Gen 4 brake bleed and flush

You've posted in the Gen 4 forum, but your profile mentions a 2010 Prius, a Gen 3.

For Gen 3, there aren't a whole lot of extra instructions you'll need; once you connect Techstream and start the bleed process, it tells you what to do at each step.

There are two bleed processes you can start, one for ordinary uses (after changing a wheel cylinder, say) and a longer one for if the head-end parts have been changed. If you'll be doing the longer one, take the wipers and cowl out before you start, so you don't get to the step where it says to open the stroke simulator bleeder and then realize you have to.

It is very helpful to connect a good 12 volt power supply that can prevent the car's battery from pooping out mid-procedure.

If you're really needing to do a Gen 4, I don't have specific information for that. As always, the Repair Manual (more info) will have what you need.

 

Repair Manual info attached.

Also, even though it's 3rd gen, definitely give @NutzAboutBolts brake fluid change video a watch; suspect the procedure's very similar*. Links to his videos are in a thread pinned at top of 3rd gen maintenance forum.

A few tips:

1. The order for doing the corners, according to 3rd gen Repair Manual (and somewhat at odds with the video) is: Front/Right, Front/Left, Rear/Left and Rear/Right. have a read through the 4th gen attachment, verify order. Then write it down, on the garage wall, lol, because the RM presentation will drive you nuts: they repeat the full procedure, for every corner, and somewhere embedded in the verbosity is a terse indication of which corner they're talking about.

2. Two pints of Toyota DOT3 fluid worked out well for me, a couple of times now.

3. Assuming it's sim to 3rd gen, f doing the procedure in "invalid mode" (sans Techstream), the video is invaluable. To shift to Neutral for example, you need to depress brake pedal. Also, the parking brake HAS to be set, or it's all for naught, and you'll be scratching your head why...

4. I managed this with a syriinge (for doing an initual baste-out of the old fluid from the reservoir, a large mayo jar with a hole drilled in the lid, some clear tubing (maybe 2 feet long), and one kosher item: a bleed bolt coupler, sort of a rubber ball joint, that you push onto the ball of the bleed bolt. You don't HAVE to have it, but it's more secure than just pushing tubing on directly.

5. Didn't use suction (apart from the syringe at the outset). Had a lovely assistant pushing the brake pedal. Had the car fully up on safety stands, wheels off.

* Addendum: order IS the same for 4th gen. Here's a screen-grab from the first attachment; I've highlighted the clues:


Here’s my cheat sheet for that, lol:

 

Beware that the first attachment in #4 is a "brake fluid replacement" procedure: the system is already filled with fluid and already bled of air, and you are going force old fluid out with new fluid and not introduce any air.

In particular, the "when not using the Techstream" part of that attachment must not be mistaken for a bleed procedure (unless you are positive that your only air is in wheel lines and there is none in the actuator). It will inevitably leave small amounts of old fluid unreplaced in some actuator passages, which is no big deal for a fluid replacement, but it's a bigger deal if there's air in those passages.