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Hit Ice Chuck, Check Engine Light On

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ykbj, Nov 14, 2019.

  1. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    Hit a chuck of ice the size of a soccer ball. Right tow cap is blown off. Lower Grille bended inwards a little bit and it's mostly on the right side. The plastic cover underneath have some damage but nothing serious. Also, a lot of hard ice between the grille and Impact bar (?).
    Still able to drive home without issue. Except now I can't attach the tow cap back into place. Now, the CEL is on, what to do? More updates follow.
     
    #1 ykbj, Nov 14, 2019
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Toronto, huh?

    Yeah.
    They have ice there, for sure.
    You're "probably" going to want to find out why the CEL light is illuminated "fairly quickly."

    I would probably try to get a OBDII code reader and access the port and pull the codes.
    It's super easy, super cheap, and if you have another car you can get a reader EASILY for under $20
    If you're armed with some information then we can all figure out next steps.



    As is true with everything these days, if you do not have another car Amazon will deliver one to your house.
    No.
    Not another car...but an OBD-II reader.



    Good Luck!
     
    #2 ETC(SS), Nov 14, 2019
  3. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Senior Member

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    The radar that is under the big emblem is probably damaged and throwing codes.
     
    #3 CooCooCaChoo, Nov 14, 2019
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  4. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    wait, electrical component related to engine problem?
     
    #4 ykbj, Nov 14, 2019
  5. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Sorry to hear your mishap. How did the ice end up so high to hit your bumper? Did a semi or something drop it off?

    Anyway, CEL can turn on by errors totally unrelated to the engine. It is a coverall warning light. As mentioned, your first step is to plug in a good quality code reader to find out what code is being thrown. I use Bluetooth OBDII reader OBDlink LX, but if you don't have one handy, you can pick one up at a local auto shop. Corded ones are usually not very extensive on Prius specific errors.
     
    #5 Salamander_King, Nov 14, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2019
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  6. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    Isn't it possible that the shutters on the grill are now bent or clogged with ice and cannot open or close? I agree with the suggestion to get an OBDII code reader to be sure, but I believe others have had the problem of stuck grill shutters throwing a check engine light.
     
    #6 davecook89t, Nov 14, 2019
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    check engine is only for emissions, iirc, but that covers a lot of things
     
    #7 bisco, Nov 14, 2019
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  8. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    #8 davecook89t, Nov 14, 2019
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  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Is that true for Prius only? Or for other makes too? I have not had any CEL or any other warning light other than TPMS come on my PRIUS (Gen 3 and PRIME), but for several Civic I have owned, CEL came on with error code related to transmission and IMA battery issues.
     
    #9 Salamander_King, Nov 14, 2019
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i would suspect every car, but its only what i recall reading here. i could be wrong.
    shutters might be considered an emissions part due to warm up cycle
     
    #10 bisco, Nov 14, 2019
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  11. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    There's no other warning messages other than the warning light. I also thought it could be the grille shutter.

    I just came back from a 50km trip. Everything worked fine. New rattles in the cabin discovered. Front and center of the dashboard.

    I'll buy a OBD scanner tmr and update with some pictures of the damage.
     
    #11 ykbj, Nov 14, 2019
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  12. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I'd also check all fluids, just in case a hose etc is leaking. But the Grill Shutter is probably the most likely. If it were other than engine-related, I'd have expected a "Malfunction" error displayed.
     
    #12 alanclarkeau, Nov 15, 2019
  13. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    Update #1:

    [​IMG]

    Is it safe driving without the tow hook cap?

    The lower grille was damaged also , hard to see in picture.

    [​IMG]

    Need help on this one!

    P.S. DRCC is working, all front parking sensors are working.
     
    #13 ykbj, Nov 15, 2019
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  14. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Senior Member

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    Yeah, the active grille shutter is damaged. Just googled that DTC and that is what comes up.
     
    #14 CooCooCaChoo, Nov 15, 2019
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  15. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Tow hook cap - doesn't do anything except look like it's got a cover over the tow hook. You see cars quite often with them missing.
     
    #15 alanclarkeau, Nov 15, 2019
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  16. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    #16 ykbj, Nov 21, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2019
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