Common 2G Problems, and What to Do About Them...

Hey guys i'm a freshman in college and i need your guys' help to save me some money.
I will tell you the story of my 2004 2nd Gen Toyota Prius.
A couple of months ago i purchased a 2004 Toyota Prius for $2200 with 170,xxx miles on it. It wasn't totally wrecked and looked completely repairable. It was hit in the front and everything under the hood looked like it was smooshed in. I test drove it for a little because i didn't want it to heat up as the radiator was busted. So everything is fine right? The car started, the motor started, batteries seemed fine.

Fast forward a little to where i put it in a body shop because i think all it needs is body work and a new radiator. Cost $1900 to make it look like new. New hood, bumper, radiator, headlights, etc...
So i go to pick up my car when it was supposedly read and it doesn't start
The dashboard lighted up but the motor would not start...

So i take it to the Toyota dealer and it turns out the battery was messed up and needed to be replaced, along with an inverter coolant reservoir tank, a sensor that's like hooked to the engine, and 4 fuses. They were gonna charge me around $6,500 to get it up and running again. I didn't have the money but i did buy the fuses and the reservoir tank because they weren't that expensive and i put them in myself.
So i took it back to my house and found some guy on craigslist who repairs batteries and brought him over to my house where he extracted the broken one and put in a good one for $1300...we tried starting the car and the engine STILL WOULD NOT TURN ON
at this point i'm seriously giving up and hate Priuses...well the guy told me the transmission was messed up...so i go and buy one with 37,xxx miles on it for $400 bucks and pay another mechanic to install it for another $400.

So i do the transmission fluid change on my own and try to start it...literally with fingers crossed that this car will hopefully start and i can begin to save money on gas. WELL, GUESS WHAT?! It did start but the engine turns off after about 5-7 seconds...

so my question is:

any of you guys know what could be wrong with it? i seriously don't wanna spend more money on this car. it i seriously screwing me over and sucking my college money out of my bank account. i bought this car because i thought it'd be easy to fix and i would save some gas but i has screwed me really hard.
why does my engine turn off after 5-7 seconds? and btw...the word "Problem!" appears on my navi system after the engine goes off. I WILL SERIOUSLY APPRECIATE YOUR REPLIES GUYS. I hope there is some serious Prius genies in here because i am getting depressed with this car. Please please please help me! i am desperate....

-Roy

 

Did you ever read or clear any dtcs?

-Tapatalk

 

what are dtcs?

 

I'm in Salinas, Ca
I lost the Toyota diagnostics sheet.
I did replace the sensor which I was told that it needed "calibrated and programmed".
My car is currently at some friend's house who works for Toyota and is certified in Hybrids.
When I test drove it was certainly for more than 10 ft.

 

Haha awesome! I love sneaking up on people in parking lots and watch them jump when I'm right behind them

 

Is this a DIY thing or must it be done by a dealer or competent non-dealer shop?

 

Considering all of the 12v battery-related problems would it be a reasonable preventative to add a second 12v battery on the opposite side from the first and wire them in parallel? I could either make the second the Optima or replace the stock battery with the Optima and move the stock battery across for extra capacity. It is likely that from time to time the children may operate electronics in the car & sometimes forget & leave them on, or leave doors ajar, etc. We just acquired a 2006 with 108k. I will be checking the battery condition & will replace the cabin filter with the Fram . Engine air filter looked OK.

 

Many have done it as a DIY, about the same difficulty as doing an oil change.

Search Results for Query: transaxle oil change | PriusChat

 

Thanks! I just read another thread which had pics of the underside - to check connectors - and they added a side comment that the spot to which an extra arrow pointed was a good spot to fill with a long-neck funnel.

 

Problem: awful smell, like mouse urine.
Cause: Mickey or Minnie w/ kids are nesting in duct work.
Solution: Remove them wearing gloves and facemask. Disinfect with water and clorine bleach mix, allow to dry. Disassemble cowling w/ wiper blades, cover firewall openings with wire cloth or stainess steel wire screnning. Use sheet metal screws or 5 min epoxy to hold screens securely to firewall. Reassemble and enjoy.

