Ok, I need help with my prius, It is a 2004 with 225K miles, the problem start one day because I ran out of gas, I fill the tank everything went well for about 10 miles, the triangle lights up and problem image appears, ICE shut off, I got home, next day I check the codes, it give me P0351 352 353 354 meaning that the coils are bad, I dont believe that this was true but just to make sure since the car have the original coils, I order new ones ( OEM denso ) put them and it is the same problem, the car start, engine start for about 15 second code again all coils, ICE wont start, check 12V battery is ok, was change about 6 months ago, any suggestions?? thanks in advance
Are you using a code reader that reads all the Prius codes? Many or most don't. It sounds to me like there must be something common to all the coils that's causing them not to fire and I suspect that it's in your hybrid system. It's possible that to ran the hybrid battery down too far when you ran out of gas.
What is the charge level on the hybrid battery on the mfd? If the car wont start your getting your alot more codes than that. You may have some hybrid battery codes. Your obd scanner may not be Hybrid capable meaning it wont pull all the codes the car is throwing. I would not be concerned with misfires at this point if its not even starting. You must harvest all the codes the car is throwing. You didn't put diesel in the car by mistake in your rush to refuel?
If you ran out of gas, as you said, the probable cause for the none start is that the hybrid battery has being discharged while you drove the car in Emode to get some gas. The state of charge would be zero right now. Get the battery recharged, and you're good to go. I don't beliec its the coils. If it were, you'd ha e gotten some misfires related to ignition coils. Those codes might just be an intermittent issue. If you erase the codes, I'm sure it would take care of those. But the none start, you need the hybrid battery charged. Are you getting all lights come on the dash when you try putting on the ignition to ON(without readying it)? I'd lights come up, your 12V battery is OK. But if it doesn't display the lights on the dash, it means the small 12V battery is problematic.
What exactly does that mean; HOW did you check it ? The most likely culprit is the LAST thing that was changed. In this case, the new gas that you put into the tank might be contaminated.
Thanks for the fast replies, yes, by now the hybrid battery is almost zero, how can I charge it, does a Toyota dealer do this?
Yeah, some of them won't want to do all that. I think we have guys over here, whose got grid chargers that you can hire, or buy from. If you don't have the resources, you could buy hobby chargers. That would take almost a whole day to charge them up.
You can try a dealer. I seem to remember reading here that the chances are slim. Best recourse, but not cheap, would be a Prolong grid charger from Prolong Battery Systems. Extending the life of your hybrid. – Hybrid Automotive . But you'd be without a car while you wait on shipping. But start with getting all the codes read before you spend big bucks on anything.
Thats a big deal at the dealer or at least was back in the day they just don't stock a 250 volt precision current limited power supply. Buy a Prolong charger they work good and will charge that battery up to 100%. They advertise on this site and sell them in the Prius Shop top of this page.
I heartily recommend them, too, but would stay away from the shop on this page till it's more reliable, especially when ordering something that expensive from outside the continental US. I got mine directly from @jeff652 via his web site.
Followup: how exactly did you check the 12v? What were your voltage numbers after a full night's rest?
I just looked at the wiring diagram for my newer Prius and the fuel injectors and all four ignition coils get power from the same fuse under the hood. If you ran your HV battery down it may not help.
Again, thanks for all the replies, I will take the car to the Toyota dealer so they can read the codes, as soon I get this I will post what they found, I will check fuses and relay before just to make sure, let you know next week.
Maybe more important than that, they should OBSERVE the symptoms and actually check those things most likely to cause them. Computer trouble codes are very useful but should NOT be the only diagnostic tool in use.
Ok, here is an update, after several month in the local Toyota dealer, they told me that they suspect that the Engine ECU is bad, they do not charge me anything, I got the car back, order a used engine ecu from internet auction site, my question is, I need reprogramming the used ecu or just put it?, Please advice, thanks in advance
WOW!!! Several months? That's terrible. AFAIK, there is no need to do any programming. It may still have data from the previous car, though, and take a while to adapt to you and your engine. I hope they maintained the charge in your aux battery and HV battery.
Question, do Toyota dealers have the charger to charge the HV battery? I heard years ago they were expensive to have just set around.
Last I heard was Toyota did not have an HV Traction Battery charger available at all dealerships. If one was needed the dealer would have to obtain one from the Region. As for cost, the sky is the limit. IMHO, it would be less expensive to buy a "Grid Charger" to charge the battery. Otherwise, you'll pay for a: Tow bill Diagnostics bill The charge of the battery Other varied shop charges. So what do you get for that? A lot of wait time and an empty wallet. I paid $275 for a Grid Charger from Venice Hybrid Tech. It has paid for itself a few times over. There are other chargers out there, but this one works and has saved me a boatload of money that I never had to give to the dealer.
I have heard the same thing a long time ago and thought maybe that has changed. What is the charger that Toyota would use in their shop? Now with the lithium based batteries they will need a different charger?
