So, dear hubby kevin to blame , I asked him to check my coolant level and he said it looks fine. Oh, wait, I mean the PRIUS coolant level I checked and it does not look fine. He is tanking up on expensive Anchor Steam beer and refuses to change his opinion! Basically, the car has a couple of tanks for coolant, as I am sure you all know. The one next to the grille that goes horizontally across the front of the car looks fine. We are having a debate on the "other" tank. <Honestly, I don't know what either of them does, despite looking it up a couple of times> Anyway, this is the tank that is sort of squeezed vertically in the center of the engine compartment. To me it looks low, although I can see coolant in it, of course. Kevin says adding too much is as bad as not having enough. Said car is running fine. Have I confused you all yet? Should I just do a couple of healing dances around said car and hope all is well. Drink some Cabernet and forget about it. Pour in that expensive Toyota coolant until it runs all over the ground and poisons all the wildlife? Wait, take the rest of the Anchor Steam and threaten to pour IT into the tank!?!
Both coolant reservoirs have marks in the plastic that show "full" fluid level. If the coolant is much below the full mark, then it would be reasonable to top off with pink Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. The reservoir near the radiator is the engine coolant reservoir, while the reservoir mounted on the inverter is for the inverter/transaxle coolant system. If you notice that the fluid level (when the drivetrain is cold) is dropping noticeably over time, then look for a leak. The level should remain fairly constant. Beer, given its relatively low alcohol content, would not be helpful as an antifreeze. Are you cyberprius' evil twin??
Hey guys, thank you both for your kind replies. I think I got the mice under control. Despite my misgivings, we finally put a bunch of those "exterminator-type" bait stations all around the house, barn, shed, etc. That was last Feb. Mouse woes seem to be nil since then, although I do feel sorry for the cute little critters. So, my problem with the coolant tank is that I honestly can't see a "full" mark. It seems that the coolant is just below -- barely -- a very thick, heavy seam type thingy that seems to be the "plastic welded" top of the tank. Kevin says it is fine, since there is about an inch or two of white-space above, i am not so sure. But, if you know what I mean about the seam-type thing, if it is at that seam, or maybe just barely below, fine??
I went out and looked at the inverter tank (the one in the middle). The Full mark is on the left (drivers) side of the tank about 1/8" above the heavy welded seam in the middle. You are ok (at least your car is ) but you may want to top it up eventually. Make sure to use the Toyota Super High Priced ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Long Life Coolant (SLLC). Other coolant (e.g. Prestone) is not compatible with the stuff that is in there. The Toyota stuff is pre-mixed, so you just pour it in there - no mixing with water.
Thanks for the reply about the tank, seam, level, etc. I've been poking about and I do see that mark now, I guess, but it is tough for me to see. I am working in a somewhat dark area though, so maybe that's the problem. Flashlight? Hey, that would take some effort. Anyway, looking about on the forums, I think this probably should have been in the maint. forum. I just posted a coolant question there. Again, appreciate highly all the help from everyone!!
Probably deionized (or distilled) but your point is correct; the SLLC is about $20 a gallon at the dealer and approximately half of that gallon is water.
