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2012 Prius C PCV valve location?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by DJMaudio, Jul 18, 2017.

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  1. DJMaudio

    DJMaudio Junior Member

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    Hi everyone. I'm looking to replace my PCV valve in my 12' C. The dealer said it would cost me $190. I looked up the part and they cost like $5. So I'm not afraid to try doing it myself. I just reached the 100k Mark.

    Does anyone have the PCV valve location and instructions?

    I can only find info on the standard Prius models.

    Thanks in advance!

    DJM
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe it's similar? Look up from the underside, on the engine wall directly below the intake manifold. 22 mm deep socket is needed for regular Prius. An extra long ratchet wrench with a swivel head might be your best bet.
     
  3. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    I was hoping I had found the PCV valve on the top right end of the valve cover?? (Just next to the right-most ign coil)

    Am I wrong?? - This is a UK yaris HSD BTW

    PCV-VALVE.jpg
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Not sure. I think PCV valve has a part number on one of the hex faces:

    12204-21013
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Apr 3, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2018
  5. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    So... If the PCV valve is still under the manifold, does this mean the C is also likely to get excess oil being drawn through to the manifold, like the Gen3? Maybe its a good thing I am thinking of adding an OCC??
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you can remove the intake snorkel, air filter box and intake tube over the throttle body, you can push open the throttle body blade and look through with a good light, you should be able to see if you're getting accumulation. Good opportunity to clean the throttle body too. Apply carb cleaner to a cloth or Q-Tips to clean, don't spray directly. If you unbolt and lift off the throttle body, that'd give you a clearer view, but maybe reserve that till you've decided to pull off the intake manifold for cleaning as well. It'll likely be possible to lift off the throttle body without coolant hose disconnection: just unbolt it and lift off.

    Not sure of throttle body hold down bolt/nut torque, but regular Prius it's 7 foot pounds, fwiw.
     
  7. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    I did clean the throttle body recently, but didn't think to use a light to look into the manifold. I also cleaned the MAF with great success, as I saw a good improvement - maybe 5 mpg - in consumption. The car has done 54 000 miles, and one of the wires had a noticeable coating on grey gunk on it, but a quick blast with electrical contact cleaner sorted that out.


    I found a picture of the PCV valve - hope this might also be useful for the OP :

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    It looks like I was correct! The PCV valve on the Prius C /Yaris HSD is indeed on the right-rear corner of the valve cover:


    pcv-valce-cleaning.png

    Whats interesting, is that further down the pipe, going towards the manifold, there is a zinc=plated cylinder which I think may be listed as a vapor canister. Could it be that Toyota use this to separate oil from the air that goes to the manifold?? Maybe I didn't need to order an Oil Catch Can after all!!

    pcv-or-wot.jpg
     
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  9. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    Video of PCV valve being cleaned!

     
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  10. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    Looks like it is very easy to access and to change/clean!
     
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  11. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    .... And here's how to test it, as well as some good advice !


     
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  12. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    My 2014 Yaris Icon Hybrid ('Prius C') has done about 55 000 miles (88 500 Km) and I decided today to have a look at my PCV valve ....

    As predicted, access was quite easy - there is some wiring and a support bracket in the way. but not worth the trouble of moving.

    I found a 19 mm curved obstruction spanner seemed the easiest tool to use...


    curved-spanner..jpg

    I was pleasantly suprised to find that the PCV valve itself was nothing more than very slightly oily! Certainly no need real need for cleaning, let alone replacement! I probably won't touch it again until I get to 100 000 miles.

    my-pcv-valve-at-54000.jpg


    BTW The valve itself is an original Aisin - part number as mentioned in earlier posts and also identical to the earlier photo.


    While I was at it, I thought I'd also have a look at the EGR pipe - the expression 'clean as a whistle' comes to mind! So I didn't bother to disassemble the valve or the cooler. (Pictures later)

     
  13. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    Prius C PCV system.png A

    A view of the entire PVC System....

    The valve itself is in the top right, and mounted in the valve cover.
     
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  14. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    I've since come to realise that what I thought was an oil separator for the PCV line, may instead be a heat-exchanger, using engine coolant to heat the PCV vapours before they are fed directly into the manifold. It's hard to confirm this, without doing a lot of dis-assembly!
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Be really careful with your choice of spanner: open-ended style may put a hole in your valve cover, depending on where you start the stroke. The issue is that the jaw material get's progressively thicker, and when the PCV valve breaks loose the wrench can rotate down fast, and lever into the valve cover surface.

    The wrench style you picture is safer obviously, but with that, the shoulder might come down with some force, albeit a lot less of a mechanical advantage, being further from the fulcrum. Guess I'm just death on wrenches, having seen about 3 reports here of wrenches breaking the valve cover.

    A long socket is needed for torquing on reinstall, maybe stick with that if possible.
     
  16. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    It 'let go' quite easily - no real force needed - and, when I reinstalled I was able to use my fingers to drive it most of the way in (with a bit of anti-seize grease on the threads) and just nip it up with the spanner. No chance at all of getting a torque spanner in their - I'm not sure I could have even used a socket, as the access is fairly poor. Not without removing a lot of other stuff first, anyway.

    My new PCV valve arrived from the US today - cost me about £12 all together, compared to £28 for the identical item from the local Toyota stealership! I was pleasantly suprised, as postage or shipping from the US is usually very high, with duty and charges to be paid at this end. But I only paid about £5 postage, and it dropped through my door today after a 9 day wait.

    PCV.jpg
     
  17. Kingsway

    Kingsway Active Member

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    BTW I can now confirm that the zinc-plated canister in the PCV circuit is indeed simply a heat-exchanger, using engine coolant to heat the vapour from the PCV valve immediately before it is fed into the inlet manifold.

    If I had a Gen 3 I would be very tempted to either get one of these canisters for a Prius C from a salvage yard, or maybe fabricate something myself - as well as insulating the hoses. Toyota have obviously found this - together with a good, oil-free pickup point on the valve-cover - to solve a number of problems?
     
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  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I checked price for our 3rd gen Prius PCV valve, different part number:

    pcv valve p/n: 12204-37010

    And they quoted $14.19 (CDN) (converts to 7.88 in pounds currently)

    FWIW, some third gen info. I had ours off for a look, just reinstalled, and did not put anything on threads:

    upload_2018-4-16_12-23-44.png

    It's a different location btw, on the crankcase wall, buried under the intake manifold.
     
  19. DjGruv

    DjGruv Junior Member

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    Takes 10 min to change. Remove two bolts holding down wire harness that is over it. Use a 19mm open end to loosen the pcv valve. You can push the wires out of the way. Once it's loose you can use your fingers to get it out. The hose unclamps easily. Screw the new one on and do everything in reverse. Done.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  20. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Hello there, i wanted to ask, since the Yaris hybrid and Prius C look basically the same, i guess to change the PCV valve on the Prius C is the same procedure? Also someone knows if the Prius C has the oil burning problem?