Frequent oil changes

10,000 is the norm. it's in your maintenance manual. synthetic oil.
not sure why your reminder comes on every 2-3,000 miles, it's usually 5k for tires, or when you get to 15k, cabin filter and etc.
but either way, it's just maintenance, not 'oil' specifically.

 

Changing the gasket on the intake manifold can be done. It takes about 1.5 hours to do as you remove some parts and pieces for access.

How many miles on your Prius? Why do you feel you have an intake leak? Is there a dash light illuminated?

If removing the intake manifold, there are other preventative maintenance items that are made easier by its removal.

 

+1

I'd keep whatever oil change interval that you've been using.
I'd also want to know why it is that you think that you have an intake manifold leak.

Question?
Do you DIY your oil changes or have them done?
If you have them done, you don't per chance have them done at the dealer, do you?

If so it might be time to re-examine your relationship with the dealer, since they're supposed to reset the maintenance reminder to the current OCI (10,000 miles in the US.)

Good Luck!!

 

Sounds like the dealer you have been using leaves something to be desired.

What part of the country do you reside? If you give us some idea of where you're located, we might be able to help with pointing you toward a reputable shop.

What codes did Pep Boys read? If you give us the codes, we'll be able to help with next steps.

Keep us posted .

 

how many miles on her?

 

If you look in the (US) Warranty and Maintenance Booklet, you'll see there's something happening every 5,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. Oil changes are at alternate intervals, ie: every 10,000 miles or 12 months.

Depends a lot on your situation, but if for example, you're putting on the miles slowly and it's months that governs, the maintenance indicator becomes little more than a confusing hindrance. I would just get very adept at resetting it yourself, read up what's required and when, per the Maintenance Booklet, and last but not least:

Decide whether you want to follow the oil change interval to the letter, or "improve" on it. FWIW, in Canada, 3rd gen oil change interval is 6 months or 8000 km's (5000 miles)

Regarding the intake manifold issue: are you sure there's a leak, at the gasket? Per bisco, how many miles on it? If I recall correctly, spraying something like WD40 around the intake manifold mating surface with engine, if there was a leak you would hear some fluctuation in engine as the fluid is sucked in. Personally I'd be averse to oiling up the engine like that, would consider alternatives first.

Unless you've got definitive diagnosis, I'm sceptical. Is there more back story on this? Anyway, I'll attach something on intake manifold removal/install.

 

I love their euphemism: "sticking". More likely "royally clogged with tar" would be the case, harumph, harumph.

Your mileage sounds about right: a lot of 3rd gen owners are reporting clogged EGR system around 150K: effects the intake mainifold, the connecting pipe, the EGR valve, and the EGR cooler. The latter likely being the motherlode for clogging, and of course the most "fun" to deal with.

 

Those codes together are usually indicative of an air flow restriction .

Are you a DIY type? If so, the intake manifold will probably be deposited up and may only have one or two inlet ports open.

The TSB for P0401 will only get you a new egr valve, but that doesn't solve the problem as the deposits are still there.

As @Mendel Leisk said, deposits are there and will need to be dealt with.

Keep us posted .

 

A little overview:

EGR stands for Exhaust Gas Recirculation. The object of the system is to return exhaust gases to the intake manifold, under certain load conditions, run them through the combustion chambers a second time, to lower emissions. Looking at the picture, the exhaust gasses enter the EGR system at the right end of the EGR cooler (it bolts to the exhaust manifold there, not shown), indicated by arrow.



The cooler is appropriately named because it has multiple coolant lines connected, and an internal radiator. The object being to cool the hot exhaust gases as they enter the system. Next in line is the EGR valve, controlled by the car's computers to open/close under certain load conditions. Then the pipe, and feeds into the the side of intake manifold, and then into the engine's combustion chambers.

Anywhere along that path there can (and will) be clogging, due to carbon/sludge airborne in the exhaust gases. Pretty much the whole thing needs inspection/cleaning, stem-to-stern. The "low hanging fruit" is the connectin pipe, between the EGR valve and intake manifold. By removing that you can get some idea of the degree of clogging. @NutzAboutBolts has a video on removal, inspection/cleaning of that pipe, here:

Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat

(video #16)

Just to rant a little: this I believe is the first EGR implementation on a Prius, 2nd gen did not have it AFAIK. And it it not a good design, is failing due to clogging, regularly and predictably, relatively early in the cars' "life spans", and cleaning it is not an easy task: especially the cooler.

So far Toyota has "acknowledged" the issue, but their fix appears to be case-by-case, and typically skirts dealing with the cooler, the toughest component to access, and the most difficult to clean.

 

In a fair and just world, grief counselors would make what mechanics make and vice versa.....but you already know that the world is neither fair nor just.
Thanks.


Yeah.....it sounds like the EGR might need looking into.
Fortunately, it's fairly easy and you have some documentation above.

This may serve as a guide as well.

I want to close the loop on your plugs.
Have they been done or not?
IIRC they usually get changed around 120,000 miles.
If so, then it's too late to fuss and cuss about the price, but if not it's one of those jobs that you can do much more cheaply than paying for labor.

One last thing, and forum regulars will have to excuse my always harping on this, but I drive a 2010 (and it's not even my car!) and they have an undeserved rep as oil burners.

Please check your oil every month or 1000 miles and keep it topped off.
There's NO REASON that this car cannot continue to serve you faithfully for another 100,000 miles, especially if you squirrel some money away in a repair fund.
MUCH cheaper than making monthly car payments!!

Good Luck!

EDIT:
I see Mendel is as efficient as ever.
The @NutzAboutBolts videos serve as an excellent resource for any Prius driver wanting to do the DIY thing!!!

+1 on his comments about the EGR valve.

 

@Raytheeagle has done the stem-to-stern cleaning, my "experience" is all just from reading and listening to him and others with higher mileage 3rd gens, who've hit the wall on this. Ours has got 67K kilometers right now, which amounts to erm, next-to-zero miles.

 

@m.wynn will be doing this exact activity at the end of April with at least another member in attendance .

Maybe we could do a video of the activities to help the forum out.

But that assumes us novices at videoing can handle it.

We'll give it the old grade school try though .

 

Great post, Mendel. This needs to somehow become an auto-reply to anyone who says they cleaned or are going to clean their EGR pipe...

With regard to Gen 2, it uses "internal EGR," where the ECU dictates valve overlap to the variable valve timing system at typical EGR required engine loads. This allows back-flow of exhaust gas into the combustion chamber in a maintenance free package. Of course Toyota went external, cooled EGR for Gen 3 and did a marginal job with it. I understand the never ending quest for higher thermal efficiency, but gladly would have given up a few tenths of an mpg for Gen 3 to have kept internal EGR.