I'm getting low gas mileage (34mpg) on my 2002 Prius. I just changed the hybrid battery with Gen 2 cells. What can the reason for this be? spark plugs? mass air flow sensor?
View 5 RepliesI read in the owners manual that the engine antifreeze should be an ethylene glycol type. I believe that Prestone makes this type of coolant in a 50/50 mix. Is that correct? Also, what type of coolant does the inverter use? I want to try and stay away from buying it at a dealer. Also, my gen 1 has 117,000 miles and I must admit that I have been slacking with the maintenance. My gas mileage is down to 40/mpg compared to 48-49mpg when I got the car two years back with 40k. I am pretty sure the original auxillary batter is still in it, so I order a new one today. I also plan an changing the transaxle fluid, PCV valve, air filter, and cabin filter. The plugs where changed at 80,000 miles. Where can I order a gasket for the transaxle pan? I intend on dropping it and cleaning it out. Do you think this will get the gas milage back up?
View 3 RepliesI am trying to fix the pesky hard start that I have. My car doesn't start right up anymore unless it is frozen cold. Other than that it takes 2-3 cranks sometimes 4 to turn over. That's annoying and embarrassing and I am trying to remedy it ASAP.
I have a check valve and Purge valve on hand right now. In my research it seems this is where I need to focus. I do have an engine code it was P0456 this time. I also have a gas cap.
I have a check valve because of the all too familiar cutting off early at fuel pump problem. I wanted to start there first since I am sure something needs repairing down by the fuel tank and since the problem is common. And hopefully the valve will work with the fill up and MAYBE with the start, if not that is where the purge valve comes in.
I got as far as get the 2 12mm bolts off and then couldn't make it any further.
I recently purchased a 2002 Lincoln Town Car with 204,000 miles but it runs like a champ. The Problem Is It burns too much gas i filled the tank up and2 days later I'm at a 1/4 tank without driving very much. My fuel economy states that i'm getting 8.5 miles a gallon this number goes up and down. I changed the oil and air filter still having the same problem. I need to know what I can Do to fix this I have heard the plugs and possibly the coils but I would like to know if there is more or perhaps something else I will be doing the work mostly myself.
View 14 RepliesNoticed a drop-off in mileage for there v-10 excursions after 200k? My 2002 ex used to be getting 10-12 hauling a 9k lb work trailer and 14-16 on the highway. After i rolled over 200k though I am down to 8.4-9.3 mpg. My only ideas is to run seafoam through the engine and get the injectors cleaned.
View 3 RepliesHave been attempting to locate the source of thumping or clunking sound similar to that of bad shock, but too date haven't been able to pinpoint the source....
Have low mileage 2002 Sierra SLE that has a body noise that haven't been able to locate. The sound is similar to a bad shock....Replaced the front shock.....which wasn't 2 years old...and then the noise reappeared again....Have checked the wheels and motor mount...but so far no luck....
It seems to be worse in cooler weather and is reproduced when driving over an uneven surface or hitting a bump....The clunk is intermittent...Sometimes you will get the noise driving over a bump....sometimes not......The noise seems to be originating on the driver front quadrant....but i maybe wrong....
Have had mechanic check the truck on a hoist, but can't find anything out of order...no tire wear...wheels are solid with no play...nothing out of the ordinary that we can see....Tried moving the body by hand..but can't reproduce the "clunk".....
Even after 14 years the truck is solid ...and no rattles or noises until now......Guess i'm just a nit picker...but would like to locate the source......
I just bought a 2002 f150 7700 series and how to improve the gas mileage. i was thinking about putting in a performance chip.
View 11 RepliesAs far as I know, my Passat has never had any other spark plugs other than OEM. I could also swear that those OEM plugs always had 3 grounds. My gas mileage historically averages about 27MPG in a mixed city/highway environment.
Recently, my spark plugs were replaced and now my gas mileage has dropped to 24MPG. I had a similar problem once with my previous car (1998 Jetta GLI) and it was due to going from a three ground spark plug to a single ground plug. Putting in three ground spark plugs instantly restored the gas mileage to previous levels.
I've read repeatedly that the NKG PFR6Q is the OEM plug but it only has a single ground. I realize that my memory could be faulty, but this is driving me nuts.
Alas I can't be sure what was there before versus what's there now, but I know my previous mechanic was a stickler for OEM parts. Would switching from a multi-ground to a single-ground cause a 10%+ drop in mileage?
