The high-voltage battery fan has been successfully cleaned

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Felix1414, Feb 12, 2026 at 12:45 AM.

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  1. Felix1414

    Felix1414 New Member

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    Last night, I used a tool to remove the plastic plate on the right rear side and successfully took down the fan. I found it was indeed very dirty. I don't know how many years it had not been cleaned. The fan blades were almost clogged. After cleaning, I used Dr. Prius to forcefully increase the fan speed, and the sound indeed became much quieter
    When dismantling the plastic cover plate at the back, everyone should pay attention to the two positions I have marked. There are two screws that need to be unscrewed. At first, I didn't pay attention and thought that just opening the plastic buckle would be enough. However, I believe few people are as careless and unfamiliar with this car as I am. Just a small reminder，lol


    Here's another question. When your tire is flat and you need to change to the spare tire, you find that the screws have been tightened too tightly by the repair shop's tools, and you can't unscrew them yourself. What should you do?
    Last time, my tire was punctured on the side of the road. When I tried to change the spare tire myself, I encountered this embarrassing problem. When I used all my strength to tighten the screws, I heard a "creaking" sound. Should I continue to apply force, or is my way of applying force incorrect, causing the direction to be wrong and thus producing the strange noise?
     
    #1 Felix1414, Feb 12, 2026 at 12:45 AM
    saneesh8 and bisco like this.
  2. PrimalPrius

    PrimalPrius Junior Member

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    You are talking about the wheel lug nuts?
    "Lefty loosey, righty tighty"
     
    #2 PrimalPrius, Feb 12, 2026 at 10:25 AM
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2026 at 3:35 PM
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Sometimes it works to get the lug wrench out of the back and jump up and down on it. If you have an impact wrench, you can use that. Sometimes it's easier to just go to a tire shop and have them use their tools to get the stuff loose.

    The best way to develop your sense of the force to apply is to own a torque wrench and set it to the torque that is specified for the wheel nuts, and use it to tighten the nuts until they are tight enough.

    After you've done that a decent number of times, you'll have a kind of muscle memory of what the right torque feels like. (You can also just keep using the torque wrench; once you've got it, it's no extra trouble, and there'll be no mistakes.)
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Feb 12, 2026 at 1:59 PM
  4. Felix1414

    Felix1414 New Member

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    I apologize for not making myself clear earlier,
    I was out for a ride with my friend when we got a puncture in our tire in a remote village. There was no shop in that area that could repair cars, but I only had a wrench from the trunk. When I tried to remove the deflated tire, I found that I couldn't wrench it no matter how hard I tried. Should I stand on it and apply pressure to the wrench? Would this cause uneven force or deviation in direction?
    In the end, I relied on an air pump that I had bought and placed in my car to keep the deflated tire inflated for another ten minutes, allowing me to find a repair shop. Ultimately, I had to replace the entire tire.
     
    #4 Felix1414, Feb 12, 2026 at 9:40 PM
  5. Felix1414

    Felix1414 New Member

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    Yes, it's just that I don't seem to have enough strength to unscrew them. When they make a "creaking" sound, I wonder, "Am I going to successfully unscrew them, or have I twisted them?" Or should I just step on them and jump to loosen them with my weight?
     
    #5 Felix1414, Feb 12, 2026 at 9:44 PM
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Oh, in the second part of your question, you were still trying to loosen the nuts? You wrote "when I used all my strength to tighten" them but you may have meant to write 'loosen'?

    Yes, as long as you have double-checked that you are using the lug wrench in the loosening direction (counterclockwise), then go ahead and apply as much force as it takes. Often it will work to orient the lug wrench handle straight off to the left and kick downward on it, stand on it and bounce, and so on. A longer handle reduces the force needed, but the supplied lug wrench is rather short.

    Creaking noises are quite common as the nuts begin to come loose, and are not a cause for concern.

    When I reinstall those nuts, I use a very minimal, strategic application of an anti-seize compound. I do not use any on the threads, and I do not use any where the nut contacts the wheel. However the nut (the original Toyota nut for aluminum wheels, anyway) has a captive flat washer, and I sneak about a pinhead-sized dab of anti-seize between the washer and nut. Makes future tightening and loosening more civilized.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Feb 13, 2026 at 10:18 AM
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