The basic Tool Roll?

10, 12 and 14 mm would be the most frequently used metric sizes. Then you might want a spark plug socket and a socket that would fit the wheel lug nuts.

1/2" ratchet, 3/8" ratchet, breaker bar in both sizes, and a length of pipe (cheater bar equivalent) to extend the breaker bar length.

 

Yes there sure is. You can't get the breaker bar snug enough to whack with a hammer. And beating on a breaker bar on the side of the road is one big fail.

Only thing I carry is a 1/2 breaker bar and a 3 inch extension with the lug nut socket and a piece of 3 foot emt pipe ($4) to extend the breaker bar like Pat says. Lifesaver. This is to break the nuts off the wheels. No beating required.

That and a flashlight and a tire pressure gauge and some gloves. If you need anything else your not taking very good of the car.

 

You'll need a 10mm hex drive for the tranny drain plug. 15/16 (or metric equivalent) socket for tranny fill plug. Might need an oil filter wrench. Plastic/nylon pry tools for popping fasteners inside and outside.

+1 on the pipe extension for fussy nuts.

 

Was that black tape black ELECTRICAL tape? I would,put both electrical tape and a hose-mending type of tape (fabric reinforced like duct tape but more flexible and better adhesives to handle hot pr sunrises liquids.
Also ad stainless steel safety wire (used on aircraft) and pliers to cut and twist it. That saved my bacon when the rear wheel air deflector things in front of the tires had the screws vibrate out on the rough roads in the Yukon.
Small volt-ohm-ammeter plus spare fuses.
Emergency 12-volt battery.
Better handle for the Jack or a better Jack plus handle.
Wheel chocks.
I carry a Gerber and a Leatherman multi-tools and have used them for screwing in loose screws and bolts plus cutting and twisting wire, etc.
Really good utility knife with spare blades.
Adjustable wrenches in small, and medium sized at least.
Multi-bit screwdriver with Phillips and flat blades and Torx if prius has those.
Air pump to go with tire pressure gauge , Tire repair plugs, Slime, Goop, etc for small holes in tread,

 

A piece of plastic to kneel on when tire changing in the rain or snow. I use an old shower curtain.

 

No need for Torx. The only need for Allen that I can immediately think of is a 10 mm hex key socket to remove the drain plug for transaxle ATF and a 6 mm hex key to open the valve that vents air at the top of the radiator.

Yes, the point of using a pipe (cheater equivalent) to extend the breaker bar is to make it easy for you to gracefully apply the necessary torque for some situations like removing wheel lug nuts.

 

10mm, 12mm, 14mm and 19mm are the wrench socket sizes needed for J.I.S. bolts and nuts on most all Prius models.

I also like to carry large black contractor garbage bags. It can hold the removed flat tire wheel, be something to lay on when working under the car, and can serve as a poncho in the rain with holes cut out for you head and arms.

A small blue tarp is also a good idea. In an emergency, it can be used as a distress signal, since BLUE is seldom found in an terrain on earth.

I use a 15 inch long piece of schedule 80 aluminum pipe as a cheater bar. It weighs 11 ounces as opposed to a couple of pounds for steel.

I also have a blanket and several water bottle and some energy bars.

This pre-Leatherman tool from the 1980's was once issued to US ski troops.

WRENCH PLIERS MULTITOOL

 

No need for anything that heavy-duty if you make sure in advance that the lug nuts are not too tight. A 13/16" spark-plug wrench (as part of a 3/8"-drive socket set) works well on the lug nuts, and eliminates need to carry the crude, clumsy standard lug wrench.

Also carry screwdrivers, a knife, a set of ¼"-drive metric sockets, and a multimeter.

 

heavy jacket w good gloves in pockets/ water easy food blanket. besides whats been said and good walking shoes. rope also

 

I've owned many many socket sets over the years.


My favorite is this Cescent tool set that was on sale during Christmas time at all Ace Hardware stores for $30 ten years, ago. I keep a set in both of my cars.

Except for not having metric hex keys and a few other tools, it is the best tool set when to comes to usability. The case is the best part, since you know if any tool is missing. In 1968, when they found a ratchet in the command module wiring after the Apollo 204 fire, they started using fitted cases for tools for the same reason.

