I got this inverter from Amazon to power a few things on road trips. Last night I plugged it into the “cig” slot to test and it blew the fuse right away. So I located and replaced the fuse and the 12v plug is working again. I didn’t drive the car, just turned it off after confirming it had power. Today I go to turn on the car, it goes to “ready” but then I get the “Check Hybrid System” message. I haven’t ran the codes yet, but I’ll do that next and post soon. Hoping it’s just the 12v battery. Any insight or help would be very much appreciated
No obvious link between these events. Cig lighter receptacle under the dash is only good for about 120W, and with inverter inefficiency that might only be 100W for real. You can wire in another receptacle with heavier feed wire to support running that inverter at full load.
Dr. Prius gave me a P0A0F code. Attaching a screenshot from the app showing the voltage readings today. I’m not going to start it again, except to maybe get it out in the street for a AAA tow. @Leadfoot J. McCoalroller you may be right about this being a coincidence.
Well I guess I’m in this alone then, but I’m going to keep updating this thread with my progress. I tested my hybrid battery on Dr. Prius when I bought this car last April and it gave it 88% life expectancy, but I do remember it mentioning something about a weak block, so there may be something there to address (not sure if I’d be up to that). According to this video, hybrid battery failure on its own will not cause the P0A0F code the Dr.Prius app gave me yesterday.. so I’m going to clean the MAF sensor first, and if that doesn’t work I’m going to order a cable and hopefully install the techstream software to get more details about what’s going on, instead of rushing to tow it to the dealership tomorrow. I inspected my engine pretty good with a flashlight today (just wiped it clean recently, too) and see no signs of rodents. When I had this car inspected last year they told me the car had no code history, and I take very good care of it.
You're not completely alone, I don't know anything about the app you're using though, so that part is all you. It says you've got a weak block or two. There isn't a lot you can/could have done about that. Keeping the cabin cool (use lots of AC) and keeping the battery cooling fan clean is all it takes to dodge most battery problems. Any chance the warranty is still in effect there? In some states that's 8 years/100k miles.
Thanks for hanging in there with me @Leadfoot J. McCoalroller ! I checked the fan yesterday and it’s looking pretty clean and clear to me. Vacuumed it last April, but maybe I can take the top part off and go a little deeper with the cleaning. I do run the air (usually on low is all I need) pretty consistently in the warmer months. If it ends up being the hybrid battery, I will definitely be looking into a warranty claim if one is possible. I bought it used from a Toyota dealership, but the battery should be warrantied through 2022 or 100k, like you said. The car currently has 65k miles on it.
0.05 voltage difference between max and min voltage seems pretty good to me, especially of that age. Might look into fuel pump operation such as this person (who had run his battery dead while using an inverter). Perhaps a relay got damaged before fuse could blow?
Thank you for the link and suggestion @topshot I can’t seem to find a fuel pump relay that’s listed as working with my 2014 model. This one says it’s compatible with 2019 & 2018 Prius C, but when I select 2014 it tells me it doesn’t fit. Oh well, I suppose the part number will be on the relay if I need to replace it. Thanks again. I’m going to clean the MAF sensor tonight. Hopefully I can do a scan for codes via techstream by midweek.
There should be a secondary code that may provide a little more info on why the engine won't start (or remain running). It wasn't clear to me if yours actually does start and then dies after 10-15 seconds. If it does start then it wouldn't be a fuel pump relay.
Yes, the ICE came on like normal for 10-15 seconds on Saturday morning, then stopped and displayed the hybrid system warning message. I started it 2-3 times, and I’m not going to do it again until I’ve scanned for codes and ideally have a fix in place. Right now I’m betting this is somehow connected to the power surge I caused, but we’ll see. Just trying to chalk this up to being an opportunity to learn more about the car and hoping it’s something I can manage on my own.
Good catch. I think I already established that I'm not good at interpreting the dr. prius app, but if there was any doubt...
Since my cable for the techstream software didn’t come today, I decided to disconnect the 12v & hybrid batteries and clean the MAF sensor. No luck for any quick fixes there, unfortunately. I feel like almost every single error light is on when I start the car, ICE comes on for a second, then the hybrid system warning. Hopefully I can get the codes tomorrow and a better indication of what the issue is, or I’ll be towing it to the service center on Monday
Well, people wouldn't stop driving them when just the one light came on, so they changed the artwork to make it scarier. Many car brands did the same starting around 2010.
Ok I managed to get Techstream up and running today and checked Hybrid Control & Engine and ECT for codes: Hybrid Control: P0A0F: Engine Failed to start Engine and ECT: P0353: Ignition Coil “C” Primary/Secondary Circuit There are other codes displayed, but P0353 is the only code with the blue icon next to it on the left (please see attached image and you’ll understand what I’m talking about), so this means it’s only showing an error for coil C, right? Reading more about the issue here, I think it’s possible that when I plugged that stupid inverter into the 12v socket and the fuse blew, it shorted the wiring connected to this coil. Any other insights on how to proceed?
Can someone with a little Techstream knowledge tell me the significance of the blue icon to left of the code in the images I’ve attached? I did a few searches and found no answers. Is it highlighting the bad ignition coil? I swapped coils this morning and the icon moved to the new coil.
I finally got my car to the Toyota service center on the most appropriate of days (April 1), because this fool apparently pulled the fuse for the ignition coils and put it a back in a blank slot. Yup, that’s it, that’s all that was wrong with my car. Initially I thought the fuse box I needed to access was the one under the hood.. so yeah.. I feel like a total idiot. Oh well, live in learn. At least it’s been a very educational week and a half. Now I know how to: Clean the MAF sensor. Change ignition coils and spark plugs (didn’t do the plugs but I know I can swap 'em out with no problem) Change the engine air filter Clean the throttle body Change the 12v battery (I removed it to charge and had it tested at Autozone.. it’s a 6.5 year old battery and it’s still good!) And I have techstream. I got 53 mpg on the way home. Happy “Christine” is alive and well again and ready for spring!
Wish I could give you an answer. It definitely kept starting up, no power to move the car, then dead with the “check hybrid” message.
Prius engines crank at the same RPM conventional cars' engines idle, so to most ears, cranking in a Prius sounds like starting, and an engine that cranks for ten seconds and gives up because it never started is reported on PriusChat as "started every time, ran for ten seconds, then died" by nearly absolutely everybody, as the vast number of threads here with close variations on that wording will confirm.
