Finally gave in... bought an automatic

[Stubby79]

Who's using a bluetooth OBD2 dongle to read their MPGs? Any recommendations, or is any cheap fleabay one going to do the job?

[MetroMPG]

That's funny.

No more overheating?

[Stubby79]

Never did overheat...just ran the rad fan a lot.

I haven't tested it. I'll find out when the carpet is dry and I can drive it again. (had enough of wasting gas idling)

[MetroMPG]

I owned a 1984 Tercel (manual trans) which didn't even have a radiator fan.

That can't be right, can it?

Maybe Toyota knows something secret.

[Stubby79]

Drove it to work (After putting the carpet and seat back down). Stopped before hitting the highway to check the cooling system. Everything was cold except one upper hose. Checked again when I got to work...the whole radiator was warm; warmer at the top, but not cold at the bottom like before. Rad fan never turned on. All good.

Carpet underlay was finally dry, after 16 hours of having a heater blowing on different parts of it. I treated and painted the little bit of surface rust that was starting to form under there.

Other than an oil change, she's good to go. Nothing left to be concerned about.

[teoman]

I use an obd 2 dongle, its a cheap bluetooth one from aliexpress (was 20 usd at the time, its 10 years old now). Its paired to an android phone running torque pro.

[Stubby79]

Good stuff. The dongle can be left in there without draining the battery?

[teoman]

Yes and no.

It has a small drain, i leave it in place. But if left for too long it will contribute to battery drain. (My car did not start after 3 months of sitting with dongle attached). It does have a led that is always on i think.

[Stubby79]

Ahh...easiest bumper-to-bumper commute home ever. So nice to have my efforts pay off.

[MetroMPG]

Congrats!

I notice you call this car a "Prius" in your fuel log. Freudian slip? Wishful thinking?

Also: how much did the wee beastie set you back, if you don't mind me asking?