Hawthorne Auto Clinic offers a 12,000 mile service for Thinks based on the manufacturer recommendations and our own experiences.
Linked above is a PDF checklist that I use for this service, but it is constantly being revised. Continue reading 12k Service
Okay, I’m publishing this, but it’s a work in progress– very early in progress.
I intend to list out all of the common problems that I have seen with Thinks so that owners can be prepared to deal with them.
Far and away the most serious and frequently occurring issue is the overheating and failure of the precharge resistor located on the Master Lithium Energy Controller (MLEC) in the traction battery assembly. Continue reading Have you ever heard “litany” used to describe a list of good things?
Today my boss, Jim, asked me to have a look at the Hawthorne Auto Clinic Prius. It is a 2004 with about 100k miles on it. It has an aftermarket Hymotion Li-ion battery that makes it a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle); depending on the driving scenario it can get 100 mpg or better for the first 40 miles after a full charge. It has been in a minor front-end collision since the shop has owned it, but it was bought used, so its history before that may hide some secrets. Continue reading Who bugged our car?
If you pull the hood release lever on the left side of the driver’s under-dash and the hood does not spring open… Continue reading Popping the hood
A typical car has a single water pump. It is driven by either the timing belt, timing chain, or an “accessory” drive belt (but a water pump is the opposite of an accessory– an engine will die within minutes without coolant flow). A water pump pumps coolant (which is typically a mixture of water and ethylene glycol) through the engine’s cylinder head and cylinder block and when the coolant is warm enough if flows through the radiator. (I often use the terms “water pump” and “coolant pump” interchangeably, but in the automotive community it is far more common to use “water pump.” It probably doesn’t qualify as ironic that in a naval nuclear reactor they are called coolant pumps and they pump basically pure water.)
Every Prius has at least a few water pumps. Continue reading ‘Tis the season for inverter water pump replacement
There are some issues with Think headlights. Continue reading Headlights
I have only ever replaced the 12V battery while the car is on a lift, and I would strongly discourage anyone from attempting otherwise. (Any mention of “battery” in this article refers to the conventional 12V lead-acid battery.)
Lee Underkofler was kind enough to make this suggestion for those of you attempting this repair without a lift: Remove the front bumper cover. It’s relatively easy to do. I’ll try to remember to put up some instructions and photos– If I haven’t deleted this sentence by October 2015, someone please prod me to do an update.
Here is a document provided by Think regarding 12V battery replacement:
Procedure_to_remove_and_replace_12v_battery[2]
But I’m still going to provide my own advice:
The battery is located under the car just inboard of the left front wheel. Remove the entire battery bracket assembly, install a new battery into the bracket and then reinstall the bracket to the car. Continue reading 12 Volt Battery Replacement
Every person that ever drives a Think must read and comply with the following:
Before putting the key in the ignition and turning it on, and also before turning the key off, always turn the blower off. (The blower is also called the fan and is controlled by a knob on the heating and air conditioning control panel on the center console. There are settings from 0 to 4, and the left-most/counterclockwise-most, 0, is the off position.) Otherwise it is possible to permanently immobilize your car. We recommend making a label/sticker and posting it prominently on the dash or center console, not blocking other indicators, to remind you and anyone who might ever drive your car to always turn the blower off before starting up or shutting down the car. Continue reading Every Think owner must know this!