2009 Prius oil change dummy questions & UOA

The oil cap has a rubber O-ring to provide a good seal. Prior to the oil cap being installed for the first time, the O-ring had not been compressed. Now that the engine has been in use for 3K miles, the O-ring is probably a bit thinner than it had been when new, allowing you to tighten the oil cap more in order to achieve a snug fit.

The cap should be sufficiently tight to prevent air leaks through the opening, but not so tight that you can't remove it by hand.

If the point of doing an early oil change was to get debris from the production process and break-in wear out of the engine, why not change the oil filter now?

I would not worry about bubbling in the oil. If you see signs of water in the oil (where the oil takes on a creamy appearance), then you should worry.

 

I recently did the first change on my 09. The filter was very tight and was difficult to loosen even with the wrench. I used a generic variable sized wrench (the only thing in stock that would fit), and it crushed part of the filter housing before it found enough grip to loosen. I also used a pump, so cannot comment on the drain plug.

 

Oil changes on the Prius are very easy. I did my first one last week, and it was the easiest oil change I ever did.

- I didn't have to jack up the car. Everything is within arms reach of the front-passenger tire. No sticking your head under the car is necessary.
- The oil plug was tight and I had poor leverage without the car jacked up, so I had to use some black pipe as a breaker bar on the socket wrench. 14mm socket, socket wrench, and breaker bar.
- I knocked the aluminum gasket off with a rubber mallet and screwdriver - it was still attached to the oil pan.
- A mirror may be helpful for finding stuff under the car.

The tough part was the fact that the oil filter was so tiny. My 'universal' oil filter wrench didn't fit, and I didn't have enough leverage to remove it by hand. So, I refilled the oil and went to the auto parts store to get an oil filter wrench (the kind that connects to a socket wrench works great).

The oil filter only leaked a little oil when removed - a pint or less, even with a full oil pan.

This was much easier than any car I have ever owned - I always had to jack up the car in the past.

-->Adam

 

As far as "sheld life" of parts like filters, assuming you don't leave them in an unconditioned space (Eg, a shed outside that can get cold in winter and hot in summer) the shelf life is just about your life span

I have come across parts for old cars - eg Nash - that were kept in a grandparents house, and the parts looked pristine after +50 years

 

I suggest that you bring the new oil filter with you when shopping for an oil filter wrench. You will want a cap wrench that fits over the end of the oil filter tightly and has a hex hole for a 3/8" socket wrench extension. Your Toyota dealer parts dept probably will sell the correct oil filter cap wrench, and you can also try discount auto parts stores.

If you replace the filter now, you'll just lose the oil within the filter and a bit more that will drip down as the filter is removed. In the future of course, you will want to replace the oil filter after draining the old oil, and prior to adding new oil to the engine.

 

Check the dipstick level. Prius is often delivered slightly overfilled, so if you added exactly as much as you pumped out it may be slightly overfilled again. Generally, adding three quarts even is plenty.

 

Regarding Prius oil changes, here's a suggestion for DIY owners who want to get more of the old oil out of the engine:

In the past when draining the old oil out, I would remove the drain plug and let the oil drain out until I see that the flow has decreased down to ~ two drops per minute. Then I would reinstall the drain plug (28 ft.-lb tightening torque) and then remove the old oil filter.

My new procedure as of this morning is to remove the old oil filter while the oil drain plug is still removed. When I did this today, I was pleasantly surprised to see a renewed flow of oil out of the drain hole as the oil filter was removed.

Should you choose to follow suit, you will need a drain pan with sufficient diameter so that it will catch the oil coming out of both the drain hole and the oil filter area simultaneously.

 

I don't know the exact distance. However I am currently using a vinyl dishwash tub (you can buy at your local drugstore or supermarket in the housewares section). The tub is rectangular shaped to fit into a kitchen sink and has an interior diagonal measurement of 15-1/2". I think it will hold 12 qt - I bought it 20 years ago when I owned a Jaguar XJ6 VDP where the engine crankcase capacity was ~9 qt.

Here's another helpful tip for DIY. Unless you wish to impress your neighbors with a shiny metal drain pan that you bought from Sears or another automotive products store, you will find that it's much less expensive to buy a product from a housewares store. I've subjected the tub to engine oil, ATF, and coolant. I just wipe it out with paper towels after each use. The tub works well, no cracking or other deterioration evident.

I also have a black rubber circular drain pan with spout that was intended for automotive fluid drain purposes, but find this rectangular tub to be convenient.