Half a Million Kilometres and Counting!

Hi all,

We just passed 500,000 KM in our 2003 Prius. That’s 310 K miles for you ‘Muricans. Original battery. Transaxle/engine was replaced by me when we got it at 170,000km but it had died because it was in an accident by the PO, that damaged the transaxle sump and it ran dry. Only other repairs were 2 igniters, two 12v batteries, an inverter coolant pump, one set of brake pads and shoes, and a radiator/condenser. Most codes were from low 12V battery voltage. Charge that baby up every once in a while from a grid charger.

We have decided to keep it going and do some cosmetic repairs.

Cheers.

 

Usually 0-20, always synthetic, and about 10,000 miles between. I keep the oil level near the bottom of the stick for better FE, so I do add a little between changes but it does not burn much.

Edit: I made a mistake in my first post. The engine is original. Only the transaxle was swapped.

 

Maybe I should have knocked on a big piece of wood! Our beloved Prius had a sudden loss of power while driving on the freeway. We coasted to a stop on an exit, luckily, and had it towed to Marysville Toyota for a diagnosis. We were on a trip away from home so it was an adventure getting back home but some amazing friends rescued us.

This is the second time it has died on a long trip so I think its time to retire it as a trip car. Mileage was 513,000. Coincidence?

The engine runs fine but there is almost no power getting to the wheels. There is just enough to get it up to about 10 mph on flat ground. It has the feel of an extremely slipping clutch so I think either the inverter is shot or one of the MGs is shorted.

Codes: P3120 and P3125.

Waiting on the Toyota diagnosis.

 

These days it's much warmer in the summer in the lower mainland of BC than it is in Los Angeles.

 

Look what followed me home! On the right. 156,000 km but has been sitting for 9 years. Traction battery probably flat but I can swap in the good one from the white Prius. Unless someone has an easy grid charging hack. My wife loved her Prius so much she just wanted another one. Hopefully we can get another half a million out of this one.

 

It might be. Not a lot of them here in BC. It’s got 158,000 km and looks brand new inside. There isn’t even a fingerprint on the MFD. It’s had one accident repair on the right rear quarter, a replacement clip from a different colour Prius that you can see in the door jamb. Very well done repair. It was sitting in a gravel auction lot for 9 years so it has a layer of grime on it but the paint underneath is very nice. After driving our half a mil beater it sure is nice to have struts and shocks again. If it was Frank’s, I salute him for taking such good care of it. Not so much for the next owner.

I’m going to replace the transaxle fluid with the synthetic racing stuff like I did for “Chewie”. It seems to increase mileage and longevity. Right now, it’s getting terrible mileage. It could be the brakes dragging.

Once I get it all polished up I think it will look almost new on the outside too!