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Strange Red Triangle Behavior

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Fractal20, Feb 12, 2023.

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  1. Roll Eyes

    Roll Eyes Junior Member

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    I always carry a portable jump starter and also have a jumper cable in my Prius. When the portable jump starter failed (because it wasn't recently charged to its full strength), I managed to seek the help of a good samaritan stranger on the street to open his/her car hood and give me a jump start, with a jumper cable.

    Me: Excuse me, can you please help jump start my car?
    Her: I do not have a jumper cable.
    Me: I reach into my hatchback and show it with my both hands, and say, "I have the jumper cable" with a big grin on my face.
     
    #21 Roll Eyes, Feb 21, 2023
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Good post......except for THIS.

    There is no such thing as a "good" trickle charger.
    What you should recommend is a good automatic tender type battery maintainer.
    There is a huge difference.

    No. I did NOT say that.
    I think it is unlikely that it has been that way since the last oil change.
    And even if it WAS, that alone should not cause the oil PRESSURE light to come on.
     
    #22 sam spade 2, Feb 21, 2023
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 21, 2023
  3. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Yes, you are correct. I used the wrong term for the charger. I use a nice NOCO fully automatic smart charger for a car that I only drive occasionally, and it sits for two or three weeks between uses. I drive my Prius almost daily, and the drives are long enough to fully charge the 12v battery.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #23 Brian1954, Feb 21, 2023
  4. Fractal20

    Fractal20 Junior Member

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    Yes I did. I'd say it is an inch above the full mark. Again, it is just strange because the oil got changed 6 months ago, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't cause issues until now, unless it is an accumulation of damage of having a high level of oil. Or if it is a combo of cold weather, and thus cold oil, and too much oil.

    Just to reiterate, would you say an inch above the high mark is definitely bad for the oil level?

    I just had the red triangle come on briefly with the low engine oil pressure light briefly and then it turned off. The last time I had driven it the oil shop couldn't get it in, so it still has the high oil. I'll leave it overnight with them now just to try and rule out that as causing the issue. I will also call around to mechanics to see if anybody in this small town would look at it.
     
    #24 Fractal20, Feb 27, 2023
  5. Fractal20

    Fractal20 Junior Member

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    Sorry I somehow didn't see the second page of posts and missed this. So based on your previous post you think a head gasket might be likely? Or what else could cause an increase since the last oil change? I did make an appointment with a shop to get it looked at, but that is 3 weeks out.
     
    #25 Fractal20, Feb 27, 2023
  6. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Head gasket problems on a Gen 2 Prius are fairly rare. I would guess that the oil shop just overfilled it. Overfilling the oil is not good for your car. You definitely need to get it taken care of ASAP.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #26 Brian1954, Feb 27, 2023
  7. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Does this mean you checked the oil level immediately after the oil change and the level was at (or below) the F mark at that time?

    If you didn't check it, how do you know it hasn't been at that level for the last six months?

    I find it strange that you now get the low oil pressure warning when your oil is so overfilled.

    I also find it strange you are only just now having issues.

    Yes, it is bad for the oil to be overfilled, so you need to drain off at least a quart, if not a bit more ASAP.
     
    #27 dolj, Feb 27, 2023
  8. Fractal20

    Fractal20 Junior Member

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    Yes, my assumption is that it has been overfilled these entire 6 months. This readily makes my stupidity apparent, but I don't regularly check the oil on my prius. So that is why it seems weird to not have it cause this issue until now, unless it is a slow accumulation of damage.
     
    #28 Fractal20, Feb 27, 2023
  9. Fractal20

    Fractal20 Junior Member

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    Thanks again everybody for your time with this. Since I am narrowing down now to the oil problems, rather than the 12 volt battery problems which motivated this thread, I just made a new thread about the oil problems. I'm assuming an administrator will let me know if I should keep everything in a single thread, in which case I will delete the new one and re-post the update here. But here is the update in the new thread, in summary, it is clear the oil has been getting moisture or coolant in it. Oil Pressure Warning Light, Cold Weather, and Contaminated Oil | PriusChat
     
    #29 Fractal20, Feb 28, 2023
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