When the case is laid flat, every tool is organized an labeled right in front of you. There is no need to take the tools out of the box and to check what size each piece is.

 

God forbid you get stranded in the middle of the Boise State football stadium - for many reasons.

 

This is fun.
^^^ I have tried duct tape for small radiator hose leaks but the coolant seemed to leak through the adhesive. They used to also sell a non-plastic black cloth tape called "friction tape" IIRC that was intended for non-electrical use, so I have experience with at least three different types of black tape, all with different intended functions.
I would carry both strap iron and stainless safety wire as the strap iron is more heavy duty but less conform able to tight , twisty situations, whereas stainless wire (or baling wire to be cheaper) is easier to get into difficult places but concentrates the load on the narrow channel of the wire and is overall weaker.
Will be interested in final list and pics.

 

you r right about only carrying tools u need. but how do you know that, omc outboards said they only needed x amount of sizes. would be nice to get rid of 11, 18 mm sizes etc. btw 18mm work on chevy tranny brackets from88 forward. u might have to work on other ops stuff. your wrenches will not work on british standard royal enfields. haha

 

And I thought they were invented so tire shops could quickly and easily overtighten lug nuts so tight they can't be removed without another impact wrench or a long cheater bar---if the car survives the abuse undamaged.

 

Quite honestly the Prius is not a car that breaks down on the side of the road. If it is does, it is usually user neglect. When something goes wrong and a code is thrown you usually have a pretty good warning and can get off the road and to a repair shop or back home. The only time in 130K miles this has ever happened is when I ran out of gas (somewhat purposefully to test it out). The car then continues to drive on electric only and I drove another mile to the next interstate exit regenned down the offramp and drove across the street into the gas station.

I think the only tools you need in a Prius:

CAN Reader - Plugs into the OBDII port and tells you the DTC errors and allows you to clear them. The one I made will tell me the HV pack voltage and current in/out readings just for fun when plugged in all the time

Emergency Snow Chains - If the traction control disables you, a good set of real chains work great

Gardening Pad - It is a squishy pad that people kneel on when they are gardening. It works great for the side of the road changing a flat or putting on chains. In the snow it is nice to not kneel directly on the snow

Emergency Kit - Flare, reflector triangles, thermal blanket, chemical heater pads (like you can buy for your ski boots), electrical tape, duct tape

Emergency Power - I keep a fully charged 16000mAh battery in the back. It has 2 usb outputs and a cheesy LED flashlight. Enough to fully charge my phone from empty to full over 5 times. I have a similar one that some weekends when I travel I don't even bring my wall charger and the battery can keep my phone fully charged the entire weekend from the plane flights to the night charges and whatever else.

Emergency Food - Some water, some fat/protein like nuts

Tire Stuff - Good jack, spare tire, 12v tire inflation widget

Fuses - An assortment of mini-fuses for the cabin and normal fuses for the bonnet.

The rest of the stuff is not necessary for a Prius. It is good for your garage but the Prius doesn't just die like domestics do. It is like a mule you can abuse If a spark plug dies you will get a CEL and it will keep on trucking for hundreds or thousands of miles. If the coolant pump dies it will throw a master warning light tell you there is a problem with the car, and keep on driving for many miles. If it is just the inverter, pull over let it cool down, and continue on. If the engine radiator stops cooling, then you can limp back on electric with bursts of engine. There are just really no roadside breakdowns in the Prius that are repairable events on the side of the road. If it fails to the point where you actually have to fix it there, you have a major problem.

 

I am not annoyed, but I don't understand your observation. The correct use for a cheater bar is to loosen hardware, not to tighten.

By having a longer lever arm to work with, it is much easier to apply the needed torque. This is a basic physics concept. There is absolutely no reason that hardware should be damaged while it is being loosened.

Further, it is easier on a stud or a nut to have gradual loosening torque applied to it vs. the sudden shock from an impact wrench or your hammer.

Regardless, if your technique works for you then no worries.

 

I would recommend a block of wood and a hammer (or a good size rubber ended hammer). This is in case the wheels are stuck on the rotors if you are trying to change a flat tire and can't get the flat one off the car. This happened to me at the office last year. I was lucky and the facilities guy was still in and had a hammer to lend me and I found a 1 foot piece of 2x6 to put against the inside of the wheel to beat on.