Everything Wrong with My Cheap Toyota Prius Taxi Track Car
The Track Taxi survived its first outing at Willow Springs International Raceway, but not without some hiccups along the way.
Much of the Drive Break Fix Repeat Toyota Prius project car introduction involved fixing and servicing this very neglected taxi, but not everything made the cut for the first episode, and some new issues have cropped up in the time sense, so here is everything wrong with the Track Taxi.
It doesn’t currently start. The battery goes flat if the car sits for more than 2-3 days. Initial suspicions are that it’s related to the keyless entry system, which has been a bit hit or miss.
The interior has taxi-fied, even after some serious Lysol application some things are just absolutely grimy, like the steering wheel, which sticks to the skin. The cabin air filter was replaced immediately after purchase because the cabin smelled horrifying when the fan or AC was on. Check this out.
The oil pan gasket and developed a sizable leak, which surely doesn’t help the XW30 Prius’ reputation for oil consumption issues.
Fuel pools on top of the intake manifold at present because the fuel injector on cylinder four is leaking. Loose fuel rail bolts caused the injectors to shoot out of the engine previously, but cranking the bolts back down appears to have damaged the fuel injector o-rings. The car currently does not drive, and three separate P0300 CELs for misfires are present.
The rock hard Firestone fuel fighter tires have worn down unevenly and have flat spots from pulling the ABS fuse and spinning the car out on track. The very worn out suspension certainly doesn’t help things.
That is a pretty succinct list of things currently plaguing the Track Taxi, and also lays out a clear list of upgrades to tackle in the coming episodes, so stay tuned as the Track Taxi Prius begins to get some serious modifications in pursuit of track day domination.
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