send my congrats too JS, adding to the many others attached to this thread. You have provided a great set of photos and commentary of what is really under the hood of the Prius in your detailing of this ambitious project.

I was particularly intrigued by the last photo in your post #23, showing the starter block-off plate installed upside down. Since my Prius too is a 2008 model, purchased in September 28, 2007, with some 6400 miles on the ODO, I decided it was worth investigating whether or not the starter block-off plate on my vehicle was in a similar position to yours.

Sure enough IT WAS!

Like you, I thought this error had been corrected back in 2006 or thereabouts. But it seems to be continuing. Luckily there appears to be sufficient clearance (~0.5") from the wire bundle that no chafing is evident, but one would have thought that Toyota would have corrected this by now.

Any idea anyone why the plate has the peculiar edge shape that it does?

Ron.

 

What exactly is the air intake resonator Patrick! Under what conditions does the resonance occur, and for what reason(s)? I assume it has something to do with the airflow dynamics.

 

Hi Ron,

See the first two photos from jelloslug's post 129. The first photo shows the black plastic snorkel that goes down, curves around, then goes back up and attaches to the air cleaner housing. The second photo shows the white resonator attached to the black plastic snorkel assembly.

The point of all this is to reduce engine air intake noise. Exactly how it works is beyond me.

For those who have rodent infestation problems, note that the result of all this is a very nice mouse condominium, so a wire screen at the snorkel intake would be a good idea...

Hi jelloslug,

Thanks very much for providing the additional photos. Regarding the RDOT label, I thought that this is a way to show that the part in question is a replacement part and not an original part from the vehicle. If the part was original, it would have a label with the vehicle's VIN.

My 2004 incurred accident damage in the LR, so the LR fender was replaced. I subsequently had occasion to be back there while I was replacing the rear shocks, and noted the RDOT label on the inside of the replacement sheet metal (the body shop did not bother to paint the inside of the fender, so the interior surface is protected only by the paint applied by the factory).

 

Thanks Patrick. I was finally able to identify the same area as shown in JS' photos on my own vehicle, by looking under the hood on the passenger side.

Interesting that the actual air intake faces toward the rear, just ahead of the window-washer fluid container. The Helmholtz resonator attached to the "U" shaped intake tube is invisible from above, being attached via a hole through the forward body structure. You are correct in that it significantly reduces the engine air intake noise by acting in concert with the airflow dynamics. Apparently this is a common device used in modern IC engines to reduce noise.

I suspect it is only tuned to a particular engine speed; which is probably why engine noise increases significantly at high RPMs.

 

Great job jelloslug, looks like the car will be back on the road at 100% very soon now.

So when does the next project start? It's been fun following this one.

 

Looks and sounds like the same devices on the plumbing in our homes meant to cushion dynamic fluid flow -- preventing "water hammer" noises.

 

Interesting number - leading me to wonder just how many Prius' have been wrecked or parted out here in the US since the NHW 20 model was introduced in 2004. For that matter what average percentage of any specific typical car type ends up prematurely in the wrecking yard these days?

It seems that with the increasing use of unitized vehicle assembly, together with increasing labor costs, insurance companies are increasingly inclined to write off cars after accidents, rather than pay for repairs as in the past.

Or is that a misconception on my part?

Incidentally Jelloslug, I believe I have learned more about what-is-where under the hood of the Prius as a result of following your work on this thread than I have from any other thread on Priuschat. Looking forward to your final photos.

 

• What is the purpose of the side air diverters? I'm not familiar with those parts.
• Have you had a chance to recharge the A/C yet? I'm wondering if that system is working OK.
• Now that you are approaching the end of your project, I am wondering whether you can identify your parts sources (assuming you were happy with their pricing and service.)

Thanks!

 

Thanks for providing your vendor list, looks very comprehensive.

My local Toyota dealer also has a silly policy establishing parts prices above MSRP. Since I don't like to feel stupid (or taken) when buying parts, I buy most parts in bulk from Champion Toyota (Houston) which prices at 25% off list. UPS ground shipping service from Houston to southern CA is excellent.
Toyotaworld.com - Toyota Parts, Genuine Toyota Parts, Toyota Accessories,TRD Performance Parts, Champion Toyota Gulf Freeway, Houston, Texas

When I have to buy parts locally based upon freight cost considerations (i.e., a battery or fluids), I will buy from Tustin Toyota. Their pricing is at MSRP, which I don't mind paying for a small qty retail purchase.