2005 prius transmission

It is important to be to the right of that seam, to the left is coolant plugs.



Those take a 24 mm Allen socket.

 

This is a voodoo topic, as Toyota never mentions ever draining it, so we are left to guess. I do the first drain at 30,000 then every 60,000 miles after that. You are free to make any regular schedule you like.

As a credit to my dealership, they try to talk me out of it every time. They still believe it is a 'forever' fluid. I respect their honesty in not selling all they can, but make them take my $110 and watch them do the work. (I do not fit under any Prius)

 

Your Prius will show green more often in the winter as the engine is running to keep you warm. So long as t is running anyway, it charges the HV Battery. In the summer, you need the heat less, so it rarely runs the engine just to heat you up, so it spends more time blue. This is normal in the Gen 2, I have not yet noticed it in the v.

 

There are tests for the 12 volt battery, also check your tire inflation. (try 38 PSI front/36 PSI rear)
Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat

Fuel economy complaints/queries? Please copy, paste & answer these questions, esp. if you're new | PriusChat

 

How do you figure you went 160 miles on half a tank? The fuel gauge is notoriously inaccurate on the Gen2's. The MFD's estimate is the best you have without filling up (even then, the bladder in the tank makes averaging several tanks much better). The cold (depending on where you live) can really hurt mileage. I average about 60MPG in the summer, but this tank is sitting at 51MPG on the MFD, and its only been in the mid 30s-mid 40s in the morning.

 

You stated the problem yourself. You're guessing you've used 3-4 gallons, which would give you anywhere from 45-60MPG.
The only way to accurately guess your mileage without fueling up is the MFD. The next time you gas up, reset the MPG meter on the MFD (hit the Energy or Consumption button in the lower left hand corner, they don't really seem like buttons). That will be within a couple MPG of your actual MPG.

For full tank mileage, I would recommend using a site like Fuelly. I personally use the odometer mileage. It figures your trip mileage using your current odometer reading and comparing it to what it was the last tank. You don't have to remember to reset the trip odometer to keep track.

If you really think your mileage might be low, read a few threads first. You'll likely find an answer faster than waiting for people to reply to your questions and you can find out even more than you were wanting to know.