2002 prius with 290431 miles died

I really wish I could buy it but the logistics just don't add up for me. By the time I tow it back here, fix it and then try to sell it, I'd be lucky to break even. It too bad b/c it looks to be in pretty good shape.

I would put it on Craigslist and see what happens.

BTW, I like your new ride!!! Also love the Classic VW Camper van.

 

what are you looking to get for it the way it is?

 

I am coming out to Warsaw In. on Fri. I am bringing a prius out that I sold to my friend. I am very interested in getting the car because I could tow it back home with me.. price sounds good. I will let you know for sure..

 

Ok,well I bought the car,will update and let you know what I find.

 

Okay I have a small update on the car,I pulled the codes with my auto enginuity and also checked the battery which appears to be ok at this point. I pulled the trans. and found the mg2 motor completely burned up. So I finally got the trans pulled. I will keep you posted on what else I find.

 

I'm just now catching this thread.. Sorry, I don't own a Prius anymore since we went to the Leaf but I still like to come around and lurk once a month or so. Anyway, I'm kind of curious. The car being discussed here has almost 300,000 miles. Assuming the transaxle is replaced, how much more life should be expected from this car?

 

That is an all but impossible question to answer as "heat is the enemy" and that varies so much. But to kill one quickly:

• engine rpm > 3,200 rpm for most of the driving
• engine rpm > 3,900 rpm for minutes each day
• hilly terrain
• temperatures above 85F
• infrequent lubrication changes with oil overfill
• infrequent coolant changes
• infrequent filter changes
• infrequent spark-plug changes
• parking with trunk in direct sunlight in summer (pre-heat battery)
• engine above 3,900 rpm before coolant reaches 70C

The community may remember things I've forgotten.

Bob Wilson

 

I think a lot of it depends on how much you want to put into it,for example lets say the engine goes bad,you can replace the engine and keep driving it,but at some point its not worth dumping money into it. Personally ,I think as long as the body is good I am willing to keep putting some money into it.. Just my opinion..

 

Okay,so the final summary for the prius with 290k is... The battery is in good shape,drove it for a while and have had no problems or codes. So the only problem that I could find so far has been the bad transmission. By the way,the previous owner told me this is still the original battery in the car.....Any thoughts about that?? Surprised?? Not surprised??

 

290k on original Gen1 HV battery is really good. Best I've seen previously is 267k. With 290k you most likely living on borrowed time. Who knows, maybe it will last longer, but if I were you I'd budget/plan to rebuild/replace the battery within 12 months, or sooner.

 

My thoughts are mileage doesn't matter to the battery as much as time. Time and heat are the killer of most batteries. Being that you are in OH, you only heat stress it a few days a year. My 01, still has the original batt and going strong but, who knows if it will last thru tomorrow.

 

I lean more towards the service life . . . 'heat is the enemy.' I've seen too many modules where the "O" ring has all but melted out of existence. I suspect a little more aggressive protection during high-temperature operations and the failure rate would have been pretty close to zero . . . replaced by "WHAT IS WITH THIS D*MN TURTLE!!!"

Perhaps if they were in a non-conductive, liquid bath but getting the heat out of the plastic case . . . that is not trivial either. Then a liquid bath would add a lot of weight.

I like the new designs with lower internal resistance and more robust terminals. Perhaps with a 'battery getting warm' to suggest backing off versus the "HERE IS YOUR TURTLE!!"

This is not a trivial problem.

Bob Wilson