Getting ready to do EGR/manifold/throttlebody, etc. cleaning-have lots of questions-long post-sorry

Hello all;
My wife's 2010 prius yesterday morning started up really bad. Engine knocking and shuttering was aweful and lasted over a minute before it started to get a little better. I know I need to do all the ERG and mainfold removal/cleaning, etc. Up to this point I have put it off. Here is the history of the vehicle.
Original owners(bought new in July 2010). Current mileage around 160kish miles (don't remember current mileage, but over 160K)
At 106K I did the following myself using NAB vids and Chrisfix vids
-changed all spark plugs
-drain/fill both coolants
-drain/fill ATF fluid
-brake fluid flush

At maybe 120-130k miles (don't remember exactly) I stopped doing 10k oil changes as the car burns a lot of oil and switched to 5K changes, but still have to put around 12-16oz of oil every couple of weeks (I check oil at every gas tank fill-up). I know that this is a major problem with the Gen3's and have just dealt with it. I have also considered switching to a heavier full synthetic oil like 5w 20. Not sure if any of you guys have done this and if it helps at all.

This morning I have already taken down the following as I was familiar with doing it for the plugs:
-Removed wipers, wiper motor assembly, the plastic housing, the metal tray underneath and engine cover.

using NAB videos I started on the removing the throttle body and manifold. I got as far as:
-Removed the airbox assembly.
-Removed the ERG pipe (never did that before)It looked almost completely blocked with carbon.
-loosened the clips to the wiring harness around the manifold.

So this is where I am at. I haven't continued because I do not have those hose locking clamps to clamp off the hoses to the throttle body. I checked all local stores and auto part stores and nobody has them physically in the store or they don't carry them. So I am going to have to order them off amazon or ebay, etc. Some questions I have are:
1) Can I continue without the clamps? I thought I read on here that someone just collected the coolant out of each hose with a large Ziploc bag. Will this work of will coolant keep rushing out of the hoses? Can I just drain the coolant reservoirs and refill once this is all done, or is it not worth doing?

2) Since I will be working on the car between my two jobs it will be sitting in the garage until I have everything done. So in the meantime I took out the original battery from the back of the car. To maintain the battery, can I just put it on a standard 12v trickle charger? I have one that I use for the lawn mower, and now that it is slightly warmer here I could take it off mower battery and put it on prius battery. Or should I just buy a new battery when this is all done? How much are the toyota replacement batteries? I would prefer to go OEM Toyota since I have had bad luck with aftermarket batteries in vehicles (sears, autozone, etc.)

I figure once I have the manifold and throttle body out, I will also be doing the PCV valve along with the erg cooler, so I will need to order enough clamps to clamp that stuff off too.

3) What clamps do you guys recommend buying for all of this stuff and how many? Judging from NABs erg cooler and manifold videos, he just uses the black and yellow plastic ones and it looks like about 6 maybe?

Since I will be tearing all this shit out to clean, etc. I think I should add that oil can catch since I will have easy access to it with this project. I watched NAB's video on it, but I am not crazy about using the hardware store barbed piece like he did. I imagine this was done very early on when these kits first came out, so I am wondering if the kits have gotten better? Is there a kit you guys recommend that doesn't need that hardware store adapter piece?

Since I will be buying the clamps, are there any other tools that you guys recommend I have or buy?
I know I will need to get that mini torx tool that NAB used to remove those EGR studs. I don't have anything like that. I will probably also be buying some of the socket wrenches that are built into the round end (not sure how else to describe it.)

Any other tips/suggestions/advice for tackling all of this? I will take all the experienced advice I can get.

i guess that is all the questions I have for now. If it turns out I can't continue without the clamps I might just start cleaning the engine compartment while I wait for all the clamps, tools, etc. that I wind up buying to come in. Thanks in advance for your help. Sorry this is such a long post.

