2007 Prius P1116 code and coolant control valve issues

In some previous cases it has eventually been discovered that when the flow valve was first replaced, the mechanic connected the hoses the new one up incorrectly. As the coolant is flowing the wrong way, the rise in temperature that the computer is expecting to see doesn't happen, and it throws the code again.

Check that the hoses are connected to the correct ports on the valve.

 

This thread is disturbing to me. I'm upset that all of these dealers seem to be so incompetent. Clearly the thermos on the Gen II ads an extra level of complexity to the cooling system, but why do these dealers seem unable to get the repairs right?

Like someone mentioned before, fixing modern cars like the Prius isn't that hard. It's just a matter of properly following the procedures outlined in the service manual.

*sigh* All the hard work done by the design engineers ruined by shoddy dealers doing sloppy and bad work.

 

Thanks to patrik wong for advice to call customer service center. although i could not make them to completely waive off the cost of coolant flow control valve. the customer service lady did offer to reimmburse the cost of flow control valve

 

This thread is pretty old but still relevant. I have had my 05 Prius since 2008. With no exceptions, the best car I have ever owned. I bought the car with a salvaged title (hit in the front and repaired), for 13,667. You folks remember what gas prices were in 08? I have a very long commute (170 miles a day) so this was my answer to those problems. I have had a minor problem here and there, nothing I could not fix (except for that brake servo actuator thing that went out and cost me 1200.00 dollars). I'm very mechanical and not afraid to tear into this thing and change things out. I have pushed this car to its limits, from running it out of gas to see how far I could drive on the batteries - to installing inverters so I could use it as a generator during power outages. I have installed a tow hitch and pulled a 1000 lb trailer for 2 hours to go camping. This car has served a utility purpose for me well and faithfully. I have put this car thru many things that the average Prius owner would never dream of. The car had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it. It now has 245,000 on it. I will drive this car until it is dead and I can not resuscitate it, when I'm finished with it, the only two values it will have is parts for my next Prius, and scrap metal. I live way out in the boonies, its (at a minimum) 30 minutes to get anywhere. Just to go to the nearest gas station it is a 20 mile round trip.

Now with all that said, I am rather perplexed by my current problem. My problem seems to mirror what others here have experienced with their coolant system. I could really use some advise. A few weeks ago my CEL came on. I have my own OBDII reader and the code was P1121, the coolant control valve. I switched my diagnostic tool over to monitor engine temperatures, they were ok running between 160 and 190 degrees, not an issue, no threat for engine damage. I found a 'used' valve off a Prius with 'way' fewer miles, installed it, of course I lost a lot of coolant. It was the weekend, so I was not able to go to a Toyota dealer for the correct refill fluid (the super long life stuff). I went by a parts store and bought the Prestone any car antifreeze. I filled it with all it would hold thus mixing the 2 coolants.

The CEL light went away, and all seemed well. I had to make a trip to a nearby town (100 mile round trip) so I drove my Prius to see how it would do, kind of a proof test before I started driving it to work again, (170 mile round trip). I monitored the temp for the entire trip. On the first half of my trip, the temperature (engine coolant) was running between 180-220 degrees F. This is a little high, and was causing me some worry because it was out of family from what I have been seeing. For the first 30 miles I had no cabin heat, but at that point is began working, not well, but sufficient. The outside ambient temperature was 59 degrees F.

On my return trip, well it all went wrong. (It may be relevant to note that since I changed the coolant control valve, the CEL has not come back on - not once during normal operation) 20 miles into the return trip the big red triangle came on (I believe it is called the MIL). I checked the engine coolant temperature, it was 248 degrees F. Ambient outside temperature was 57 degrees F. It immediately dropped and for the next 30 miles cycled between 190-253 degrees F. When the MIL came on (this happens at 248°F) I could let off the gas and coast, the temp would fall. I stopped several times times and checked the coolant level in the coolant reservoir. It was never low. I am certain I have air trapped in the system. I have ordered an original equipment new Toyota coolant control valve, it actually arrived as I am writing this. I also have 3 gallons of the super long life coolant. I intend to flush the coolant, change the valve 'again' and refill with SLLC.

That's the background, now my question to you experts. After I empty the coolant, change the valve, and refill with SLLC, what would you guys rate my chances of success in purging the air from the coolant system if I leave the car running, leave the radiator cap off and add coolant as I see the levels go down?

If it appears anyone is still watching this thread, I will report back as to my success or failure.

 

Not very high. To purge air out of the system you need to open the valve on top of the radiator. You also need to run the coolant heat recovery system pump to get air out of the loop down there.

I had previously posted regarding how to replace engine coolant. This involves using a paper clip to short the switched terminals of the CHRS relay to run the CHRS pump.

