Gen III Specific Oil Catch Can Kit?

I don't believe a ready-made kit exists for the 3rd gen Prius, and maybe for the best: there are several candidates for mounting a can. Most are mounting it to be accessible from above, in the front/right corner of engine bay (as you stand at the front). A few have mounted in rear/left pocket I think, and some have removed engine air intake snorkel, to make room for a front central mount.

Down lower, there's a couple of locations, with a bracket atop the lower front cross beam (my pref), and recently, bolting where the starter motor would be, except the prius doesn't require it so there's a blanking plate (front of engine, at junction between engine block and transaxle).

This is the go-to thread, if you haven't already found it:

Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! | PriusChat

The original poster's method, and hands-down the simplest/neatest plumbing is:

1. Cut the existing PCV hose at the middle.
2. Push on 3/8" hose barb* splicers to each cut end.
3. Push 3/8" ID fuel line (SAE30R6 or 7) onto the splicers.
4.. Run the lines to your oil catch can.

* If you ever envision pulling the hoses off the splicers, the hose barb style connectors are a royal pain. PEX connectors are similar, but easier for removal I think. The latter were hard for me to find nearby, so I resorted to chucking the barb splicers in a drill press, and slightly knocking the sharp edge of the hose barbs.

Clamps: both the hose barbs and the barbs on most oil catch cans grip the proper sized hose very securely. I don't bother with clamps any more, just use the OEM clamps at the original locations.

Here's a pic of the top half of my can, illustrating the hoses. As I said though, I don't bother with all those screw clamps any more:



I'm using Moroso 85474, but there's lots of cheapie options.

Note, an oil catch can is not a panacea for all the carbon clogging woes. It helps (hopefully), but you need to also dive in, fully clean the intake manifold and EGR system. Boiler plate info follows, and attachments:

The simplest way to see where you're at, is to check the degree of carbon build up in the EGR pipe, a stainless steel connecting pipe between the EGR valve and intake manifold. Watch @NutzAboutBolts video #16 here:

Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat

Two or three other videos linked there too, for the full cleaning of the intake manifold, full EGR clean, and Oil Catch Can install.

Good thread:

EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results | PriusChat

Another:

Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! | PriusChat

Some tools worth having:

E8 Torx socket (mandatory)
E6 Torx socket (optional, but good to have, to remove the throttle body studs from intake manifold)
3/8" ratchet wrench, regular and long handle, flex head, you can never have enough (or 1/2 plus reducer)
1/4" ratchet wrench, or 3/8" to 1/4" reducer
Ratchet extensions: you can never have enough
Long needle nose piers, straight and bent tip
Ratcheting 12mm box wrench (optional, but makes disconnection of the EGR cooler from exhaust easier)
Torque wrench (3/8" and 1/4" both good to have)
Floor jack and safety stands (or ramps): basically some method to raise front, if you need to take underpanel off, which you may need to, both for access and to recover dropped items.

Comment regarding clamping of coolant hose, mentioned and or shown in videos:

1. When removing the intake manifold for cleaning, you do need to lift the throttle body off the intake manifold. Still, the coolant hoses connected to the throttle body have ample slack, enough that you can leave them connected, and just tie the throttle body to something adjacent, say the inverter wiring harness.

2. When removing the EGR cooler, removing coolant hoses is necessary, but if you drain 2 liters/quarts from the radiator drain spigot prior (into a clean container), the coolant level in the system will be dropped below the EGR componennts, and you won't spill anything. Just be sure to not tip the cooler when lifting it off (and catch the rear gasket): there are a few tablespoons of coolant trapped at the lower back corner.

Pour that into your previous drained coolant, and when done pour it back into the reservoir. If you've got the coolant bleed bolt (2010, 2011 model years), leave it open while pouring the coolant back in, till coolant starts coming out. For later model years, leave the topmost coolant hose on EGR disconnected till coolant starts coming out. Also, might help to burp the main radiator hose as you pour the coolant back in.

 

I also interested in a complete kit is available for gen 3 for the near future, I may be interested in joining you project if done after this pandemic situation get under control, am in Indianapolis.

 

Sure I like the Idea just try to get the kit and let’s wait until this pandemic get under control, and I be more than happy to participate.

 

There's no reason to spend any more than the one linked to in NAB video that @Mendel Leisk linked to above.

Here it is.

