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What the heck is wrong with my prius!?:(

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by saralee13, Sep 27, 2014.

  1. saralee13

    saralee13 New Member

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    Sorry if this sounds scrambled, but Im at my wits end here. Ask for any clarification, if needed. My 2005 prius with 85k miles began to loose power and would not accerlate while driving several times. All the lights including the red triangle with exclamation point turned on. I would pull over, turn off the car, let it sit a few, and it would be fine when I turned it back on. It would not accelerate, and some soft knocking was heard from the engine. While driving, I heard a loud pop from inside the cabin (later found out 2 hybrid battery cells exploded), the car sounded a little rough but I was still able to drive it. I was only getting about 15 MPG. One afternoon, I stopped to pump gas, turned the car off, and when I tried to turn the car back on, it would not start. I had the car towed home, replaced the 12v battery. The next day, the car started (sounded like a jet engine) and I very slowly drove it to the toyota dealership where they stated I need a new hybrid battery which would cost 4500$ and a new inverter, another 2200$. Too rich for my blood. So I opted to replace the damaged cells myself. After a little research on this forum, I found several posts stating its very rare for the inverter to fail. I scanned for codes and a ton came up, including for the MAF sensor. I replaced it and cleared the codes. the car sounds a little better, but all the warning lights are still on and the car is still running very rough. I have a basic knowledge of mechanics, i work on my other car, pontiac solstice, all the time, but the hybrid prius is kicking my butt....I thought maybe it could be the inverter pump, although it was replaced during the recall, or the ECU? Any ideas?? I know the meaning of the codes, but can anyone tell me what needs to be done to fix my baby?:cry:

    ECU VOLTS: 11.035

    The error codes that i pulled are:
    P0102
    P0113
    C0372
    C1259
    C1271 through c1278
    C1281
    C1310
    C1346
    P1E03
    P0171
    C3200
    P0012
    P0001
    P0301
    P0113
    P2501
    P0325
    P2004
    P0442
    C0604
    P0456
    P0511
    P1455
    P3000



    EDIT: Oops I just noticed I posted in the wrong forum, sorry!:/
     
    #1 saralee13, Sep 27, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2014
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    That's a mighty lot of codes.
    Google is your friend.
    Search the word Prius and the individual code. Then write them down.
     
  3. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    It's pretty rare for two hybrid battery cells to "explode".
    But evidently it happened.

    Rare for the inverter to fail.
    But?

    That doesn't mean it hasn't failed.

    You kind of have to determine whether your inverter is indeed good or not. Because if it is bad, as the dealership told you, then you could repair, fix or replace a lot of other things and STILL have the problem.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what did you use to scan?
     
  5. saralee13

    saralee13 New Member

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    I used the Innova 3500(something around that number, not too sure i dont have it within access right now). I know many of the codes are for sensors, ie. Oxygen sensors, camshaft sensor, MAF sensor (even after I cleaned and changed the sensor) . Does this point to something electronically such as the ECU or inverter, or would it just simply be that all the sensors, around 8, are faulty?
    How can I go about checking if my inverter is indeed the problem as the dealer states?
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    never heard of it. you should get a mini vci and download tech stream.
     
  7. northwichita

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    Reread your post , rethinking this one.

    ECU VOLTS: 11.035


    With starting 12 voltage under 12 volts, any codes are suspect, replace, or at least charge up your 12 volt battery , checking the ground bolt, clear codes and see how the car performs.
    If ECU volts refers to something else, please inform me.
     
    #7 northwichita, Sep 30, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2014
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This is not a salvaged vehicle right?
     
  9. saralee13

    saralee13 New Member

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    Northwitchita, i just replaced my 12v battery when the car died on me at the gas pump (about a week and a half ago), and the voltage looks to be in order.

    Jc91006, No I bought it brand new from the dealer mid '05.