 

Maybe I should have added all that. I did both of the things you suggest. The process is going well, I think. I also have a couple of tips for anyone else attempting this.

Opening the bleed valve for both the hot canister and the radiator, (this is the 2 yellow wing nut looking items) will not empty all your fluids. I removed the short over flow hose from the cap on the over flow tank and attached it to to bleed port for the canister, I found another hose and attached it to the radiator port. This helped direct all the dribble. After I drained all out that I could, I removed both the radiator cap and the bleed plug on top and used an air compressor alternatively blowing air into the 2 openings. Close one and force air into the other, then switch. Also alternate closing the yellow shut off bleed valves while forcing air thru the system. I found this an excellent way to remove lots more of the old fluid. I also ran the recovery system pump several times during both the draining and refilling.

Here is another tip I discovered that made changing the coolant flow control valve (a little) easier. There are 3 hoses on the valve, the top 2 are pretty easy to reach and not to difficult to un clamp. the lower one is a nightmare. I'm a big guy, 6'7" - 260 lbs, and my big hands do not fit into these small areas very well. The bottom hose connects to the canister on one end and the valve on the other. If you removed the wheel well cover, (this makes everything lots easier) just remove the hose from the canister. When you pull the valve out, remove the hose and put it on your new valve. the hose has a bend to it, so be sure to orientate it correctly on the new valve before re assembly.

Now the results.
After all plumbing was re assembled, I put in all the SLLC it would hold, it was about 6 quarts. Ran the recovery pump for that. Started the engine for 2 minutes with the radiator cap of and the bleed plug in, this allowed another pint or so to be put back in. Closed up the system and ran the car until it reached 205 degrees F. The electric fans come on at 205 degrees and as cold as it was last night, I could not achieve any temp higher than that. This morning, I added another pint after squishing the top and bottom radiator hoses by hand a couple of times. Started the car and again heated it up to 205 degrees. 3 hours later when the pressure had dropped enough to open the cap, rinse and repeat. 3 hours from now I will do it again, but this time as a road test.

I am also modifying the metal plate that installs over the radiator. I am going to open up the hole above the bleed plug so that this can be easily removed without removing this metal bracket.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

The road test went well, outside ambient temperature was again 57 degrees F. I drove 10 miles total and never passed 207 degrees. The real test will happen Monday when I return to work. After the road test, I wanted to let the car cool off and see if I could add any coolant. 3 hours was not enough. I began checking for de pressurization at the 3 hour mark. This was way too soon. It took 6 hours on this last cycle before I could open the radiator cap. The car was very cold, but pressure persisted. I decided that since everything was cold (and I was impatient) I would open it up so I could attempt to squeeze the hoses and push out any bubbles. I am taking this long sustainable pressurization as an indication that I am getting very close to being full. When opened up, I could only add roughly 1/3 cup of SLLC. This is a positive sign. Some of you physics majors out there could explain gas v/s liquid compression far better than me but in a nutshell this extended time is an indication that there is considerably more fluid in the system than earlier.

The car has now set overnight, 15+ hours. I was able to add about 1 cup of SLLC.

Tomorrow is test day.

 

This is sounding very good. It appears like your engine coolant is full or very close to that point.

Have you turned on your cabin heater, temp control set to MAX TEMP, fan at max speed, to ensure that the cabin heater works and you don't hear any air bubbling in the system?

Regarding the bleed valve, you should be able to access it with a hex Allen key of the appropriate size, through the access hole in the metal bracket. It sounds like there is some misalignment of the hole with the valve in your car's case?

 

Good evening Mr. Wong, The bleed plug hole and the hole in the brace appear to be the same size. I opened this up to 1".

You know on a task this size, with so many important details, one should probably take notes while your doing this. I should have reported this earlier, I guess it was lost in the details. Yes, I had heat on the first temp test (before the road test). Probably within 20 minutes, the heat was back on. I did cycle it many times thank you.

After this last fill up, I thought I would do another round of coolant today, but when I opened the cap, it was full and I was unable to squeeze any additional air out. I will drive the 85 miles to work tomorrow, and if it de pressurizes enough after the end of shift (9.5 hours) I will attempt to add some then.

I am very close to declaring victory on this issue. With 245000 miles, I know this will not last forever, and I still have an air conditioning problem. The weather is about to get HOT and something has to be done. I intend to empty the entire system, pull a vacuum and see if I can recharge the system. I will not put thousands into this car for any reason, (unless I decide to change the engine, which I am considering at some point doing). If that does not work, I will buy a very small floor air conditioner (with remote) set it up in the cargo area, and cut a vent hole out the bottom of the car for the exhaust of the unit...... Ya, I'm a redneck.... But a cool one.

