Long time, no post

A little on the low side for a generation two you know it may be time for just basic tune-up items like plugs check the brakes to make sure they're not dragging they probably never been replaced depending upon the location of the car rust can be problematic and corrosion can be problematic things of this nature but that car is barely broken in good yet I keep saying this to people that car is good for an easy $450,000 without nary a glitch. Other than the real basic things like the brake pump assembly and the battery those are the two real biggies on the generation 2 your battery gets low enough it can affect your mileage You start getting 40 39 37 that sort of thing It's an age thing as well as voltage and amps and all that You get about 10 years in on a battery 13 or so and it's just time this is what is being proven pretty much on a daily basis over here on the chat but that's a great car and it'll serve your mom well as Mom's generally go even if she is a spirited driver still perfect setup for somebody .. The gas purge issue . Mine has gotten better every time I fill my car up which generally I run the car $440 mi or so and I gas up 450 $480 just under $500 I gas up usually I'm putting in right around 10.1 gallons I think the cars made to hold 11 or 11.1 as I get past 9 gallons everything slows way down as far as me pumping the gas but I make sure I pump that sucker up and I stretch that bladder as far as I can I let the gas it starts to get ready to shoot back and I stop adding fuel with the nozzle The nozzle is maybe a quarter inch past the plate where you put the nozzle not stuck all the way in there and I keep gasing it up until the filler neck holds gas and almost is coming out of the car That's overfilled I know I don't really care I'm fixing to drive at 30 mi right after I fill it up like this I just try and stretch and work that bladder that's in that tank because it seems to me it's just shriveling up with gas contact or with age or combination of the two. What I want to do is get a gas tank from the UK I need to get on that maybe get two while I'm at it

 

For the TPMS, just measure the tire pressures with a gauge. If none are out of range the most likely issue is that a battery has died in one of the sensor units. Just ignore the light and continue to check the pressures regularly (like once a month, or at each fill up.) Since the sensors are inside the wheel it doesn't make sense economically to pay to have it fixed - just check the tire pressures regularly like on any other car, and replace the TPMS sensor units when a new set of tires goes on. There is also the outside possibility that the TPMS system itself is off line. If you can get a copy of techstream and the right type of OBD2 dongle then you can read the TPMS information. There are mini-VCI dongles available and dubious legality but otherwise functional copies of techstream available (search this forum) if you don't want to spend the $$$ for a real dongle. A legal copy of techstream can be be activated for as little as a day.

Most indepedent shops use other OBD2 tools, like those made by Autel. These tend to be quite expensive, but a shop might only charge $100 or so to plug in and read all the various codes.

The gas problem sounds like an issue with the gas tank. It is a bizarre design with a rubber bladder, and the fuel gauge and pump are integrated. If you search this forum you should find multiple threads relating symptoms similar to what you have observed. The whole thing must be replaced as a unit. That is probably what you are going to need to do. Get a quote from an independent shop - the dealer will almost certainly charge much more.

Note, do try another nozzle at the gas station, or another gas station. One occasionally runs into a nozzle which doesn't work with this tank, and won't put in more than a gallon or two before shutting off.

 

The rubber bladder in the gas tank lost it's elasticity because the previous owner likely never filled the tank up all the way... Constantly topping off the gas tank with long drives in super hot weather stretches them out pretty well. But in some cases you just need to buy a used fuel tank assembly from a wrecker and swap the whole system out.

 

Let's see if we can find a way to get some United Kingdom tanks they don't weigh squat It's okay if they get a little dented throwing them on and off the ship or whatever won't hurt a thing We know it'll fit I don't think there's a whole lot that will have to be changed and whatever that will should be really simple It should just make your gas gauge and fuel pump parts changeable and then the fuel tank should be good for pretty much ever because it'll be that whatever metal Toyota is using for the tanks now if it's not plastic which I don't think it'll be plastic. And they hold up pretty good and all their other vehicles this is the only gas tank I've ever have had mention of and all the Toyotas I've owned in 40 years I haven't replaced a gas tank in any of them till we get to generation 2 Prius because of this weird design that apparently was only for US EPA or something looks like the rest of the real world and got other setup.

 

Gas tank comments are all correct, you can try calibrating the gage, it won't help the problem but may show what is actually happening. In time with patience it may stretch out a bit. For mileage, replace the air filter and clean the MAF sensor, a set of new spark plugs if the first 2 don't help. Make sure it has synthetic oil, that can help. From there things get expensive. Ignore the stupid tire pressure light, pump them up to 35 PSI and check them every month.