1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

EGR Cleaning at Hybrid Pit

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by MelonPrius, Mar 31, 2022.

  1. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    tldr; I brought my '14 to Hybrid Pit. Had a full EGR cleaning, coolant change, hybrid battery fan cleaning, and feedback on battery strength from Dr. Prius app. $618 out of the door.

    This thread is for the Gen 3 owners that live in Southern California that want to do an EGR cleaning but don't want to do it themselves. I have 98k miles on my '14 and my engine is starting to burn a bit of oil. So, I decided it was time to clean my EGR, but for a variety of reasons, I need to pay someone to do this.

    I read about Hybrid Pit in Orange County via this forum. I made an appointment with them and discovered that I have to leave the car with them overnight, as per their policy. So, I booked a room at a hotel nearby. This shop is near Knotts Berry Farm so there are plenty of lower cost motels within walking distance.

    When I brought the car in, Greg walked me through the process. He brought out a cart with the cleaned parts that would be installed into my Prius. These were the parts from a previous Prius that were thoroughly cleaned.

    When I picked up my Prius the next morning (they open at 11 AM), I was pleasantly surprised that my coolant was changed and the overall price was lower than expected. Andrew, the knowledgeable lead mechanic, left the parts for me to inspect. They were dirty, but not clogged.

    I believe they gave me a break on some of the pricing because I drove in from out of town. Plus, when you combine other maintenance items with the EGR cleaning, like cleaning the hybrid battery fan, you get a volume discount. The service was polite and personal, in a way that is not common with other repair shops. I'd recommend making an appointment 2 weeks out because it's a small shop and they're busy.

    The bill was $618, including tax. I had the EGR cleaning, coolant changed, hybrid battery fan cleaned and feedback on my traction battery health. The Prius owners in So Cal are lucky to have a shop that specializes in Prii. Hybrid Pit has a very good team and they specialize in EGR cleaning. (Photos to follow)
     
    mikey_t, Stu Wood, ToyXW and 2 others like this.
  2. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    DA3CCAAF-E54B-4722-B8D7-C71AA76BBF73.jpeg

    These were the cleaned parts that were going in my Prius.
    Intake manifold, EGR cooler and pipe, and EGR valve.
     
    #2 MelonPrius, Mar 31, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2022
    m3pare likes this.
  3. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Dirty part from my Prius.

    06031E34-979A-46ED-97A9-7268686D4219.jpeg
     
  4. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    More dirty parts that were replaced from my Prius.
     

    Attached Files:

  5. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,842
    3,099
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    What about the EGR cooler? No pictures of the dirty one that was taken off the car?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  6. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Good question. I took photos of the parts that were set aside for me to see. I guess the cooler wasn’t there.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Reasonable price. And it makes me appreciate how much I saved by DIY'ing this stuff. I didn't change any gaskets though. Did they?
     
  8. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I don't think so. I was told they would swap out the manifold, EGR pipe, EGR cooler, and EGR valve. Those should be the products in the photo of my 2nd post.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  9. Paladain55

    Paladain55 Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2021
    357
    136
    0
    Location:
    The South
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    How often do you plan to clean it?
     
  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,473
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    The independent shop near me has a pile of cleaned egr coolers ready to go. It is the smart way to go.
     
    Montgomery likes this.
  11. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My components were reasonably dirty, but not close to being clogged. So I’m leaning towards another cleaning after another 90k miles.

    The guys at Hybrid Pit said that at my mileage they have seen EGRs with a wide range of dirtiness, including some that were completely clogged. It’s dependent on a lot of factors.

    I wish I knew what kind of driving is best for keeping the EGR clean, just out of curiosity.
     
    mikey_t likes this.
  12. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,473
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    It depends on how much oil you are burning.
     
    mikey_t likes this.
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Somewhat? The dipstick on mine is rock steady, but I got moderate carbon in the EGR.
     
  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,473
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    The difference is between a dirty egr cooler (Toyota's design) and a clogged egr with excessive carbon downstream (Toyota's flawed rings and 10k interval). This difference is what makes one 98k egr cooler "normal" and one clogged. The same difference that causes head gasket problems. The egr is the canary in the coal mine, it is not the poisonous gas.

    In this case the op may have the better pistons and rings in his 2014.
     
    mikey_t, bigrin and Mendel Leisk like this.
  15. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I wish I had updated rings and pistons but unfortunately, do not.

    Greg at HP feels strongly about the 5k miles oil interval. I’ve been going 10k between oil changes but will now go 5-7k since I’m starting to burn oil.

    Also, my coolant level was low. That’s either normal for a car that hasn’t had the coolant properly topped off in 8 years. Or, it could be a gasket problem if the coolant level drops again since I don’t have any leaks.

    I’m going to pay closer attention to my oil and coolant levels. With the rising cost of gas and the insane prices for new/used cars, I’m going to plan for the possibility of keeping the Prius long term.
     
    mikey_t likes this.
  16. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,842
    3,099
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    You're already starting to burn oil and still you're considering extending the oil change interval to 7k?



    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  17. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    In terms of how much oil I’m burning…

    The oil starts off at the high end of the acceptable range on the dip stick after an oil change. Then it slowly drops to the bottom end of the acceptable range on the dip stick over 5k miles.

    Over 10k miles, I have been adding half a quart. If I change the oil at 5-7k miles then I’m hoping to avoid adding oil.

    I’m driving to British Columbia in a month and will probably bring a quart of oil with me, to be safe. I have always used 0w-20. Is it time to change my oil’s viscosity since I’m changing it next week?
     
  18. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2020
    1,639
    766
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Yes the EGR is included with their service.
    Also you could save some money at hybridpit.com using code azusa.
     
  19. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    809
    504
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Im going to shorten the oil change interval. Not extend it.

    Previously, I had always changed the oil at 10k intervals.
     
  20. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,842
    3,099
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My point is that, it is recommended to change your oil at 5k intervals, even if you are using synthetic oil for higher mileage cars.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    Foxglove likes this.