Checklist before 2200 mile trip

welcome to priuschat! make sure your cell is charged and make a list of toyota dealers along the way. all the best!

 

Do you have an OBD-II reader? Even something as simple as a ScanGaugeII will let you watch things like your temperatures, fuel system trim, battery min and max voltages, etc., and check for any stored codes from the engine control module, HV ECU, and battery ECU. No stored codes => increased confidence. You could stop at a dealer and ask them to connect their reader and show you any codes - they might charge $60 or so for that.

If the fuel trim reading is near 20% the injectors might want cleaned (20% is the maximum compensation the ECM will apply for reduced fuel flow).

Have you looked up the various maintenance intervals? The coolants (engine and electrics, two separate cooling systems to refill) are scheduled for every two years, and so is the transaxle fluid (not to be confused with the electric system coolant, the drain plugs are within a few inches of each other and the same shape). Do you know when they were last changed? How about the engine oil? You might want to do some or all of those depending on how much time you have before your trip.

Have you checked the condition of the serpentine belt? It drives the air conditioner and the engine water pump. You could handle no A/C but the water pump you need. Do you have a spare belt in the trunk?

With the key ON, there should be turbulence in the coolant reservoir for the electrics (that's the small reservoir near the middle of the engine compartment, next to the big silver inverter cover). At the front end of the reservoir (where the return hose comes in), the coolant level should be noticeably higher, with a sort of waterfall down to the reset of the reservoir. That confirms you've got good coolant flow. If you don't, you'll want to replace the inverter coolant pump (well described in other threads).

How are the tires? You might take the wheels off and check the brake linings. The Prius uses brake linings very slowly, so you will probably find plenty remaining even at 115k, but you might see a funny wear pattern if something has been sticky.

Other than that, go with bisco's advice, keep a charged cell phone on hand and enjoy your drive!

-Chap

 

Just my two sense on this. A code reader has been my BEST tool I have bought for keeping up on my fleet of vehicles and I would never go without one ever again. It has saved me on a number of occasions and I often have it with me on normal driving.
TomK