I guess I'm one of those guys, I will get it done, it may be a little unorthodox, bit I will find a solution.

 

Well its been 5 days, that's 900 miles for me. Victory on the coolant and valve. Victory.

Failure on the air conditioner.

I am open to suggestions on the iar. If nothing else, someone could suggest a good and clever place to vent the portable air conditioner I have purchased to mount in the back of the car....

 

I know this thread is kinda old but I've been having the same code come off and on for the last year or so. Just took my '07 base prius in for its 80K oil change (and its just over 8 years old now) and they changed out the secondary control valve for free under warranty. Not sure if I got lucky or maybe this is part of the extended emissions warranty the car has in California.

 

chiming in on for help and with observation.

i get that driving down the road at 65 all of a sudden red triangle, VSC light and red triangle on center console screen on 2008, engine shut down, no or exceedingly limited response to pedal ( i don't know what battery power at that speed feels like but i can't really tell if i drove or coasted to the side). shut off car, turned back on, engine starts and it drives fine but with the dash fault lights for 60 miles. next day I check the inverter coolant pump that has been fingered in other threads about those dash lights e.g. Red triangle + Yellow exclamation point + VSC; what is happening!? | PriusChat. but the inverter coolant pump does NOT run in IG-ON which some folks have suggested as quiet way to test it. So I turned the car on normally and when the ICE shuts down I can hear the pump and tried unplugging, and hear it go off. I think I see a little movement in the coolant tank for that circuit. pretty sure the thing is turning although I suppose it could be weak or something. Is there an inverter coolant temp sensor or other sensor to check that it seems like the pump is doing its job and/or the sensor could be marginal? after messing around checking this, I started the car and red triangle was gone; but it comes back half hour into travel.

took the codes with torque pro

faults are:
P0A80
P1116
P1121
P1122
P3190
P0171
P0446

Dr. Prius shows me one suspicious cell that has low voltage compared to others but still over 16V. pack voltage was 231.

state of charge 58%. (I don't see how to use dr. prius to get a state of charge for each cell if there is such a thing.)

so some of those faults correspond to this thread and the coolant control valve issues. the thing makes noise, like it was cycling back and forth sometimes, but i have no idea the complete theory of opps or how to check its state. i was getting heat. it appears to be largely emissions control but maybe also opens the coolant to the heater core?

any thoughts on how to check if this valve is working correctly before going through disassembly, replacement, bleeding, etc. appreciated. don't know if there is a position indicator on any of the wires connected to it. think its got 5 wires. and then how to compare what position it should be in, etc. and/or what coolant temps sensors can i read with torque pro or dr. prius to see if they are out of proper range. or another recommended diagnosis software.

any other obvious things to check vis-a-vis this batch of codes.

thanks,

brian

 

For the moment, ignore the coolant valve codes. The position sensor inside the valve is bad. The fix is to install a new (OE) valve. This is a minor problem.

The P3190 (poor engine performance) and P0171 (system too "lean") go hand in hand. Something is causing the engine (ICE) to not receive enough fuel for the present operating conditions.

That can trigger the P0A80 (replace HV battery). Poor ICE will stress the HV pack and hasten the deterioration of a weak battery module. If one of the blocks reads 1.0-1.5V lower than the rest when discharging (under acceleration), then that block has a failed module.

P0446 is a fault with the fuel tank vapor emissions system. So far, I have always found this code to be caused by a bad "switching solenoid valve" at the vapor canister on the back of the tank.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

thanks for thorough explanation of codes and which one is likely the biggest problem source. if short on gas does that tend to indict the fuel pump and filter in the tank that aren't replaceable?
or is there some fuel injection controller or something else that could be leaning this out?

i don't really know of any practical solution for those GD tanks. (I've got a 2005 that you cannot put gas in except very slowly with an aquarium pump). when I looked at replacing this maybe 3 years ago there used to be aftermarket tanks but not available anymore and the factory one was like $1800. by the time i figure my own or someone elses labor the car ain't worth it. i guess i just keep driving it til it give up.

is it possible to put the european tank and removable pump/filter in these. might not meet evap standards but on a car this old I think I am getting to the point where I don't have to meet the standards. don't know if the electrics and fuel lines would be close enough or could be converted?

 

Lots of things can cause a P0171. Most common is dirty sensing elements in the MAF sensor. There's dedicated spray cleaner for that. Or brake clean. Careful, those elements are fragile. They should be kinda shiny-white.


Other possibilities are a vacuum leak allowing air into the intake manifold somewhere "downstream" of the MAF. Or dirty - restricted fuel injectors. Could be a faulty upstream S1 Air-Fuel sensor in the exhaust manifold.