It's $25 and now even comes with baffle material -- the stainless steel scrubby in the pic. I added that to mine when I bought it years ago. There are two chambers in which you'll want to insert the baffle material.

 

"Kit" infers someone's worked out all the bugs, sorted out the optimum install. Not sure that's the case, or even desirable.

 

I ordered that one and am planning to install in the PCV tube. But, this Gen 3 had very little contamination in the intake manifold lower area. However, it was thoroughly clogged in the EGR input ports. Is it possible (or advisable) to also put a catch can in the elbow tube between EGR and intake manifold. I'm not seeing how the typical install is going to keep the EGR crap out of the ports.

 

No, I don’t think that’s advisable or practical. EGR gasses are hot/dry/sooty, downstream of the combustion chamber. An oil catch can would be overwhelmed quickly, and probably way too hot for rubber hoses. Just stick to periodic cleaning of EGR passages.

 

Oil catch can deny’r eh? That’s misinformation and disinformation all in one!!!

 

I agree that rubber hoses are probably not a good element if used in EGR pipe (although downstream of EGR cooler would not be as hot as elsewhere). I will say that the intake manifold ports were completely clogged with oil/soot mixture and there should be a way to intercept these. I think Toyota either didn't know about or care about this problem.

 

There is a way to catch some of it: the EGR cooler. Seriously, I think you just have to keep up with it, pull everything off, clean, replace, every 50k miles max. The second time around, with all the tricks you've learned, and a few of the more problematic fasteners just left off, it goes a lot faster/smoother. Stay organized with the fasteners as you remove them, helps a lot.

You were doing the cleaning recently? At what miles?

You've probably disclosed all this; my attention-span and memory method is basically a coarse sieve...

 

I got this Gen 3 with the horrific knocking/clanking sound of the input damper in complete failure mode. But, I'm still in the learning process and had actually worked on this car 5 years ago when I'm sure an intake and/or EGR cleaning would have helped quite a bit. I got most of my Prius hints here but cleaning the EGR was not something I learned about. Mind you, I'm not complaining since I've learned quite a bit of other stuff here. I might have missed it but a good thing would be a list of best practices during engine removal/replacement. For example, another thing I'm doing is putting dielectric silicone grease on all the engine compartment electrical connections (although I don't really see evidence of corrosion at this point). I'll add here that the basic approach to maintenance of the previous owner was fairly regular oil changes with other maintenance items triggered by DTCs or strange noises (and sometimes waiting until the DTC was followed by strange noises or when the ICE failed completely.)

 

I agree, except that cooled EGR is not dry. Catch cans are supposed to capture oil mist, which should never be a significant component of exhaust gas. What donzoh1 wants is apparently a soot filter---which hypothetically can be done, but isn't easy or low-maintenance..

 

In cleaning the EGR cooler, I've done all of the following:
1. Boiled it in water plus OxyClean.
2. Boiled it in plain water.
(After each treatment, more black or dark brown contaminants came out.)
3. Put over 2 cans of Carb Cleaner through it.
(The result got progressively less dark.)
4. In between doses of carb cleaner, I blew it out from both ends with compressed air.

What I didn't try but would next time is plugging one end with duct tape plus a piece or wood or metal bolted to the end flange and then introduce carb cleaner from the other end. Letting that soak for several hours would probably be more efficient. I thought about using a propane torch from one end but didn't and I'm not sure whether that would help. There's got to be a better way.

 

The smaller of the two end holes is 21 mm ID; worthwhile picking up suitable stopper in advance.

 

I found my bare hand worked ok as convenient stopper with Oxiclean and warm water. Doing that with oven cleaner or drain cleaner would be a very bad idea though, because it would tend to eat your hand off.

 

When doing 4~5 hour long soaks that method gets old.

description from my purchase (pack of 5 was around $11 CDN):


Laboratory Solid Rubber Plug Stopper Bungs Flask Tapered Tube Plugs White Pack of 5pcs 000# -10# - 4# 26x19x28mm

 

You should be wearing gloves for the oven cleaner. I know, I left that part out.
My mistake for thinking "common sense".......... Just a habit.

My spare cooler is already cleaned. But in 9000 miles, I'll be installing it.
So I'll try the drain cleaner. I have a small bucket to put it in and let it soak.
And see if 30 minutes and a pressure washer works.
If not, oven cleaner it is! A PROVEN methode!!!

 

Various alkaline/caustic cleaners work.