Concede Defeat - 2002 Prius

I am happy to see you have not thrown in the towel yet! IMO, you don't have a major problem. Your car needs some TLC. Bob Wilson suggested three things. I would do that and see if the situation changes. Concerning the 12 volt battery, if you want to change it, now would be a good time as it is weak. That may help you, but something tells me that the 12 volt is not the root of your problem. It is something that should be dealt with sooner or later I believe.

Did you get Toyota to pull the codes, or did someone else do it? (Pepboys?) - If Toyota did it, what did they suggest to fix the car?

Don't give up or concede like your original post started off with. I think your car still has a lot of life left in it.

Ron

 

This might help: Cleaning Prius Throttle

It was a cold-snap in November/December when it first happened to me. Now I clean it once a year with the Fall oil change.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

the brake abs thing, is it possible there could be air in the fluid, bad fluid, or possibly a bad relay? could also possibly be a bad abs wheel sensor.
Check your oil on your dipstick. let us know where the level is. I had to drop mine to half between the dots to get mine to stop putting oil in the intake.

 

Well the brake thing could be a simple bleeding of the brake fluid. it could a relay that is intermittantly not working causing the lights to come on. or an abs sensor that is faulty, all those cheap and way better than selling the car. if it is the abs computer(worst case), they can be had on ebay cheap

 

If you can fix the 'cheap stuff,' you'll be in a better position to negotiate any trade-in or sale. If or when you sell it, do let the buyer know about the resources at PriusChat . . . hummm, leave a note in the Owner's Guide?

Bob Wilson

 

I have never had to clean the throttle body on our Prius. The last time Toyota had their hands on it, the tech did the job for me. To sum up what he did, he used a can of stuff and a stiff brush. He dipped the brush in the can, opened the flapper inside the throttle body, and scrubbed all of the varnish/deposits off of the flapper thing and the inside of the throttle body. I guess the flapper thing would be called a butterfly. Anyway, he cleaned it twice, then dried everything up with a soft clean cloth that he wrapped around the brushes.

I did something similar to this on a truck I used to drive. I had to do it every winter, otherwise the throttle would get stuck and you could not mash the accelerator. I used spray carb cleaner like what you would buy in the auto parts store. I sprayed a little on the butterfly to break it loose, then I sprayed some more into the throttle body and on the butterfly. I cleaned everything up with a stiff wire bottle brush like what you see in the kit you are trying to find. I then simply dried everything up with a clean soft cloth, put all the parts back in place and test drove. From then on until next winter the throttle body worked fine.

Anyway, I doubt you will find the kit you are referring to, but my thinking is carb cleaner and brushes should do the job. Just be sparing with the spray and dry everything up before you try to start the car. If you still have trouble, then consider cleaning the MAF that is in the throttle body.

Maybe Bob Wilson can give you more info then what I did. He knows quite a bit about the Gen 1. Also Patrick Wong had a Gen 1 for a long time. He is now running a Gen 2, but knows a lot about the Prius in general.

Ron

 

I agree with ron. Dont go looking for the toyota throttle body kit. 1: your going to waste your money 2: you can do it with a long flathead screwdriver, a coat hanger or rod for cleaning and to get the rag out from the throttle body. and 2 rags/ cut up t-shirt material

I did mine for under $5 (for the carb/choke cleaner). I got a rag(used to be an old t-shirt that i had, I cut my old t-shirts up for rags)(DO NOT!!! USE PAPER TOWELS OR THOSE BLUE SHOP RAGS, they will flake and fall apart and could get in the engine). Use t- shirt material, because they its thin and can be maneuvered easier. you take one rag 12"x 12" should do just fine. twirl it up like your ringing it out. and using one screw driver, hold open the throttle body as you stuff the rag down in there. get it all the way in there. then while holding the throttle body open, take a long screwdriver but better to use a stiff hanger or metal rod of some sort that you can bend and swish that rag around in there. then take your hanger and snag the rag and slowly pull it back out. its usually a pain to get back out but as you get ahold of the rag start spinning the hanger or rod around to twist the rag so it becaomes easier to get back out. just work with the rag, dont panic, it will come out. now after getting the rag out, spray a decent amount of carb cleaner down in there. now do the same thing you did before (barring the rag you used before is not coated in oil.) and then pull that rag back out, there ya go, you saved yourself about what guys, $200+.

Hope this helps you out.

 

I can't remember what Toyota charged me to clean my throttle body, but I do know I went in for a simple oil change and tire rotation. I let them talk me into the "throttle body" cleaning since the car belongs to my wife and I trust the mechanic who is doing the work. They are doing the "Prius specific" for me and I use another typical garage for the basic stuff. As I recall the bill was just under $200 and a normal oil change/tire rotation is usually just under $45. So, if you can clean the throttle body on your own, you will save at least $150.

The main thing is this, don't get agressive with the spray. Use a little spray, and don't hurry through the job. When you are done, you might see stains but the surfaces should be smooth if you run your fingertips over it. Try to not get any of the spray on the MAF which is the black thing sticking out of the throttle body towards the front of the car. Otherwise, you may end up having to clean that too.

I strongly suggest you try cleaning the throttle body on your own to the best of your ability, and get a can of injector cleaner and put it in the gas tank. Another product that works good in my opinion to pour in the gas tank is called "SeaFoam". You can find it at the auto parts store, and also WalMart. Follow the directions on the can, and pour it in the gas tank when you fill up. I have used that stuff in the past, and it does help in many ways.

As far as the other problem with the yellow light for the brakes, you may end up having to get Toyota to help you with it.

Ron

 

OCPrius21, if your car lived its life in SoCal then I'll tentatively agree with others here - the usual stuff that kills cars over time, i.e. routine bad weather, bad road surfaces, salt spray off the ocean and road salting in winters, should not be factors for your Gen I Prius. SoCal is gentle on cars that haven't been in accidents. Good Luck finding that technical gremlin and exorcising it away.

 

Uh, it has been two years since I last bought the kit. I'll have to go back and see if my local Toyota Service Center has it. But any quality carb and injector cleaner would work. It is not that hard of a problem to solve. I think I got my brushes from Harbor Freight.

Bob Wilson

 

Autozone or similar auto stores should have some good suggestions and you might even find them on sale.

As for the check engine light, it usually goes away after three restarts if the original condition clears. However, the codes will still be in the ECUs.

The same auto stores will often check your codes for free and may clear them. If not, you can disconnect the battery ground cable with the car off for a minute or so and that will erase them.

Bob Wilson

 

There is a youtube video on the throttle body cleaning.
Here is an excellent video of the misfire and how to clean it.

 

Not a problem, glad I could help

 

The check engine light will turn off on its own once you fix the problem and drive for a while, however, cleaning the throttle body will NOT fix your P0171 and will probably do nothing for the P0303. I would recommend cleaning the MAF sensor, this will likely solve your P0171. As for the P0303, I would drive it a bit and see what happens. Should you choose to have me clean it, I normally clean the throttle body and MAF for a fraction of the price you paid previously. As far as the brake warnings, more info/testing is needed, preferably by someone who understands Prius braking systems.

Avi