Hybrid Warning light w/ check engine light on

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by ejcabotaje9, Apr 1, 2011.

  1. ejcabotaje9

    ejcabotaje9 Junior Member

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    Hey guys, I have a problem with my 2002 prius. I was driving home from work when all of a sudden my Hyrbid Warning light came on with the check engine light on. On the screen, it gives me a (PS, Battery, and ! ) and the "!" was the one lighting up. The engine was roughing up sounds like it was gonna stop itself so I pulled over to the side and it turned off by itself without me doing anything except to put it on park. Then, i took out my keys and tried restarting it and all i heard was the "Ready" beep but not the engine and it won't move when i step on the pedal. After waiting for 10 mins., i tried restarting it and it worked i drove away and got home safely with all the warning lights i mentioned earlier still on. Can anyone tell me what's wrong, i'd appreciate it. (Note: i was driving w/ the A/C on because it was hot outside..around 90s, also it was not overheating nor it was any battery problem because all the electricals were working properly.)
     
  2. yotatoter

    yotatoter Member

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    !st thing you need to do is get us some codes from the car, and check all the fluids ..let us know what codes you get please.
     
  3. ejcabotaje9

    ejcabotaje9 Junior Member

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    I think ill just take it to the dealer...hate to do it because they suck your wallets dry. Anywho, I don't have a code indicator or anything like that. I checked all the fluids and all seems to be normal and no leaks as well. It was running normally today, but the warning lights were still on...but for sure i'll post the codes.
     
  4. Dirk

    Dirk New Member

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    If it can still move under its own power, you can get those codes from many auto parts stores that will read them for you free. Call around.
     
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    ... be sure to ask them if they can read, not just standardized OBD2 codes, but all the hybrid drivetrain codes from a 2002 Prius. That may shorten the list.

    -Chap
     
  6. Dirk

    Dirk New Member

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    Of course. Good catch.

    Dirk
     
  7. ejcabotaje9

    ejcabotaje9 Junior Member

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    hey guys sorry if i haven't updated the codes, i decided not to get the diagnostic from the dealer or any at all because once i got to the dealer the warning lights disappeared. I've been driving it for a long time now and it drives normally.....However, today it happened again. This time i had luggages in the trunk because i had to drop of my cousins in the airport. As soon as i saw the warning lights turn on, i quickly drove into a gas station and shut it off from there. I waited about maybe 30 mins or so before i could turn it back on. Once i did, it ran fine but the warning lights were still on. We arrive at the airport and the car had rest for about 2 hours. Then when it was time to go, the lights were still on and i drove it back home (mind you that i live 2 hours away from the airport plus traffic, freeways and i drove it 70 mph like i always do without any problem)...i don't know why my prius is like this but im gonna give it a diagnostic this time (that is if it doesn't turn off when i get to the dealer again). Its running fine with no leaks etc. but i can't quite figure it out.

    Any thoughts on this???
     
  8. ejcabotaje9

    ejcabotaje9 Junior Member

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    update: the warning lights turned off everything is normal now which is a good thing i guess.
     
  9. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    This will happen, codes going away by themselves, if the malfunction does not recur within a few restarts. But they are in memory as long as the 12V battery remains connected. You could try an auto parts store and see if their code reader will pull them.
     
  10. ejcabotaje9

    ejcabotaje9 Junior Member

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    Well it came back on again lol but this time i took it to the dealer to get to the bottom of it. They called and read some codes and said it had something to do with the inverter that they needed to drain and fill it with new fluid. Hopefully this will solve the problem. (note: the warning light only happens when its really hot outside and when i have the A/C on. i live in CA and its hot as hell during the summer.)
     
  11. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Yeah, I can't imagine a much more inhospitable place in the US than Riverside, although Houston comes close. I hope a fill/bleed of the inverter cooling system fixes it for you.
     
  12. ejcabotaje9

    ejcabotaje9 Junior Member

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    So the problem was that it needed a new water pump for the inverter...that's what they read from the diagnostic test. It's running fine now.