How Easy, or Hard, Is it to Service the Gen III Vehicle? - Transmission Digest

How Easy, or Hard, Is it to Service the Gen III Vehicle?

The Prius family – Prius Hatchback, Prius C, Prius V and the Plug-in – is still wildly popular, and a new Prius is coming soon. So this issue, we’ll compare the second-generation Prius (2004-09) to the current, third-generation Prius (2010-15). The redesign changed a lot, technically, but did the car get easier or harder to service and repair?

How Easy, or Hard, Is it to Service the Gen III Vehicle?

Tech To Tech

Author: Craig Van Batenburg
Issue: Comparing Prius generations
Serviceability Report: Toyota Prius Gas/Electric Hybrid

Tech To Tech

  • Author: Craig Van Batenburg
  • Issue: Comparing Prius generations
  • Serviceability Report: Toyota Prius Gas/Electric Hybrid

For more than 15 years, Prius has been known as the quintessential hybrid. Sales have been so strong that at one time there was a waiting list, and almost 50% of hybrids on the road were Prii (plural for Prius).

Comedians have joked about them, movie stars have wanted to be seen in them, and people who drove them thought themselves superior. And I’ve been at the center of it all from the very beginning.

The Prius family – Prius Hatchback, Prius C, Prius V and the Plug-in – is still wildly popular, and a new Prius is coming soon. So this issue, we’ll compare the second-generation Prius (2004-09) to the current, third-generation Prius (2010-15). The redesign changed a lot, technically, but did the car get easier or harder to service and repair?

If you’re new to this column, we look at car designs through a technician’s eyes. So far we’ve reviewed cars, trucks and SUVs from Japanese, American, Korean, English and German car companies. Now, we return to a Japanese automaker for a comparison of an older Prius to the newer model.

Prius II

One glance under the hood of the Generation II Prius (2004-09), and it looks normal – if you have some hybrid training. Without that, it might seem a bit strange. It has precious little space, and you won’t see the 12-volt battery. Instead, look inside the hatch on the right corner, and you’ll find an absorbed glass mat (AGM) 12-volt unit.

The internal-combustion engine is a carryover from the previous model. Toyota has used a 1.5-liter engine with late intake valve closing (LIVC) since the beginning. Oil-change intervals are extended beyond what I would agree with, so continue to suggest more frequent oil changes to your hybrid customers. And be careful with the air filter; any issues with sealing or debris falling from it during service can cause a no-start if the mass air flow (MAF) sensor gets any foreign matter on the sense wire.

In general, you service hybrids much like conventional cars – unless you’re getting near an orange cable, a service plug or the high-voltage system. Otherwise, the rest of the car runs on 12 volts, with a few exceptions, and the techniques you’ve developed for service remain the same. If in doubt about hybrid safety, get trained before you get hurt. The Gen II Prius comes well documented and is easy to service in most cases.

The Generation III Prius

The redesigned 2010-15 Prius is bigger, faster and lighter, and the fuel economy went up a few mpg in the process. But service is much the same as before, with a few notable exceptions.

All Toyota Prius vehicles now use smart-key technology. Cutting a new metal key is pricey, as is the replacement metal key. Also, the hot-water-tank system for keeping the cylinder head warm has been replaced with an exhaust pre-heater that directs the internal combustion engine’s coolant into a chamber wrapped around the exhaust to heat the engine quickly. A larger engine (1.8 liters) and a boost converter that raises the high-voltage system from 200 volts to 650 volts under hard acceleration helps the performance, while the EV and PWR mode buttons keep the engine off at low speed/low load. And PWR means power.

The Automotive Career Development Center’s (ACDC) Gen III Prius averages 50 mpg, city and highway, which is just what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would. Designers replaced the single belt driving the water pump with a 12-volt brushless motor that does the job. With a chain driving the twin cams, this is truly a non-rubber-band system.

In almost every way, the Gen III Prius is a better car, but did Toyota make it easier to service than the Gen II? I would have to say yes – and no. The oil filter is a cartridge, so no problem there. The 2001-09 Prii have a rubber bladder in the gas tank and a sub-tank in the steel tank as well. If something goes wrong, you have to put in a new tank assembly. However, the Gen III has a replaceable pump and no bladder.

Toyota has moved in the right direction, using iridium spark plugs that retail for under 15 bucks each. And the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) is, by design, behind a panel under the intake manifold. The EPA does not require a monitor, if the PCV is hard to get to, and Toyota did a great job of hiding it.

The brake-by-wire system has fewer parts that look easier to access and disc brakes on the rear instead of drums. I spoke with Prius experts Jamie and Roberta Wooldridge, owners of Hilltown Hybrids in Plainville, Mass. Jamie says that the Prii are “great cars, and my customers love them.” But Roberta notes, “The newer Prius will need more brake work than the older one. In some ways, the Gen II Prius was cheaper to own.” (Full disclosure: Jamie helped conduct classes for ACDC at “Up Your Voltage,” ACDC’s six-day hybrid class.)

