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Lots of warning lights, please help.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jellybug, May 31, 2013.

  1. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    My '05 is a daily driver, i commute 100 miles round trip to work and back, has 169,000 miles. Prius has been totally trouble free and drove it home last night and parked it in the garage. Got up this morning and start it up, put it into reverse - beeeeeeeeeep.

    I had the Triangle of Death, check engine light up, and the ! with the car in red on the lcd (apparently real bad) and the message said "problem". Immediately shut it off, waited and tried 5 min later. same thing. wife came home, she started it, same msg appears and i said drive it and i will listen. listened to the car as she slowly backed down the drive and drove fwd down the block. sounded fine like always. i called the stealership. he said drive it in as long as the CEL want flashing. it was not. so i started it back up and all of the icons and warnings were gone.

    We are driving to dealership 50 mi away to get car looked at, she runs and behaves like always. I hit the cruise control button and the CEL comes on again, solid. I drove it to town anyways, mpg was great, went 55 mph. took it to advance and they ran codes, it popped up a P0171 system too lean and P3191. no extra info. took it to another parts place for 2nd opinion, same thing. he cleared it this time and it runs great. But the CEL came back after 4 miles. checked gas cap seems to be tight.

    Dealer wants to charge $100 to diagnose it and they charge $95 hr labor. If this is not serious id rather not shell out $600 but if it is, then we will have to since its my daily driver. again - car behaves and runs great - been eating a little oil lately but thats it. Those warning lights this morning scared me half to death but they havent come back. wife is driving it as we speak. What do you think - serious? should i take it to the dealer JUST because of those messages that went away? or can anybody be trusted to fix it (indie shop)?

    concerned for my jellybug,

    thanks!
     
    #1 jellybug, May 31, 2013
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Please run the test at Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat after the car has sat MANY hours or overnight (or you can use a voltmeter). Please tell us the 3 values (not just 1). Don't go changing the battery first until you tell us the values...

    If you have HIDs, you can avoid unnecessary cycles on the lights by toggling between off and parking light positions.

    Weird stuff can start happening w/a low or bad 12 volt. Don't waste $ on having a dealer "test" the 12 volt (07 Prius Dead - Any Guesses? | PriusChat). If you're on the original 12 volt, it's likely at end of life now.
     
    #2 cwerdna, May 31, 2013
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. What was the fuel level when the car first started to log these two DTC?
    2. DTC P3191 means that the engine is not starting when the hybrid vehicle ECU expects it to.
    3. I would look for a leak in the engine air intake system and also clean the MAF sensor.
    4. Remove the engine air filter, hold it up to sunlight, and replace the filter if you cannot see light coming through the paper element.
    5. Since the car is your daily driver and presumably you would not be very happy if the car fails at an unopportune time, you need to take some action. An independent shop might be OK if it specializes in Toyota hybrids - otherwise I think dealer service will have a greater chance of resolving the issue.
    6. I doubt that the 12V battery is causing this particular problem.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, May 31, 2013
    koolingit and cwerdna like this.
  4. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    alrighr, battery tested fine, but as i read i see shat might be up. jellybug has been consuming oil lately so i threw in some RP 10w40, may have tripped the ! because of incorrect visc. can u give me steps to clean the maf? pref w pics cause i am visual thx
     
    #4 jellybug, Jun 1, 2013
  5. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    btw i will drain the 10w40 when i get home tonight. still drives fine but pesky check engine light is still on. think that will clear with a maf sensor cleaning? and the emgine air filter should be fine i changed it last fall with a napa gold. i can see thru it yet.
     
    #5 jellybug, Jun 1, 2013
  6. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    How is the level of the oil? It should be just below the top dimple on the stick.
     
    #6 nh7o, Jun 1, 2013
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    #7 Patrick Wong, Jun 1, 2013
  8. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    thank you, oil is between 1/2 and 3/4 on dipstick. could it be that simple? man i hope so! i love my prius i hope she'll be alright!
     
    #8 jellybug, Jun 1, 2013
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If you are referring to the MAF sensor cleaning, you won't know until you try it.
     
    #9 Patrick Wong, Jun 1, 2013
  10. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    No, that wont cause any problem. (Certainly not while driving on the freeway).

    No, that wont cause any problem.
     
    #10 uart, Jun 1, 2013
  11. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Your oil level is ok at the moment, but given that it's been burning oil perhaps you have overfilled it in the past (recently even)? If so then this could be the problem (leading to fouled throttle body and/or MAF sensor).
     
    #11 uart, Jun 1, 2013
  12. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    so lets say i clean the maf, change my oil to correct visc, and my cel is still illuminated. whats my next step? battery? at what point do i just need to take it in and pay thru the nose?
     
    #12 jellybug, Jun 1, 2013
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Look for an air leak in the engine intake system. For example, a missing or loose engine oil cap or dipstick, a loose PCV hose (at the throttle body, one hose is just pushed onto its fitting without a hose clamp holding it in place), or loose hardware securing the throttle plate assembly to the intake manifold.

    If you don't find anything wrong then it is time to seek professional assistance. Among other things, the tech would inspect the fuel injectors for clogging, the air/fuel ratio sensor to see if it is producing proper control voltage swings, and fuel line pressure to see if it is at spec.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, Jun 1, 2013
  14. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Unless you're currently getting minus 30 degree summer temperatures there in SD (unlikely I'm sure) then I can assure you it's got nothing to do with the oil visc.
     
    #14 uart, Jun 2, 2013
  15. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    thanks for yor help guys!
     
    #15 jellybug, Jun 6, 2013
  16. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    How did it turn out Jellybug. Has the warning light stayed off after cleaning the MAF sensor?
     
    #16 uart, Jun 6, 2013
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