Should I change brake fluid?

Yes, it's reasonable to change the brake fluid after 9 years - however that could wait until your income stream resumes.

For that matter, if the brake pads and shoes still have reasonable thickness then why replace them now? (The minimum acceptable thickness is 1 mm on both.)

(As a personal finance suggestion, I recommend that you minimize discretionary expenditures until you've secured a new job, as who knows how long that will take. Good luck.)

 

Hobbit learned some interesting things about the brake fluid; look for the "Brake fluid" heading here.

If you have pads that need changing at 116,000 you might want to be sure to find out what's making them wear so fast. Seriously. I'm at 160,000+, I've been measuring the thickness of mine when I have the wheels off, and if I extrapolate the wear down to the 1mm minimum, I need to be sure to save up for pads and shoes in around 2018. Have you got a sticking caliper piston or sliding pin or something?

I have knocked down the glazed surface on linings and rotors a couple of times lightly by hand with 150 grit sandpaper. (Probably accounts for more of the lining wear than driving the car!)

-Chap

 

Something to consider – brake fluid is hydroscopic - it picks up moisture. Not overnight, but it will over time. Years ago the recommendation was to bleed the system out every two years. This is not a DIY job on the classic Prius since it requires dealer-only equipment. Balance that with the overpriced brake component cost – I waited too long and had to replace a brake booster ($1800) at 170,000 miles. While I’m not sure that periodic fluid refreshment would have prevented this, proper maintenance is always a good practice. Something I should have done - probably at about 116,000 miles.

 

Actually, I've changed brake fluid on my 2001 without use of special tools. First, I used a syringe to remove most of the old brake fluid from the reservoir, replacing with new DOT3 Toyota brake fluid.

Then, the process entails opening one wheel brake cylinder valve at a time, with a vinyl hose leading to a glass jar. With the Prius READY, I had my wife depress the brake pedal very slightly, then I opened the valve to let old fluid out. A continuous flow of brake fluid will result. I closed the valve before she released the brake pedal. I did the rear wheels first, then moved to the front wheels.

The main issue is to ensure that you do not let the brake fluid reservoir go dry, because if you allow air to enter the system at that point, it will be impossible to bleed out the air without using the Toyota diagnostic laptop. Hence it is necessary to frequently replenish the fluid level in the reservoir, as you are flushing fluid through the system.

The above process does not work for 2G Prius.

 

FWIW, Honda recommends changing brake fluid every 3 years, regardless of mileage.