Please help! 2008 Toyota Prius

Welcome to Prius Chat .

Some questions:

• How many miles on your Prius?
• Does it consume oil?
• Inverter fluid moving in the reservoir?

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

Had exactly the same symptoms and was told by the previous owner it was a timing chain problem. This was an ex taxi Prius with very high kms on the clock so I guessed it could be possible.
After pulling the engine to bit and finding the timing chain was at the end of the available tensioner travel, that wasn't the cause of the noise. The noise got worse, found an exhaust leak when revving the engine, added packers to tighten the springs that held the exhaust pipe to the manifold. This virtually killed the car, slow driving was all it could achieve. Replaced the cat with an aftermarket item and also replaced the fuel filter (not in the tank on the Australian version) and the car went better than when I bought it. Turned out the noise is the exhaust being pushed away from the manifold because of the pressure build up, when the pressure is released the pipe bangs up against the cast iron manifold and makes that rattling noise that only seems to be there if the engine is revving under load.

T1 Terry

 

You mention a second cat, where is the first one, it will be the one with the problem so check it first. When you cut it out look at the input side and see if there is any build up and check you can see a light bulb or the sun looking through from the input end to the output end. If it is blocked, bash the guts out and apparently it's worth saving in a bag for the rare metals, then weld the body back in and see if it goes better without it.

T1 Terry

 

I'm curious what the dealer said when you told them replacing the tank didn't solve the problem.

Step one would be to make certain the code reader you're using is Prius friendly so you're not chasing your tail. That happens way too often. Take the time to get Techstream, or get a phone app and an OBD Bluetooth device. It's invaluable when owning a Prius. Techstream is the best. Your code reader implies there are 11 screens of info. You show #1 and #2. What are the other 9?

A cheap thing to check would be the small screen filter for the VVT. It's located behind a plug fitting in the engine block directly below the VVT solenoid you replaced. I'd imagine the VVT wouldn't work very well if the oil supply filter screen was clogged.

If a cat is clogged, it's most likely going to be the one closest to the engine.

Replacements are available on ebay for about $130. It replaces the entire pipe and both cats. Cut the OEM pipe directly after the second cat and the replacement slips over the pipe and seals with a U clamp.

 

check your oil level. if its low the vvti wont function properly and will set that code. the vvti oil control valves are known to go bad as well.