Something's wrong. Help!

1. Do you find that the gasoline engine is now running at times when it normally would not (i.e., when coasting or under gentle acceleration?)

2. Turn on the air conditioner (MAX AC) and assess the quality of the engine idle. Is it smooth, or does the engine misfire?

 

I was about to ask if you got some bad gasoline at your last fill, but from the photo, it shows you to be relatively low on fuel. Does the Triangle of Death go away on it's own? Here on the mainland, AutoZone and O'Reilly Parts will lend you an ODBII tester, yet they don't work so well with Prius's. I would invest in a ScanGuage II for long term use, and diagnostics - Only $159 at AutoZone anyhow, then you could see what is going on internal to your battery pack, and elsewhere.

 

You need to pull the main (HV) battery readings which requires a sophisticated OBD2 system (Toyota, Autoenginuity, ScanGauge with xgauge, ...). You first image is pointing to a main battery balance problem.

JeffD

 

Watch the traction battery SOC gauge. Do you see the reading jumping up and down more than normal? If yes, the traction battery has probably failed.

Odometer reading?

 

I'm waiting to hear about the codes they give you. If by any mean it comes up as P3006 (Don't panic ). Ask them to give you the chart showing the voltage for each battery module as well. --- I had the same issue as you described and fixed it myself. I'm waiting for your scanned codes and battery modules voltage chart for further advice.

 

If you do, they will tell you that you need the traction battery changed. If you are still under warranty, then let them do it. Otherwise, if you have the modules chart I refered to in my first post, you will need to get the weaker modules (those with higher or lower voltage than the rest) changed.

If you are handy, you can do it yourself and pay about $10 -$20 for reconditioned modules. But let's not dance faster than the music !!!

 

Hi anonymoususer,

Do a search on here on those codes using the SEARCH button here on Prius Chat.

Allot of people clean there throttle body and MAF sensor (very delicate!) themselves with good results. $300 sounds like 3 times too high for this service. Unless they are just going to outright replace the throttle body, and clean the MAF. Which is probably unecesary. Although, there have been cases where the throttle plate bearings are sticky, even after cleaning, and wont allow the plate to properly snap all the way closed.

I do not remember any extended waranty for this. The grime is due to usage, and it simply a normal wear item.

 

Yes. See this string for the relevant TSB:
http://priuschat.com/forums/generat...0-09-copy-sought-p3191-p3101-error-codes.html

 

We had the exact same warnings last year, and yes all it needed was the TB &MAF sensor cleaned. BTW am I missing something here? Your first pic clearly shows nothing about the battery or the HV system at all, but it does show the car w/line icon and up on the dash it has the check engine light. Those are exactly correct for this problem. The Triangle is the Master Warning, the crossed out car on the screen indicates a problem that severely impedes the car from operating, and the check engine light says the problem is in the ICE.

If it were a HV/battery problem the middle one on the mfd screen would be highlighted. The one to the left "PS" is for a power steering problem I believe.

BTW the dirty MAF sensor is usually caused by overfilling the ICE with oil at every change -something most dealers do, so whenever you get the oil changed, check the dipstick to make sure it isn't overfilled, if it is drain some until it is just a hair below the full mark.. You see they will tell you that 1/4inch over on the stick is ok, but I am seeing more and more evidence that this condition will cause too much oil mist in the intake areas, especially when starting from cold. This will eventually foul the sensors.

 

These same warnings showed up on my '03 Prius this morning. Is it okay to drive it a few miles to Advance Auto Parts to get the codes read?

 

If the car can be driven, then it would be OK. However the generic OBD-II code reader available at discount auto parts stores may not produce a reliable result.

 

How can I be sure that it is okay to drive the car? Are there codes stored somewhere other than in the ECU?

 

I note that your second photo shows 0 bars on the fuel gauge. Is it possible that you have a simple out-of-gas situation? If so, you'll need to add at least four gallons of fuel, and after three restarts you may find that the warning lights will go off.

Otherwise, if the photos that you posted show all of the lit warning lights, and you can drive the car around the block without noticing driveability issues, then I would say it is OK to drive the car a "few" miles. However if you wish to eliminate all risk and doubt, then you should tow the car to your dealer so that the DTC can be retrieved and a complete diagnosis provided.

DTC can be produced by several ECUs, which is why a generic OBD-II code reader (which expects to see DTC generated by the engine ECU) has trouble retrieving all Prius DTC.