Just bought a 2003 and like to know if it is normal for the car to start the engine ,when I put it in park after a short trip. It usually only runs for 3 or 4 seconds after which I then remove my key. Will it hurt if I remove the key earlier ? Love the car & the ride and will do a tranny service as soon as I get the parts ,oh is this car what you'all call "Classic" ?
This is completely normal for the Gen I. I don't know why they did it that way but, they did. It doesn't make sense and the Gen II doesn't do this. Welcome to the world of Prius. Enjoy your car. PS: Yes, we call the 01-03 the Classic or Gen I Prius. It is a great city car.
Did the trans. oil change & dropped the pan, it had a lot of crud in the bottom & I couldn't even see the magnet it was to loaded . even though this car had an exelent Car-Fax report with all the required maintenance at propper times over 8 years. I'm glad I followed the advice of this forum , like they say, if you want things done right do it yourself, or find someone to do it for you and look over his shoulder
Was the old tranny fluid closer to red or black? If more black than red, did it smell burnt at all? If so, you may have issues in the future with MG2 windings. If it was more red than black at least someone changed it not too long ago, that is a good thing. Change fluid every 30k miles on Gen1's!
it was more red with some traces of grey deposit under the oil & had no smell that l noticed, thanks for the advice.
