i started my '04 prius (~110k miles) this morning, went back into the house to grab a few things, & then I started hearing a loud rattling sound from the engine for a few seconds before the engine died. The dash and MFD lite up with these symbols in the attached images. I tried to start up the car again & the motor turned on but then the loud rattle sounds started back again and the engine shut down again. Looks like I may have to get the car flatbedded to the dealer but does anyone know what this symptom might be indicative of so I know what to expect? The car has been running fine without issue & just filled it up yesterday. thanks -norm
thanks, i found a youtube vid on how to get the car's MFD into diagnostics mode to check the aux (small) battery charge so hopefully it shows it is dying and nothing worse
It sounds a bit worse than a weak 12v battery. Where are you located? There are some great independent Prius shops scattered around the country. JeffD
i'm in northern california (Fremont). I just swung by the dealer near my work in my other car with the intention of buying a new battery, but after explaining the symptoms to the service advisor & a tech, they said it sounded more like a misfire and said that a dying aux battery wouldn't cause the engine to shut off after it's started. Ordered a scan tool to pull the DTC codes, so hopefully will get to the bottom of it tomorrow!
Luscious Garage or Art's Automotive are the good independent Prius repair facilities in Northern CA. JeffD
thanks everyone for the assistance. These were the DTCs present: P0171 SYSTEM TOO LEANP0335 CRANKSHAFT POSITION CIRCUITC2300 ACTUATOR SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONC2318 LOW VOLTAGE ERROR Dealer ended up replacing the aux battery since it was on its way out (bad cell), but ultimately the reason the car didn't turn over was the crank position sensor (part #9091905045) was dead Everything is back to normal now