That's why I did and no more smells any more. 4 months smell free cabin.

DBCassidy

 

Easy DIY.

Diane's recc to exchange the ATF every 30k miles is the most frequent of any you will hear here, although a couple of other people share her opinion if memory serves me. I shoot for ~ every 60k miles, although I do not lose any sleep if I slip to 75k miles. After all, that is *still* 4 times as frequent as the Toyota recc.

 

Good points. Will look into that.

I also have a circuit that delays start (to protect against surge damage) and shuts-off (with a slight delay) connected 12v devices - just need to get it assembled. That will prevent devices being left on.

Thanks!

 

I have a2005 Prius w/smart start. This problem has been occurring for 3years. The dealer has been unable to recreate(or didn't even try) but was very intermittent. The last couple of weeks has escalated to an almost every time occurs ce. Closest dealer is 4 1/2 hours away by boat. So not easy to go to them. Plus my experience with them inspires less than no confidence.
When brake is depressed prior to pushing start button it " kicks" back quite hard and all dash lights flash, sometimes a dozen times or more, and goes into acc mode. Pressing button again usually gets the " ready" light. 12v battery is new,car has 72000 mile and dealer " maintained" meaning scheduled maintenance consists of changing oil and nothing else.
Any ideas?

 

I have a 2004 bought in 2003. It recently logged its first 100k miles. My problem with it is not easy to describe. It is actually running more like a non-hybrid car. I can feel and tell the hybrid system is operational, and I can hear the electric motor whine when coasting, down, etc. However, I don't think it is running as it should or as it used to. It happened on highway while cruising about 70 mph. I hit the accelerator to pass someone, and I felt that something changed. I'll try to describe it: think of a half-clogged pipe. The water can barely gets past the obstruction. You keep applying pressure, and suddenly the clog dissolves under pressure, and water begins to flow freely, and the pressure goes down. So it felt like that. Now the accelerator pedal is lighter, car is faster to respond, yet I think something is wrong because the car isn't itself anymore.

I don't like problems like these because they are very difficult to diagnose, let alone fix. For a while I also have not heard the inverter pump whine after shutting the car off as I did in the past, but the last time I got out of the car today I heard it. I believe it was replaced five years ago after a collision with a Trailblazer wiped out half of the front end ( but with no power train damage, thank goodness).

Right now my problem is that the car feels a lot faster than it has ever been. When I lift off the accelerator, it doesn't begin to coast as it used to. No warning light of any kind out of the ordinary is present on the dash, although it did have the red triangle on during start up with a message about the parking gear not being engaged properly. That warning went away after the change in performance occurred. Related?

Has anyone experienced anything like this? I guess I will take it to the dealer to see if there are any codes stored, but I wanted to run it through here first to see if anyone has anything to say about it.

Thanks in advance

 

Two things can be checked easily: 12V battery and inverter pump. Turn the car IG-ON (not READY), then turn on the head lights to see if the light is too dim (indicating weak 12V battery). While still IG-ON, open the hood and open the inverter pump reservoir cover to look for fluid movement (and listen for the sound of the pump working). Good luck!

 

Thanks. I realized this was the sticky so I made another post in the troubleshooting forum instead. My new 12v battery arrived today, and I'll be putting it in this weekend. Inverter pump will be checked the next time I am at the dealer.

edit: Put in the YT, all issues have resolved. Car runs as normal, again. Checked the inverter pump and it is circulating the coolant, so no problems there.

 

Hello! I have a 2008 Prius......it is not driven a lot; I have been advised to put a trickle charger on the 12V battery if it is not driven for periods of time, especially since I have had to replace this battery already.

Please advise as to where the terminals are for the battery--it seems to me that they are close to the windshield area....under the hood.......

In addition, I have has a recent issue where the key fob does not act as a smart key---and it also does not open and close the car door locks...after I drive for a while, it starts working....is this a 12V battery issue or a key fob battery issue? If it is a key fob issue, please advise on changing the key fob battery--

Thanks!