I've got a 2002 Prius with 140k+ miles. Check engine light came on over the weekend, took the car to the dealer. Dealer pulled code P1455 and recommended dropping the tank to inspect for leaks at a cost of $420. I don't believe we've ever overfilled the tank. Can I drive the car with a leak in the internal fuel tank bladder? What are the consequences of not getting a new tank? Additionally, the tech wrote 'there is also a code for misfire cylinder #1 pending' on the invoice for the diagnostic, which we did not discuss. I've reviewed some of the threads on this topic, but was wondering if there was any new insights on this error code or recommendations. Thanks, Jim
Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I am only a hobbyist that "thinks" he knows a lot. My input is beware of this diagnosis. Here's what I would consider the "real" test. 1) How does the car run? 2) Is your mpg affected? 3) Do you see gas leaking anywhere when the car is parked and off?or running? (look underneath for puddles or drips)? 4) Do you smell gas? If the car is running fine, mpg is not affected, gas is not leaking and you don't smell gas, I would reset the code and see if it comes back. If you don't have a code reader, disconnect the neg cable of the 12V battery for about 90 seconds (this will reset the code). Reconnect then start it back up. If the Check Engine Light (CEL) comes back on, then I would have more confidence in the dealers diagnosis. Here's some background info for you to know: 1) A weak 12V battery will cause intermittent errors (this is well documented). 2) It is my understanding that a misfire code will be stored for a long time if a misfire occurs. This may have happened once a long time ago and may not be a recurring problem (the best evidence that it is not recurring is "your engine is running smooth") I once ran my 01 out of gas (stupidity on my part) and got all kinds of error codes. I was new to the Prius so I brought it to the dealer. He quoted me over $1000 to replace a charcoal canister and a new fuel tank. The car was running fine so I declined both services. The codes cleared after a few startups and I never thought twice about the problem (that was over 40,000 miles ago).
