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

new owner: best preventative maintenance for 250k mi prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ericspoor, Jul 25, 2018.

  1. ericspoor

    ericspoor Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2018
    76
    37
    0
    Location:
    austin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Hi all, and thanks in advance for any help!

    Just bought a 2005 prius with 250,000 miles. bought from original owner who provided mileage logs from inception and full maintenance logs. oil changes have been good, and he got a new battery from the dealer 85k miles ago too! heres what i think needs to get done immediately, tell me what should or shouldn't be on there:

    oil change
    hybrid transaxle fluid change
    both coolant systems fluid change
    spark plugs

    anything else? ive read something about getting the cooling fans cleaned? I only paid 2,000 for the car and have a bit of money i want to invest to make this car last as long as possible
    thanks again!
     
    #1 ericspoor, Jul 25, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 25, 2018
  2. SRQ

    SRQ Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2013
    148
    53
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'd get a nice K&N air filter, change out the PCV valve, and clean up the mass air flow sensor and throttle body.

    Do the records show the last time the transaxle fluid was changed? That might be a priority. I recommend that you retain a sample of the transaxle oil and have it sent out for lab testing to determine the condition of the transaxle, especially if you don't know the last time the fluid was changed.

    Lastly, the biggest piece of advice I have for you is to perform each one of these maintenance actions at at time, and then drive the car around for a little bit. Don't be like me and do everything in one go and then have weird stuff happen and wonder which maintenance action I might have botched that led to the weird stuff. Everything turned out okay but it's not worth the stress.
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,463
    8,377
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I'm not sure a K & N filter is necessary, you won't get any better performance....even if you remove the filter completely
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  4. scottberggren

    scottberggren Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2018
    9
    6
    0
    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Great ideas. I just bought a 2008 with 200k and have done the same things. Maybe some more experience people can give us some other tips. Here was the list of what I did:

    Change Oil/Filter (5W-30 Castrol Edge High Mileage, Mobil1 Filter)
    Transaxle fluid (OEM Toyota fluid)
    Spark Plugs (Denso Iridium)
    Change Intake Air/Cabin Air filters
    Clean MAF sensor
    Bore scope of cylinders to see condition (soon will make post of images for others to see)
    Examine/clean throttle plate
    Examine intake
    Check AC high/low pressure (new gauge set to avoid contamination)
     
  5. SRQ

    SRQ Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2013
    148
    53
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I use the K&N filter not so much for performance, but to not have to change the air filter as frequently and save money over the long run.
     
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2009
    5,596
    3,770
    0
    Location:
    So. Texas
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Good advice for a newer car but the OP has a 14 year old car with 250k so odds are the long run isn't going to be that long. Most folks don't understand how much cleaning and oiling it takes to keep those types of filter operating efficiently. Toyota air filters are about $18 on ebay; aftermarket versions even less.

    +1 on all the items already mentioned to which I'd add look at those records to see when both coolant pumps (ICE and inverter) were changed and the belt. If it's been a while, it would be best to do those when you do the coolant flushes. You can also look underneath the ICE pump for colored evidence of coolant leakage.

    Another possible failure point on gen 2 is wheel bearings.

    Decide now if you want to start a fund for an expensive repair (inverter, electric brake pump, transaxle, head gasket) or ditch it. Also, keep a very close eye on oil usage. Finally, find a code reader solution (techstream, torque, etc) that's best for you.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #6 fotomoto, Jul 26, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2018
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    12,470
    6,862
    2
    Location:
    Greenwood MS USA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    I disagree with two out of three. K&N buys you nothing but headaches. Over oiling, under oiling, just don't go there.
    Let me take time to endorse the PCV valve, unless it was done less than 100,000 miles ago.
    'Cleaning' the MAF or throttle body may add problems you don't have now. Unless there are drivability issues, stuttering, stalling, racing, etc. let them be. If you MUST 'clean' your intake, buy a bottle of Techron every 100,000 miles and follow instructions.

