Prius Gen 1 Belt Drive

March 21, 2011

Dear Prius fans, I have a gen 1 Prius which my wife drives, but we have noticed a drop in pulling power up hills and 4 or 5 passengers up.

I figure it must be the final (belt drive ) getting worn.My questions are 1:Can it be adjusted 2:How much should a new belt cost and 3:How many hours to fit/change?.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank you.

March 21, 2011

I might probably be wrong but I don't believe any of the Prius models have a belt drive (I know the3 gen2 & gen3 don't). The gearbox is classed as an eCVT but it is not a cvt drive in any traditional sense but that the hybrid system is the transmission. The gen1 Prius (assuming its a UK car and not an import) can be subject to transmission issues if the fluid isn't changed correctly or regularly.

You might want to take the car to a main Toyota dealers for their diagnostic equipment as loss of power could be many things including a failing HV Battery or transmission. Do you get a turtle light appear at all? Does the HV Battery level go up and down much more quickly and more often than it used to? Is the car a Japanese imported Prius?

Good Luck.

March 21, 2011

Dear Prius fans, I have a gen 1 Prius which my wife drives, but we have noticed a drop in pulling power up hills and 4 or 5 passengers up.
I figure it must be the final (belt drive ) getting worn.My questions are 1:Can it be adjusted 2:How much should a new belt cost and 3:How many hours to fit/change?.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank you.

As far as I am aware, it doesn't have a belt drive. You might try having a look at PriusChat; there seems to be a lot more information there about the earlier versions of the Prius.