just another update

[windshearalert]

evening everyone....I just wanted to give you a little bit of info on my car. Nothing wrong with it, wanted to post a few pics of the mileage and ask all of you what you think about the car.

I picked it up about 3 months ago....paid $1500 bucks for it. Did the replacement pedal (big hand syndrome). Picked up a pedal off ebay (32000 mile donor car) and problem went away. Thus far i have logged about 6k miles on the car. I must say it had blown my mind on the mileage. I am driving roughly 57 miles round trip daily to work. I am averaging abouut 57 mpg. Each tank roughly the same....fill ups are around 9.0 to 9.2 gallons every time. Terrain is not terribly hilly here in Little Rock. Typical ups and downs headed to work. I try and maintain 62MPH (car seems to loooove that speed and pulls damn near 65 MPG-sometimes edging up to the 70 mark) Hit a hill of course it drops to say 40 mpg but soon as i crest its back up.
So far the car has been a lot of fun learning to get the most MPG i can out of it. Took it to dealer last week for oil change (eng and tranny) - Service dept had logged previous owner (coworker) as having inverter coolant done 10k miles ago. Car is neat as a pin underneath.
So how am i doing on MPG? Anyhting you can think of to increase? I have tires pumped up to 45 all the way around. Car loves fuel that does NOT have ethanol in it. Its a hi miler, but for 1500 bucks who can complaign. Battery pack was replaced 2 years back/40k miles ago.

hope i post the pics ok!

let me know what you think

[sandsw]

Congratulations

Looks a great car...

[Sandy]

Congrats

[donee]

Hi Winds....,

Great deal. Your doing very well for a Gen 1 at that speed (65 mph). You might want to put some cash away in case you get a battery or motor failure. Not really a Prius thing, those are just the things that go first on that vintage a Prius. All older cars need to have a repair fund ready and waiting.

[windshearalert]

thanks for the replies. I know all to well about the funds needed for older cars! You know, i basically bought the car just to flip, perhaps double my money....then started driving it...and to be honest started enjoying it so much decided to keep it. Thus far, it is 4x better on gas than my 03 silverado SS, and more than double my 95 impala ss.... My kids wear me out about it. Isnt cool. Girls Car. You know the drill. "dont pick me up at school in the Prius PLEASSSE!" LOL. Honestly i really dont care. Heck, being a fresh 40 years old, i have run the gamut of 9 mpg chevrolet trucks with no A/C, Sports cars, Muscle cars, blah blah blah. THe prius is really the first car that was "different" and really made me think while i was driving it. Can I beat 50 Mpg today? Wonder how far I can go on a tank? It has taught me a different way of thinking when in stop and go traffic. Man, i would LOOOVE a Gen 2 with elec A/C compressor!
I mean honestly, 90 percent of cars are typically point A to B type transportation anyway. These cars are perfect for transportation. If half of the population drove these cars, we would see a sharp decrease in gasoline usage. Chevrolet really screwed the pooch on their "hybrid" vehicles, 2 mpg better than standard malibu? Amazing people even bought the ones that were made. THe hybrid trucks were just as bad. Maybe 2 mpg better. Toyota definitely went out of the ballpark with the Prius. Really amazing they thought so far out of the box.

[windshearalert]

i thought about something earlier and forgot to post.... If and when this engine decides to give up the ghost...... is there a vendor to buy Gen1 remaufactured engines? Anyone ever stepped up and had one rebuilt? I took a look through the toyota factory service manuals, and i was really impressed with the technology. I work on aircraft turbine engines for a living.... so it didnt scare me off. Just curious what options are out there when the time comes.
I did look over the valve adjustements in the manual. Quite interesting and defininitely time consuming! Has anyone ran a gen 1 out past 200k and ever did the valve adjustments???

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by windshearalert

i thought about something earlier and forgot to post.... If and when this engine decides to give up the ghost...... is there a vendor to buy Gen1 remaufactured engines?. . .

So far, I don't remember reading about an engine replacement. There have been more traction battery replacements, about a dozen, and half as many transaxle replacements. Near as we can tell:

• heat is the enemy - the batteries need to be kept cool so parking in shade is a good thing and try to avoid regenerative braking down large hills (use "B" if feasible.)
• transaxle oils change - you might want to capture a sample and with a new gasket, drop the pan and wipe it down. I'm running the newer Type WS but the OEM oil is Type T-IV.

The 1.5L engine is the same block as the Echo/Scions but is power limited to 65 hp instead of the 108 hp in the Echo. I suspect it will take more than one battery pack and possibly a transaxle to wear out the engine. It is really loafing.

Originally Posted by windshearalert

. . . Has anyone ran a gen 1 out past 200k and ever did the valve adjustments???

The highest known had reached about 350k miles when taken out in an accident. The Dept. of Energy fleet tests stopped at 160k miles by choice, not mechanical.

Bob Wilson

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by windshearalert

i thought about something earlier and forgot to post.... If and when this engine decides to give up the ghost...... is there a vendor to buy Gen1 remaufactured engines? ...I did look over the valve adjustements in the manual. Quite interesting and defininitely time consuming! Has anyone ran a gen 1 out past 200k and ever did the valve adjustments???

When the time comes that you need a replacement engine, just buy a salvage unit. You can probably buy one for $500 or less since the demand is so low.

When my 2001 had ~60K miles I removed the valve cover to measure clearances. 3 out of 16 valves had slightly greater clearances than spec but I decided to leave well enough alone.

[windshearalert]

I would think heat would be the main killer of the battery pack. Definitely agree. I wouldnt think they cells are any different than a standard battery, Ie. heat is the killer and storing them in a cool place always helps with battery life. Been doing a LOT of reading on the packs...looks like there is about 50 % truth and about 50% fright with owners overly worried their traction batteries are going to die on them any minute. Actually, i am VERY suprised at the amount of 2001 thru 2003 prius' here on the forum that are well under 100k miles. Is it just me or are a lot of these cars not really driven that much in their lifetimes?
Also agree that the oil changes on these cars is a definite must. I really believe the average auto consumer never, ever changes the tranny fluids until well upwards of 75 to 90k miles and that causes the majority of failures. I think the prius needs the fluids changed due to complexity. Like any mech will tell you, if you are careful and watch your limits (wether it be fluids, cycles, time, or use) you can postpone the breakdowns to a certain point. Its all man made, but proper care will increase your odds.
Bob, thanks for the big hand/little hand info. I correctly repaired this car and problems immediately went away. Amazing a potentiometer can wreak havoc eh? LOL. Patrick, i have also read a ton of your posts, and i have to give you cudo's on knowing the prius! I always look forward to reading your replies to the posts!
Looks as i might be one of the higher mileage cars on the forum. Do you know if anyone else is past 230k miles?

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by windshearalert

. . .
Bob, thanks for the big hand/little hand info. I correctly repaired this car and problems immediately went away. Amazing a potentiometer can wreak havoc eh? . . .

Kudos to Doug Schaffer who did the original work. I just carry the water while he is 'vacationing' overseas. <grins>

Bob Wilson