A real whammy is if you have a tank full of E85 fuel. (That has much less BTU energy content per gallon than "normal" gasoline and the ECM can't adapt for that).

The fuel pump and pressure regulator on the Gen2 seems to be fairly reliable. Except for the fuel pump power circuit that goes through the white connector near the HV battery fan - the one that gets wet and corrodes.

You might want to search the forums for any posts I have concerning "fuel trim" and "MAF sensor". Using a scantool to monitor short and long term fuel trims (plus A/F, O2 and MAF sensors) can help point you in the correct diagnostic direction.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

@mr_guy_mann

any of the ELM 327 style scanners and apps able to read the trim and the sensors you recommend?

I found a review of adapters and software here but it mostly talks about accessing various ECUs. don't know if that is tantamount to accessing sensor input to those ECUs but the poster does not mention. Sounds like you have some experience monitoring these and have recommended in many cases and maybe I just have not found the post where you recommend what adapter and software to use. Techstream is the obvious but all the other stuff exists because techstream - last I knew – was ungodly expensive or you had to download some after market version onto a PC that you didn't care about much in case the software was goofy or virus prone.

I currently have Dr Prius, Torque Pro and Car Scanner and don't find these options. I did have the paid version of a couple on my old phone if they are more capable but I don't know how to transfer the license if that could be done. I don't object to paying for software if it gives me access to these sensors but I'm just not clear what is the best avenue to pursue to monitor these. Or whether I should just start by cleaning the MAF, etc.

thanks, Brian

 

It depends on what you call ungodly expensive. You do need a Windows laptop to run it on (which you might already have, or pick up for cheap) and you do need to buy a J2534 dongle to use with it (buy it once, it's yours, choose anywhere from the Mini VCI that might be around $20 up to the dongle Toyota actually tests and recommends, that one's more like $500, and there are some good options in between).

Once you've got your laptop and your dongle, Techstream if you want to be all official with it is a $70 fee for two days of use, whenever you have to use it. Is that ungodly? It ain't free, but it's probably well under what you'd pay at dealer rates for them to plug their copy into your car and tell you what it said. Plus, if you're working on solving a problem, and you want to use it repeatedly several times in those two days, you pay nothing extra; try asking a dealer for that ....

A lot of people get the idea it's "ungodly" expensive because they google around and land on the bundle offer that includes the $500 dongle and a full year of activation and is something like $1300. But unless you're running a shop and needing to use it all year, there's just no reason you'd be looking at that bundle.

As for the other options and which ones can read the things you're looking for, mr_guy_mann reviewed a bunch of them, here:

https://priuschat.com/threads/gen2-obd2-app-review.232741/

I'm pretty sure Car Scanner was supposed to be able to read many things, but it's been a while since I studied that thread.

 

@ChapmanF @mr_guy_mann

fair enough. $70 is not excessive for diagnosis. i'm passive aggressive about their model because my life is crazy and I often need a week or more between initial diagnosis and some correction and retest.

i do have an IBM and I guess I shouldn't be worried about running actual toyota software on it, and it probably runs through a web interface anyway?

meanwhile can't find any way to contact the author of Car Scanner to see if it has access to that sensor information.

emailed motor data, another app. both of those apps come from russia, or at least somewhere that uses a cryllic alphabet. don't know if that is coinicidence. car scanner seems genuinely to be a guy who was just a lawyer but it bothered him that he couldn't get easy access to parameters in his car although it seems largely to be curated around industry standards and not vehicle specific.

so i don't know if there are industry standards for A/F, O2 and MAF queries and readouts.

that said, my emperical observation is that the engine thinks it is running lean when it is not as when this happenstance occurs (which is not all the time and the red triangle comes and goes, especially after it sits but sometimes even while operating) it is obviously adding fuel because the exhaust suddenly looks like that of a car that is warmed up but the choke got put on.

sounds to me like I should try cleaning or replacing the MAF sensor since it is a known area of trouble. where is the A/F sensor and is it addressable as or more or less as easily as the MAF sensor?

thanks,

brian

 

No, it runs right on the box. I agree that if you download the software straight from Toyota, there probably won't be anything Trojan-y about it.

In addition to the software, you need a dongle to connect the laptop to the car. Each dongle will come with driver software that also has to be installed on the laptop. There's a wide price range for J2534 dongles that will work, from the $500-ish one that Toyota recommends down to ones you can find on amazon or ebay for $20 or less. So there's a separate judgment you also have to make, about where your dongle is coming from and how you feel about loading that driver on your laptop.

Some people will pick up a cheap used laptop to use for nothing else, just to avoid having to think about it.