My 2002 Prius recently had an episode where the SOC went down to 25%, and then went all the way to 100%. This seemed to be triggered by being stuck in traffic in about 80º F weather with the A/C on. When SOC was at 25%, there was no response for about a 1/2 second or so when hitting the accelerator, and then the ICE would kick in, lurching the car forward. This seems to indicate that there wasn't enough juice to turn over the electric motor, yet there was never any turtle or any other warning light. The low SOC lasted until I was moving steadily, at which point it went up to 100% It stayed there for maybe another 40-50 miles of driving and finally settled back down to the normal fluctuations of 50% and 75%.
View 19 RepliesMy 03 (129k miles, 2.7 AWD) is up to date on all maint (this summer saw new timing belt etc., transmission service) and oil is current. Spark plugs are due at 131k. Air filter is new, tire pressure maintained at 30-32psi.
MPG has consistently been ~20, slightly more on trips. October 27 to November 26 was 19.8 mpg. Putting on brand new snows (General Altimax Arctic) knocked it down to 17.5 mpg for the next ~250 miles. However, since early December it's dropped again to 13 mpg!
Mechanic just checked for brake drag (none - rotating one wheel turns all 3 others easily); no pulling, rolls well in Neutral. No engine symptoms (missing, bucking) or CEL lights. Power seems a little diminished (for instance, it takes longer to shift during acceleration sequence).
I will add my Lucas Oil gas treatment just in case it may be injectors. My mechanic says he has seen MPG suffer from certain gas brands (and I do wonder if the tank fillup after which the MPG dropped had something to do with it).
I've had my XB 5-speed for nearly a year and 10000 miles. It as been dead on reliable and fun to drive. My gas mileage has varied from 26 to 31 in mixed driving and from 32 to 35 on the highway. I use premium fuel only because I can get it without ethanol. My fuel mileage also increased a couple of mpg due to getting the power robbing ethanol out. True it is probably not enough to offset the extra expense but I like not having the stuff in my car. My only dissatisfactions has been with the transmission gear ratios. They are way to low. This torquy engine could easily do with a ratio that would drop about 500 rpm for more relaxed highway cruising.
As it is, though, my XB will go up any hill or long grade without breathing hard! Another is the instrumentation. I don't mind the center mounted set-up but speedometer and trip meter for mpg ratings are both inaccurate. My speedo reads about 2.5 mph high and the fuel mileage read out has about the same error, also on the high side. I have the stock 16" tires. The clutch has a narrow engagement band and can be difficult to be smooth on. The car is fairly quiet, is comfortable and this years hot, humid summer has shown it has one of the best air conditioners I have ever experienced in a car. I thought it might be an electric unit rather than a belt driven compressor because there is absolutely no perceived drag when the compressor kicks on.
We purchased a used 2002 Prius from our brother-in-law's family and we're the third owners. The car has around 80K and we've owned it for about a month and a half. Before we picked the car up they took it to a dealer and checked it out. They put a new aux battery in the trunk, changed the oil and gave it the green light. We picked it up in Philadelphia and drove it home to Chicago.
Today my wife was returning from a trip down to Missouri. After a stop for gas and refreshments and just getting back on the interstate the car started to die. The warning lights came on and the battery indicator as well as the red triangle. After sitting a little while she was able to start it again but only made it to the next exit where it officially died and needed to be towed to a dealer just outside of St. Louis. It was 104 degrees out this afternoon and she did have the AC, radio and other necessities running during the trip but she had gone less than 100 miles today before it died.
It sucks to be 300 miles away (I'm home) from the car/dealer not really knowing what they'll find or say they found.
I was at Walmart today and FINALLY remembered to get a couple keys made for my 02 prius. I have been taking somewhat of a gamble considering I only got 1 key when I bought it.
I tried the keys in the trunk. Cha Ching! Unlocked and locked the doors. Cha Ching! Put the key in the ignition and turned it. Cha Ching! Went to start the car and Nothing!!
I could turn the car into accessory and into the run position, but it would not put the car in ready mode. At first, I thought my battery died. I took a deep breath and put the "Toyota" key in and she started right up...
On a long trip from home, my 2002 Prius, 130K miles, threw up an error code, followed by a message that said "error corrected". It did this a few more times, every 5 to 15 miles, until the error stuck. The error message indicated a PS error, which I am guessing means Power Steering, as the power steering went out. Turning the car off and restarting fixed it. I did this a few times.