    Your Prius Maintenance Manual only goes to 120,000 miles so just assume it repeats. If the previous owner did the 120,000 steps at 240,000 miles, you can start at the 10,000 service. If they didn't, I would start at 120,000 service and then go from there.

    If you can't see a drain and fill of the ATF in the last 90,000 miles, I would do one now.

    There are Brake Fluid test strips to tell you if you want the dealer to flush the Brake fluid. (it is not a shade tree job in a Prius)

    Here is the 2005 Manual:

    https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/05ToyAllMS_MS0012/pdf/51w1smt.pdf

    The Toyota Owners site can tell a lot of history if you have the VIN.
    Toyota Owners Official Web Site
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,468
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Brakes.

    Nearly eight years, and 76K kms (admittedly not that much) our 2010 still has the original engine air filter, and it's barely darker than brand new.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, Jul 26, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2018
  9. johnjohnchu

    johnjohnchu Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2008
    211
    104
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    check engine oil level often
     
  10. SRQ

    SRQ Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2013
    148
    53
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I've never had an issue with K&N filters, if you follow the instructions there's not much that can go wrong with over/under oiling.

    I'm curious, wat kind of problems can come from cleaning the MAF/throttle body? I meant both that AND the sensor, but if issues can come up from cleaning it I'd like to know before I do it on my next maintenance cycle.

    Good point; however my K&N has been relatively maintenence free with the exception of the reoiling every 50k. I've done it about three or four times now with no issues.
     
  11. scottberggren

    scottberggren Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2018
    9
    6
    0
    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I think one of the issues with cleaning the MAF is their sensitivity. They are very delicate parts that are measuring a critical thing that the computer uses for much of its calculations. From what I understand, they are very sensitive to any coating or debris on them. A lot of techs will say that you must use MAF cleaner (which you can buy at an auto store) to keep any contaminants off it. Some of the cheaper engine cleaners might have oils or leave residues, which can affect the calculations that the MAF makes. That's my impression.

    In my limited experience, Carb cleaner has worked fine when I clean a MAF sensor. I check the ingredients (because they are not uniform) to make sure there's no oils in it, but I have not had a problem using that for spraying off a MAF sensor. If you're worried about it, use the special MAF cleaner.
     
    fotomoto likes this.
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,461
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
  13. ericspoor

    ericspoor Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2018
    76
    37
    0
    Location:
    austin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    thanks for the advice guys.

    the first thing i did was change the oil. before i did i checked the oil level on the dipstick and it showed oil right up to full line. this combined with how when i drained the old oil it was indeed used (i.e. it didn't have a fresh oil change recently) leads me to believe that miraculously the engine doesn't burn oil. when i went through the maintenance history the oil was actually changed about every 10k miles (sometimes less, sometimes more as well), usually with non-synthetic (not a great idea since this engine has variable valve timing).

    the next thing i did was change the spark plugs, which might have been original since i couldn't find evidence of a change in the records. they didn't look so bad and afterwards i could tell a slight difference- when the engine kicks on while driving on battery only its less noticable.

    next up is eCVT fluid change, which based on youtube videos seems like i can do myself too. the dealer quoted $270 when its 30 minutes of work and $40 of fluid so no thank you to that.
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,468
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    That's way too much for the transaxle fluid change, indicative of a service dept that's larcenous or stupid, or both. Somewhere between $75 and $100 is reasonable, and DIY is not hard, about $40 with new washers.
     
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,461
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    A more likely evaluation would be that oil was recently added to the engine. 10K mile oil change intervals for regular engine oil is excessive and this may have accelerated engine wear.
     
    johnjohnchu and Mendel Leisk like this.
  16. ericspoor

    ericspoor Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2018
    76
    37
    0
    Location:
    austin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    good point patrick, that is possible. the last oil change was synthetic (though the history shows that the synthetic switch was recent), so 10k on synthetic with a prius where the engine isn't being driven hard, and some amount of the time the engine is off entirely, makes the interval length somewhat justifiable. that said, i plan on doing 3k intervals with synthetic from here on