1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

need to drain the tank on the 01 i have

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by fred stein, Apr 19, 2013.

  1. fred stein

    fred stein New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2013
    3
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    I
    the young guy i bought this from had it running for 10 minutes. it stopped running. he put in racing fuel. i was looking at a pdf on the prius and it says that running anything but 87 octane will cause problems. pdf was not specific as to what problems can happen. as i dont have access to a real good scanner to diagnose the other problems, i figured i should at least get rid of that fuel to prevent further problems. what damage could happen from that racing fuel?

    i was looking on a website and it said to use jumpers on the fuel pump relay and disconnect the fuel line to run out the fuel. i dont think i can do this as i have the triangle symbal and it reads main battery on the computer screen.

    i have the cheap actron scanner at it read p3006. i read from one of the members to jump another 12v battery with the key on for a half hour and the 01 would reset after shutting off the key and trying the ignition. well, that didnt reset the car to turn over, but i no longer get codes off my scanner.

    i will continue to reset this thing with any suggestions from the group. a couple of you have been helpful and i appreciate your help and experience. the previuos owner bought a remanufactured battery so im unsure that the hv battery is defective. there is a guy in the twin cities that services parts and rebuillds the batteries. so if i can i will fill any holes in this story as well as i can. thanks for reading this. fred
     
    #1 fred stein, Apr 19, 2013
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2003
    5,341
    920
    251
    Location:
    Surprise, AZ (Phoenix)
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    ** Mod Note ** - Moved to Gen 1 forum
     
    #2 HTMLSpinnr, Apr 20, 2013
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,665
    15,664
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    No problem as long as the octane is equal to or higher than 87.

    That was inaccurate. To power-reset the car, you need to disconnect the 12V battery ground for a minute or so. But we also need to know the 12V battery voltage. You want to see at least 11.9V or higher when the 12V battery is in the circuit.

    There are a couple of questions that need addressing:
    • 12V battery - needs to be 11.9 or higher
    • power-ON reset - need to disconnect ground for a minute or so and reconnect
    • status of traction battery - you'll really need a prius-aware scanner, the battery display has no units
    The Prius will set an internal code after three failed attempts that prevents further start attempts. Doing a power-on, reset with a good 12V battery should clear that code. But every start takes part of the existing traction battery power. We need to understand why it is not starting and that means a Prius-aware scanner.

    Our model Prius has seven ECUs recognized by the Chinese hacked, Techstream, but three are critical:
    1. Hybrid Vehicle (HV) ECU - it stores up to three codes and also has the subcodes for the inverter.
    2. Engine ECU - also stores up to three codes and is key to understanding what might keep it from running.
    3. Battery ECU - also stores up to three codes as well as reporting critical status of the traction battery. We need this to see how much charge remains and if there are any severe problems with the traction battery.
    You have a lot of options for our NHW11 scanner. I have personal experience with these and know them to work:
    • miniVCI - if bought from the Xhorse reseller, avoid the Ebay units as they may work but do not have the ability to upgrade the firmware. It is 'hacked' software and not necessarily the most trustable source.
    • ScangaugeII - requires XGAUGE programming that is about as difficult as sending an SMS text message. Up to 30 can be resident at one time and the known codes are in the sticky area. A trustable source, it needs a different cable to work with our NHW11 or the hack described in the sticky.
    • AutoEnginuity - a fairly complete package, it works well but a little pricy. Trustable source.
    • Graham MiniScanner - no longer in production, the original, affordable NHW11 scanner and excellent for engineering studies and primary code maintenance. It does not access inverter subcodes. No longer in production, I have a couple.
    • over-the-counter scanners - junk! They only read emissions codes which gives the false illusion of knowing what is wrong with our Prius. I've tested three including the top of the line Sears model, an Ebay one that falsely claimed 'Toyota aware', and top of the line Harbor Freight. If you have one, can you take it back?
    GOOD LUCK!
    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Apr 20, 2013
  4. fred stein

    fred stein New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2013
    3
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    I
    thanks bob for your experience and info. i will try to find one of those scanners. is the graham one that you can leave in all the time? someone emailed me about a scanner that is no longer available. i want to say escro something. at this point, i am weighing calling in to the toy dealer to charge the hv battery and scan it. its a 65 mile tow, but it does no good just sitting there. i dont know why toyota said
    i will retype this. a prius owner said there was a prius scanner that you could keep plugged that was no longer available. maybe thats the graham scanner you talked about. do you think i should take the car to the toy dealership so they can charge the reman and scan it? the car does me no good sitting there and its no good for the car. it needs to be run.

    it was a toyota tech publication that said to only run 87 octane. so i will take your word about no harm no foul with the racing fuel. when the 12v battery is connected, when i try to start or scan, the key wont come out. if i disconnect the neg cable, then i can remove the key. any ideas? thanks
     
    #4 fred stein, Apr 21, 2013
  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,665
    15,664
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    The Graham Miniscanner was the first and I have over the years picked up several. However, both the Scangauge II and Graham Miniscanner are designed to be plugged in all the time. The Graham Miniscanner has the advantage of data recording via an RS-232 interface. The Scanguage II has the flexibility to add and change the 30 XGAUGE definitions but no data recording capability.

    It will be OK except the 12V battery will self-discharge. I would recommend putting it on a trickle charger and/or pulling it out and on a good charger. Although Toyota can do a good job, many sad reports suggests you might be better off getting one of the four scanners that I have tested:
    • AutoEnginuity with Toyota option and your Windows laptop - ~$500, a fairly complete, Prius aware scanner with good support.
    • miniVCI with your Windows laptop - ~$35, purchased from the Xhorse reseller. The Ebay units work but their firmware at 1.4.7 has problem with the ZVW30 Prius.
    • ScanGauge II - $150, requires an ISO9141/KWP2000 cable the vendor can send or the pig-tail described in the sticky. The XGAUGE definitions are in the sticky.
    • Graham Miniscanner - $negotiable, the original, affordable scanner with excellent data recording for engineering studies. Does not report sub-codes (INFO codes.)
    Personally I recommend having your own tools to keep the car running. When a problem becomes more involved than you want to handle, you can give the business to Toyota or an independent shop.

    Well I'm the guy who has used the Graham Miniscanner for gasoline studies and two months ago, ran E85 in both Prius. I've run both cars out of gas nearly 50 times to make sure the next gasoline was not diluted by any left-overs. My study gas ran from 87-93 octane and E85 is over 100 octane.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #5 bwilson4web, Apr 21, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)