    Tomorrow Im Replacing spark plugs, fuel injectors and ignition coils based on same of the codes that were thrown. Hoping this helps clear up at least part of the issue. I was also advised to check the inverter pump and replace of not working properly, so i ordered one just to have on standby just in case. I was told that if it is not releasing coolant properly, it would cause the inverter to overheat, Which in turn, would cause the decreased amount of power and acceleration, the issue with the HV battery not regenerating, some of the codes that are appearing, ultimately causing the overheating and failure of my HV battery...any truth to that??
    Correct me if im wrong, but the car would not power on at all if the inverter was fried from driving around with a failed inverter pump too long, correct?
     
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you are not prepared to spend money on the inverter and hv battery, I would hesitate to invest on the work you are contemplating tomorrow. They are probably not the cause of the (major) problems you are experiencing. You'll spend time and money just to get back to where you are now.....without a proper running car.

    Try to get the hv battery fixed first and go from there.............don't tackle the small stuff that won't solve the big issues. I can't believe a 1 owner 85k miles car can have all these issues/codes you have listed. Go with the dealer diagnosis and repair the battery first.
     
    #10 JC91006, Sep 30, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2014
    edthefox5 likes this.
  11. saralee13

    saralee13 New Member

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    Sorry if i wasnt too clear before..the bad cells on the HV battery were already replaced, rebalanced, and reinstalled. The HV battery code is cleared now, the car does turn on, shift into drive and move, i could probably drive it down the road if i had to, if it wasnt for the flat tire i noticed today (tackling a tire change tomorrrow as well) and for the fear of damaging something else further; it is just running extremely rough. I agree this is an awful lot of codes for my car to have all at once, especially when all of the maintenance, recalls, and small issues have been serviced on time by toyota. The only HV battery related code that does remain is for Hv battery regenerating malfunction, Which is why i was told to check the inverter pump because apparently "if its not pumping the coolant to the inverter for proper cooling, it will cause the inverter to decrease in power in order to attempt to reduce the amount of heat it is giving off so as to not fry the inverter. The power deficiency of the inverter in turn will affect the power needed to regenerate the hybrid battery. The inverters in prii rarely fail and are more commonly misdiagnosed for a faulty inverter pump" Seems logical if the information is correct...but again, im just going off what I was told and this could be totally false. It also seems logical, to me at least, that there could be a faulty ECU causing the regenerating issue? Thoughts?? Im confident in replacing the inverter or the inverter pump, if needed. Funds for the repairs is not an issue either. I can spend a grand or two on repairs to get her back up and running smoothly if need be, just not logical to spend $6700+ that the dealership was charging me on a car with a KBB of only $7-8k, that is the only reason im attempting this on my own. So with the big issue of a failed HV battery out of the way, the majority of the codes are for cylinder 1 misfire, 2 fuel injectors, and several sensors. As for the inverter related code, i was inquiring in my last post if the inverter in fact did fail, would the car not turn on at all? Is there a way to determine if the inverter is damaged?
    And im assuming that if any ECUs were damaged, a code for it would be thrown?
     
    #11 saralee13, Sep 30, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2014
  12. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Hi Saralee13. I know you have a new 12V battery, but before you do anything else can you please confirm that the DC-DC converter (a replaceable part of the inverter) is indeed working and charging the 12V battery. Place the prius in ready mode and measure the 12 volt battery voltage. If it's under about 13.8 volts then the DC-DC converter is not working.
     
  13. saralee13

    saralee13 New Member

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    Well to my surprise, i changed the spark plug, and the ignition coil, and replaced the inverter pump, and now my prius seems to back to normal.. The HV battery is regenerating normally now and it no longer sounds like a jet engine lol. Never wouldve thought It would end up being something so simple! Thanks for your input guys!
     
  14. Greg999

    Greg999 New Member

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    Wooooow.
    My '06 puked many of the same codes on the same OBD2 reader. Waiting on a proper VCI reader to slow the cash bleed.
    It died after pulling off the freeway 30 miles from Lubbock.
    Wont start. The brake module next to the 12v battery is draining the battery.
    Seems the inverter pump is a common fail, planning that project after the reader verifies some of these codes.

    @Saralee - Anything else you recall?