Day Two

So I'm sitting on a flat back road during my lunch break, engine off, AC on low, when I notice the fuel gauge flash (full). Thinking my car might be chastising me, I turned the car back on, only to see the fuel gauge flash again (one bar empty, then back to full).

The check engine light came on halfway home, after work... a solid light, not flashing.

I freaked out a little bit when I got home - I mean, I hadn't had the car 24 hours, and already it was having problems. I didn't put the two incidents together until later in the evening.

The local dealer was closed, of course - so I:

- re-checked the oil and the tightness of the gas cap (both fine);
- talked with a VW mechanic friend of mine, who told me that he had "one of those diagnostic things that will diagnose the check engine light" (my words);
- talked with an online Prius-owning friend of mine, who in turn called a tech friend of his, who said that if the check engine (MIL) light wasn't flashing, it was likely not a horrendous problem;
- Googled a bit and found the Tundra Solutions Prius forum (subscription required to post and view articles (but viewing the forum is free)) and PriusChat.com (free);
- bought a one-year subscription to AllData;
- priced out an OBD II (aka "one of those diagnostic things that will diagnose the check engine light") -- $130;
- tried three gauge reset procedures outlined on the AllData site;
- took some solace from a similarly described problem on one of the boards -- a stuck sensor shook itself loose after a little while.

And that's that. For future posting -- hypermiling. ~S