Indeed, some parts cost more in the Gen III when compared with the Gen II, though some cost less. The hybrid system is very good and has few problems. Access is OK, but other cars rate better. Most techs I spoke with, if they’ve had a steady diet of Prii (all years), have a few, small complaints but none that make Toyota’s changes seem dumb.

Summary

Are hybrids more difficult to service than conventional cars? Most certainly yes, especially if you’re new to them. But the cars’ high-voltage parts can ruin your day if you don’t follow safety procedures. Has anyone stateside been electrocuted working on a hybrid? No, because these cars are safe in the hands of well-trained hybrid techsnicians. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) offers a test, called the Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Test (L3), for those who are ready to prove they’re trained on hybrid systems. And safety is part of ASE’s L3 testing.

For the most part, the new Prius equals the earlier models. ACDC owns all three generations of Prii: I, II and III, so we know the cars have improved in serviceability. But technicians still need to get more input into their designs to make them even better. Remember: It’s harder to fix them than it is to design them.

Craig Van Batenburg, AAM, is a master hybrid technician. He is owner of the Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC), which he founded in 1998. He develops technical classes for those who require updating their knowledge in hybrid and electric cars.

You May Also Like

Going the extra mile: Proving your transmission repair suspicions

A 2003 Honda Pilot with a five-speed three-shaft transmission came into our shop with a customer concern that the vehicle had no power, and the “D” light was flashing. I first did a scan for codes to see what it came up with, and the scan tool returned four DTCs: P1298 (ELD voltage high), P0135 (H02S

RRfeature-1400

A 2003 Honda Pilot with a five-speed three-shaft transmission came into our shop with a customer concern that the vehicle had no power, and the “D” light was flashing. I first did a scan for codes to see what it came up with, and the scan tool returned four DTCs: P1298 (ELD voltage high), P0135 (H02S [S1] heater failure), P0141 (H02S [S2] heater circuit malfunction), P0748 (clutch pressure control solenoid valve “A” failure), and the ubiquitous P0700 (AT system malfunction) code. (See Figure 1). 

Diagnosing Ford 10R60, 10R80 and 10R140 series speed sensor issues

Ford 10-speed 10R series transmissions utilize four two-wire, Hall-effect sensors — TSS, ISSA2, ISSAB and OSS — for providing speed signals to PCM or TCM. They are supplied nine volts by a PCM or TCM and assist in the control of clutch apply/release timing that is used in determining shift quality, including TCC. Related Articles

Jatco JF613E transmission quick reference material

For those working on the Jatco JR613E transmission, a widespread transmission with plenty of applications, the following should be a helpful guide. Related Articles – Hidden problems: Three tales of electrical issues – Easy TH400, 4L80-E reverse servo setup: Craft your own tool – Outgrowing the walls: The story of EVT Transmission Parts Domestic and

Easy TH400, 4L80-E reverse servo setup: Craft your own tool

While not as sensitive as some shifting bands, the Reverse band adjustment on a TH400 or 4L80-E transmission is critical, and failure to get it right has tripped up even the best builders. There is nothing worse than getting the transmission installed, putting it in Reverse and then not going anywhere or having no engine

Spotting different 68RFE designs through the years to avoid issues

The Chrysler 68RFE has had several changes through the years. Its four-speed predecessor began with a noisy solenoid pack identified by a black colored pass-through case connector (seen in Figure 1).  Related Articles – Understanding lube flow control valves in Toyota/Lexus UA/UB80 transmissions – How reading through service bulletins can turn a technician into the

Other Posts

Shift Pointers: Focused DTCs

On occasions when a vehicle’s computer system detects an error, it can set an array of diagnostic trouble codes. The variety and quantity of them require the ability to diagnose diagnostic codes, so it’s nice when codes set that point directly to the problem.  Related Articles – Fabricating frictions: Keeping ahead of the curve at

Manual clutch repair and diagnostics

Manual gearboxes are relatively trouble-free and long-lived, provided that they are not abused too severely. The clutch, however, is a wear component. With every shift, the clutch must be disengaged and engaged. Stop-and-go driving in heavy traffic is especially hard on a clutch because the driver is always riding the clutch pedal. After millions of

Manual-Transmission
Looking deeper: Telling apart electrical issues and parts issues

We see such a variety of transmission problems these days, and all the electronics involved today certainly have added a whole new crop of potential issues. Even though a significant part of our diagnostic process is geared towards electrical issues, there are still times when the problem is simple and not related to electronics at

RR-Tech-Nov-FIG-1
Manual transmissions in 2023: Some are still sticking with it

Over the past 25 years, a combination of driver preference and fuel economy requirements have resulted in a marked decrease in the number of vehicles in the U.S. fleet that come equipped with a manual transmission. One can wax nostalgic for the “car guy” discussions from 40 or 50 years ago that included terms like