I’ve been learking around here for couple weeks. I’m a new 2010 owner (Purchased it 3 weeks ago). 118,000 miles on her, and first thing I did was get the tranny, brake, and all coolants changed. I understand winter blend gets you lower mileage, but I can’t get past 42mpg with ECO mode and no matter how light I feather the gas, cruise control, highway etc. I was told the plugs were just changed, no way to verify. Today I just cleaned out EGR valve and throttle body. Replaced both cabin and air filter. The valve was dirty but not blocked. Should I clean the intake manifold? I also purchased PCV valve and plan on doing that since so cheap. I really want to hit the 300,000 mile club with this blue beauty. Great forum and thanks in advance!
congrats and welcome! start tracking your oil level to see if you are burning any. what tires and pressure are you running? how old is the 12v, and what does it measure when cold? 42 isn't out of the realm this time of year, and it depends on your driving routine and topography
I’ve been tracking the oil and the owner swears it never burned any. I drilled this into him that I know these are notorious for biting oil. Says it never burned a drop. I’m running a brand new set of Bridgestone Blizzacks. I believe pressure is at 50 or whatever was on the sidewall, I know I double checked that after I had them installed at discount tire. Aftermarket aluminum rims. He said the 12v was replaced 3 months ago...looks new to me. How would I measure? I’ve never messed with batteries, can I just take it to autozone?
Welcome to Prius Chat . Did you clean the egr cooler? How fast does your hv battery cycle between almost full and the time when the engine restarts? What tires pressures are you running? What type of tires do you have on the Prius? Good luck and keep us posted .
Start here, a list that covers most issues except brake pad drag: Fuel economy complaints/queries? Please copy, paste & answer these questions, esp. if you're new | PriusChat
The EGR pipe's looking not-bad for that mileage. I'd definitely consider doing the full EGR clean-out, before not too long. Ditto for the intake manifold, and the Oil Catch Can install. The PCV valve is probably fine, but you've got a new one, and it's cheap: for sure replace when you've got the intake manifold off. Take your time, watch the videos by @NutzAboutBolts (pinned at top of maintenance sub-forum). Also, a couple of good threads: EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results | PriusChat Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! | PriusChat I would read both threads, end-to-end, lots of tidbits. When I got into it, I had a fairly typical arsenal of tools. It's good to have an enclosed garage with a slab, a floor jack and safety stands (ramps would also do). Ratchet wrenches, both regular and long-handle are handy, swivel head helps in some instances. Both a 3/8" and 1/4" torque wrench will be needed if you're a stickler for torque values. And E8 torx socket is needed to remove some studs on the EGR, and there's similar studs on intake manifold (for the throttle body) that are E6. A ratcheting 12 mm box wrench is maybe not essential, but very handy, in particular for the EGR to exhaust connection. Also, you cannot have too many pliers, straight and offset, various lengths. Ditto for ratchet extensions: you'll need every length: 1.5", 3", 6". Regarding coolant lines, somewhat contrary to the videos: 1. There's no need to disconnect coolant lines from the throttle body; you can just lift it off off and tie it out of the way. 2. With the EGR valve/cooler removal, you can avoid any coolant spillage, and any need to clamp hoses, if you drain a couple of quarts from the radiator and the outset (at the radiator drain spigot). Drain it into a clean container, then when you're done pour it back into the reservoir. This will drop the coolant level below the egr system. There will be a table spoon or two trapped at the back of the EGR cooler: just lift it off and tip it into the previously drained coolant container. Here's some Repair Manual info:
