🔧 Prius - Engine Oil & Oil Filter Change

On your Prius, an oil change replaces the old engine oil and the oil filter element so the engine stays protected and clean. The filter is a cartridge style in a reusable housing, so you replace the inner filter and O-rings rather than the whole housing.

Difficulty Level: Beginner | Estimated Time: 1.0-1.5 hours

Assumption: stock 1.8L oil filter housing (cartridge type).

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a level surface and support the car with jack stands before going underneath.
• ⚠️ Engine oil can be very hot. Let the engine cool 15–30 minutes if it was just driven.
• ⚠️ Keep the car OFF (not READY) while you’re underneath to prevent the engine from starting automatically.
• ⚠️ Wear safety glasses and nitrile gloves to avoid oil splashes.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• 10mm socket
• Ratchet (3/8")
• 14mm socket
• Torque wrench (3/8")
• Trim clip removal tool
• Oil drain pan (at least 7-quart)
• Funnel
• Shop rags
• 64mm 14-flute oil filter cap wrench (specialty)
• Oil filter housing drain tool (specialty)

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Engine oil (0W-20 full synthetic) - Qty: 5 quarts
• Oil filter element (cartridge style) - Qty: 1
• Oil filter housing O-ring set - Qty: 1
• Engine oil drain plug crush washer - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, shift to P, and set the parking brake.
• Make sure the car is OFF (not READY) before lifting and before going underneath.
• Chock the rear wheels with wheel chocks.
• Gather your oil and filter parts first—once you start draining, you’ll want everything ready.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and support the front of the car

• Place wheel chocks behind the rear tires.
• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift the front at the proper front center jacking point.
• Set the car onto jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Give the car a gentle shake to confirm it’s stable before crawling under.

Step 2: Remove the engine undercover access panel

• Slide your oil drain pan under the engine area.
• Use a 10mm socket and ratchet to remove the bolts that hold the service flap/undercover section.
• Use a trim clip removal tool to pop out any plastic clips (a clip tool prevents breaking them).
• Fold down or remove the access panel so you can reach the drain plug and filter housing.

Step 3: Drain the engine oil

• Position the oil drain pan directly under the oil pan drain plug.
• Use a 14mm socket and ratchet to loosen the drain plug, then remove it by hand.
• Let the oil drain until it slows to an occasional drip (usually 5–10 minutes).
• Remove the old crush washer from the drain plug, and install the new engine oil drain plug crush washer.

Step 4: Reinstall the drain plug

• Thread the drain plug in by hand first to avoid cross-threading.
• Use a torque wrench (3/8") with a 14mm socket to tighten the drain plug: Torque to 37 Nm (27 ft-lbs).
• Tip: If it won’t thread easily, stop and realign.

Step 5: Drain the oil filter housing (cartridge filter)

• Move the oil drain pan under the oil filter housing area.
• Use the oil filter housing drain tool (specialty) to drain the filter housing. (This tool threads into the small drain port to let the housing empty first and reduce mess.)
• Let it drain until it slows down.

Step 6: Remove the oil filter housing and replace the filter

• Use the 64mm 14-flute oil filter cap wrench (specialty) with a ratchet (3/8") to loosen and remove the housing/cap.
• Pull the old oil filter element out of the housing.
• Remove and replace the housing O-ring(s) using the new oil filter housing O-ring set.
• Wipe the housing and sealing surfaces with shop rags.
• Lightly coat the new O-ring(s) with fresh 0W-20 engine oil (this helps it seal and prevents tearing).
• Install the new oil filter element into the housing.

Step 7: Reinstall the oil filter housing

• Thread the filter housing on by hand until the O-ring seats.
• Use a torque wrench (3/8") and 64mm 14-flute oil filter cap wrench (specialty) to tighten: Torque to 25 Nm (18 ft-lbs).
• If your housing has a small drain plug/port you removed, reinstall it and tighten: Torque to 13 Nm (9 ft-lbs).

Step 8: Reinstall the undercover access panel

• Reposition the panel.
• Use the 10mm socket and ratchet for bolts.
• Press clips back in by hand (use the trim clip removal tool to align if needed).

Step 9: Add new engine oil

• Lower the car off the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Open the hood and remove the oil fill cap.
• Place a funnel in the fill hole.
• Pour in about 4.4 quarts of 0W-20 full synthetic.
• Reinstall the oil fill cap.

Step 10: Start, check for leaks, and verify oil level

• Start the car and let it run briefly (you just want oil pressure built up).
• Turn the car OFF and wait 2–3 minutes for oil to settle.
• Check underneath for leaks at the drain plug and filter housing.
• Check the dipstick, then add oil as needed using the funnel (add small amounts at a time).

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✅ After Repair

• Recheck the dipstick the next day (after sitting a few minutes) and top off if needed.
• Dispose of used oil and the old filter properly (most auto parts stores accept used oil).
• Reset the maintenance reminder (common Prius method):
• • With foot off brake, press POWER to IG-ON (dash on, not READY).
• • Use the display controls to show ODO (not Trip A/B).
• • Power OFF.
• • Press and hold the ODO/TRIP button, then press POWER to IG-ON while holding.
• • Keep holding until the display resets (dashes/zeros), then release.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $90-$160 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $35-$70 (parts only)

You Save: $55-$90 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 0.8-1.2 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.