 

Thanks for helping me out. I read through your post. In regards to the clamps, I would like to do it exactly like NAB did , but I guess I can jack up the front of the car temporarily on some stands and drain some of the coolant out. I did the coolant drain and fill at 104K, so I was hoping not to have to do a complete drain and refill again until 200k miles. In regards to the tech stream stuff, I don't have any way to check/clear codes. At this point the car has never thrown any codes, so I never have needed anything to check/clear them.

 

Thank you as well for taking the time to help me out as well. I will try to address each part of your writeup with some comments and questions I have.
I see your point about not disconnecting the coolant lines on the throttle body, but I would like to do it exactly like NAB did and completely remove it and give all parts of it a through cleaning. I peaked under the throttle plate (not sure if that is correct terminology) and it had a lot of oil in it like NAB's did. I don't think I could give it a proper and thorough cleaning with it inside the engine compartment still attached to hoses.

In regards to the clamping off the cooler hoses for the EGR cooler to be a waste of time, If I don't, won't even more coolant come out?
In regards to the cooler bleed bolt, I never noticed that and didn't use it when I did the coolant drain and fill. I just emptied out as much as possible from drain locations. Then I filled with new coolant, then gently squeezed all hoses to burp them of air. Not sure how do use this part you are describing. I will look on youtube for a video that perhaps shows how to use it.

In regards to determining where I am at in regards to buildup. Not sure if you caught this in my original post, but I stated I have already removed the EGR pipe from cooler to manifold. It is loaded with carbon. It looks almost completely blocked.

Thank you for all the links to the NAB videos and other threads. I will be sure to read those threads to get even more information.

Thank you also for the list of recommended tools. Some of them I have, but some of them I will need to get.

Continuing down your comments, Again you mention not taking off the throttle body, but I addressed this above why I want to remove it.

Lastly, for the EGR cooler, you agree that I must remove the coolant hoses and also suggest draining a portion of the coolant to get below the level of the components (2 liters you say). How do I determine that i am below the components? Should I just drain exactly 2 liters?
Thank you both for your continued help

 

Well the way I look at it, if I am going to go through all this trouble to really thoroughly clean everything, I might as well take it out and give it a good cleaning. Not sure what the big deal is as it is just 2 hoses. I think at this point I am just going to do a complete drain of the coolant system for the engine. For the cost of 2 gallons of coolant, I think it will make my life a lot easier than jacking with pinching pliars/clamps. besides, most reviews I read of them on amazon, most say they are junk, break, etc.

 

Couple of questions that weren't addressed in my original post. can I trickle charge the battery with a trickle charger?

What ratcheting wrench do you guys recommend? The reviews on the ones on amazon are spotty-many say they are garbage, they break. Looking for a req. for a quality tool.

 

Thanks for confirming I can trickle charge it. I took battery out of car, so I can easily plug it in by an outlet in the garage.

Yes sir. That ratching box wrench where it has the built in little ratchet inside the round of box end. I will look for the Tekton flex head model. Thanks for confirming. With sears gone, I can no longer buy any craftsman tools. They have always been my go to for decent hand tools for the money. Now other than the super expensive snap on, not sure what tools to use or buy anymore.

 

Makes sense to me. Nice to have one on each side. Now onto the oil can catch. Is there a favorite one to use here on PriusChat?

 

Well I will check that thread, but I would prefer not to go with a cheap one. If you have one you recommend, unless you did some over the top custom DIY yourself job then I can understand.

 

Holy crap. That OCC thread is over 90 pages. Is there a particular page that has a link to one that is recommended?

 

Just got off the phone with my local dealership. Ordered new PCV valve, and 2 gaskets for manifold (the one for around the 4 cylinders and the small ring where the EGR pipe enters the manifold. Just under $25. Coolant is 18$/gallon, so will probably pick up a gallon when the parts come in.

 

I have to work the next couple of days, but then it will be to jack up front of car, drain the coolant, and then lower and start tearing this stuff out!

 

Wow-that is a little spendy. Was hoping for around $50 for a decent kit with all the parts/hoses, etc.