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

Battery terminal for jumping is where you think it is. Ground is right below windshield by driver side, power is in fuse box. Check manual for diagram.

I would change out key fob just to do it if it's been over a few years or you dont' know when it was last replaced. Check sticky thread for that, it's all there.

Good luck!

-D

 

*******HELP!!!********

Just bought a 2007 prius gen II on Sunday.
43k miles
Dealer maintained, looks brand new.

PROBLEM 1: When I come to a stop, the ICE doesn't seem to turn off like it should. It is half-nice person running when stopped, and the car kind of kicks a bit. Once the light is green and I take my foot off the brake and gas it, everything is fine. Engine turns on, runs smoothly.

PROBLEM 2: (Likely related to problem 1) Intense rich exhaust smell when at a stop. Windows up, ventillation in recirculation mode, still get the strong smell.

I know a bit about cars, this is my first Hybrid. It seems to me that there is some kind of switch or sensor that is not giving a complete signal to the car to shut off the ICE. So it is halfway deciding to shut down, half not. This is making the air fuel mixture too rich and the extra gas isn't being burned off by the half running engine.

NO warning lights on.
Don't have a code reader yet.

Ideas??

 

Sorry, what I meant by that was the engine is not shut off, it is running. However, without RPM gauge, I cannot say with absolute certainty that I'm experiencing a poor idle, because the engine is just too quiet inside the cabin. Imagine putting your foot on the brake at a stop sign, and feeling pulsing/jerking as if the car wants to continue to go forward. Also, there is zero smell from the car when idling at home after initial start. The exhaust smell is only after driving a while and at a stop.

 

The engine won't always stop. If HV battery state of charge is low, then the engine will come on or stay on to charge it -- and you will feel it when it engages the motor-generator in the transaxle. This can create a little extra vibration as opposed to pure engine idle. HV SOC may be low due to running the A/C or, surprise!, heavy DC converter usage to prop up a weak 12V battery. Similarly, if battery state of charge is too high, then the motor-generator will turn the engine crank to burn off the charge.

You are sure the car was never in an accident?

 

Is it hard to change the spark plugs yourself?

 

Not sure if I should start a new thread or not - and I'm failing at search.

Our 2004 (~140k miles) has a few quirky behaviors that, on reading some of this forum, I'm wondering if there are some related things.

1) This just started. Sometimes, while taking a moderately large turn at a moderate speed (say, turning into a parking lot through a sweeping entrance ramp) the big red "Warning" alert triangle shows up and the MFD says "Problem". As soon as speed and/or turn angle is reduced this alert goes away. I don't know how to get access to some kind of error log to see what the problem was.

2) This has been on going for years : the Prius can't remember that we like F and not C for our temperature readout. When the car turns on, it's in C; if you hit Climate and the back out again, it's F. I assumed this was some simple watch battery on an accessory board somewhere. It also resets the AC set point to 75. Everything else about the MFD is still 'remembered' from start to start.

3) There was an intermittent "gurgle" noise that would tend to sound off when accelerating. I believe we did replace the water pump at one point when that was on the recall list; the gurgle stuck around. Lately it's not been there. Maybe because all the water ran out. Which may or may not be a good thing.


So from digesting as much as I could of this thread, I'm going to check the 12 V battery via the in-car-diagnostics routine, and see if that might be a problem. I thought I read somewhere that I can't locate now that the first problem might just be an oil level issue - I have to check the oil and see if it needs a quart or two.

Is there anything else I've missed for starters or has anyone else had these issues?

 

for # 1 Check your engine oil level. Sounds low

 

Thanks for all the info on this. I'd rather spend the money getting the proper tools than at the mechanic's.

Noob question (never worked on the engine before):

Do I need to check the gap on the spark plugs before I put them in with that (technical term coming up..) gap checker thingy? I've got a 2004 Prius.

Thanks in advance.

 

It's probably been covered here, but that beep sound when you shut down is the computer telling you your key fob battery needs to be replaced. I have had the experience. You should replace it at that point, since it can go dead anywhere and you could be stranded unless you have a replacement battery in the car.

 

No, you won't be stranded. You just insert the fob into the slot on the dash and off you go. BTW, that's assuming you've managed to get into the car in the first place.

 

I wonder how many people don't know that there's a mechanical key in the fob. I wonder how many have actually needed to use it. I haven't (yet).

 

I have a 2005 Prius with 189,000 miles on it. Prius's with high mileage seem to start burning more oil. I change the oil about every 5k-7k, before changing the oil I get a yellow triangle on the Dash for a second or 2 when breaking, I generally rush to get my oil changed at this point. The oil change place mentioned that my oil is down to one quart or so after 5k, so going forward I'm going to use synthetic oil.

Has anybody had any problem with low oil levels using synthetic oil? Also could there be another problem that my Prius is burning almost all of its oil at 5K?

thanks