View 14 RepliesI own a used 2002 Prius and have only been driving it for about two months. In the last week it has given me some trouble on start up. I turn the key, but the engine will not start. Unlike some of the other comments I've seen here, I'm not getting any warning messages when my car won't start. I turn the key and the dash lights either come on half lit or not at all, the computer screen doesn't light at all when this happens. If I hold the key in the start position for a few (up to twenty seconds) it will eventually turn over and start, but that seems to be draining the big battery and doesn't seem like the best way to start the car. This happens about 2 out of every three times I go to start the car and it doesn't seem to matter how long I've had it parked - could be an hour or overnight. Conversely, it could be sitting for a day and a half and start without issue. All in all, there seems to be no obvious condition that would cause this, and I was curious to know what I should troubleshoot and in what order. As with many people these days, money is scarce and I don't have the money or time to keep it in the shop for a week for diagnostics, especially when it might be something I can easily fix on my own.
View 8 RepliesI've got a shop in Az. One of my customers has an 02 with 489,000 miles. The problem is when you drive it about 5-10 miles the "red temp" light comes on then it starts to lose power. Pull over and shut it off for about a minute or two then it runs fine for another 5-10 miles. took it to dealer today and they said it needs a trans axle.
My question is why would it need a trans if it runs good until the "red temp" light comes on? Could it be just a sensor? What has gone bad?
I have a 2002 Prius that isn't blowing any heat. During the winter it wasn't blowing cold air so I put some freon in it and it leaked out I guess. So I added another can or two and the a/c stayed cold longer.
View 16 RepliesAll of a sudden my fuel consumption dropped from 28mpg as read from the computer display in the dash, to 21mpg. This was not a gradual drop, it was at 28mpg one day and 21mpg the next day. There is no service light on, do these cars produce codes that don't trigger the service light?
A few months ago the vehicle was getting stuck in various gears and lunging, this was from battery corrosion dripping down and eating away at the transaxle range sensor. I cleaned up the battery and replaced the range sensor and the vehicle was driveable again. It re-learned the shift timing and seemed to be ok, then about a month ago it seemed to be forgetting the learned shift positions after sitting over night, I replaced the battery, thinking it was in a marginal state where it would forget the program while sitting. The shifting is still hard sometimes but this seems to have worked but, now my mileage is horrible.
I thought I'd just change out the oxygen and air flow sensors but, then looked at how much they cost now, and realized this would be some costly trial and error. Is there a methodical way to troubleshoot this issue, any way to pull the sensors and measure them?
My 03 2.7 has suddenly lost around 4 MPG in city driving. Haven't taken it out on the highway to know where that is at. Used to get around 20/21 and now I'm around 16/17. Mileage is at 97k now and has new spark plugs and brakes done recently. I know the brakes are not dragging. All the fluids are fairly new and the car drives the same as before, I can't feel a difference in performance. Just lower gas mileage. I haven't changed out the T-stat yet, but the temp gauge in car reads the same as always. I checked the car with a code checker and there are no pending codes. I know this is the age where the oxygen sensors could start to go bad and have never replaced them.
View 12 RepliesMy '03 Elantra has started making a screeching sound when I drive it. At first, I thought it was due to the cold weather, but it has occurred even on warmer days. It makes the noise intermittently, sometimes not at all. Sometimes when I turn sharply or back up, or when I just drive it. What is odd is that I had the belt changed last spring, and I inspected it and it does not seem ripped or stressed at all.
Not sure if this is related, but I noticed that my gas mileage has been greatly reduced. Last week I filled up a full tank and drove about 6 miles. When I filled up, the needle was above F. Later when I got home, the needle was just a few ticks below full. Within two days, I was at half, only driving a combined total of about 16 or so miles, city driving. This car has always had great gas mileage, even with snow tires. My mileage is 56,815, and I've checked for gas leaks and found none. My RPM's don't rise, my engine does not overheat, though I did find some weird oil on the black hood on the engine last week when I checked the belt. I checked the oil levels and they were good.
I'm taking this in tomorrow, and am scared that this is the end of this car. What may be the cause of the screeching and loss of fuel efficiency?
I have a 2002 Prius. The car unlocks both from the key in the door and the unlock button on the door but it will not lock. I have tried the lock button on both the driver side and passenger side. I am forced to manually lock each door. Why my car wont lock?
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