2001 Prius hesitation, triangle of death.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ggowan@, Jul 24, 2008.

  1. ggowan@

    ggowan@ New Member

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    I very recently purchased a classic Prius with about 125k on it. After putting about 500 miles on it, upon starting the car, the gasoline engine cranked and then suddenly quit. The triangle of death appeared along with the check engine light. Also, the LCD screen showed the PS warning, Main warning and the car with an exclamation point in the center. The car will still function on battery but the gas engine will not kick in. After stopping and turning the ignition key off and on a few times the gas engine comes back on and the car seems to work fine. The lights will remain on until the car has been turned on and off a few times or sometimes it says problem solved. This is an intermittent problem. Happens a lot sometimes and then it can go long stretches without occurring. I have followed a couple of threads and changed the open circuit relay and the problem still occurs. I don't know if this is related, but, a few weeks ago I filled the car up and the gauge did not read that the tank was full. It was just like the two top bars had burned out. After I had driven the proper milage, the third bar on the gauge disappeared like it was supposed to. But something still doesn't seem right about fuel monitoring. This may be unrelated but it seems wise to include this information. I open to anything that might help, so let me know what you guys and gals think.
     
    #1 ggowan@, Jul 24, 2008
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    #2 bwilson4web, Jul 25, 2008
  3. ggowan@

    ggowan@ New Member

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    Need to update this thread, today when I cranked the car I had all of the fault indications I listed before but this time the fuel gauge shows one bar that is blinking. I know that the tank is full. Any other suggestions?:(
     
    #3 ggowan@, Jul 30, 2008
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    One symptom of a bad 12V auxiliary battery is that the fuel gauge loses its memory. A bad battery can also cause other weird issues. Hence I suggest that you replace the battery, then see whether you still have your warning lights and other driveability problems.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Jul 30, 2008
  5. ggowan@

    ggowan@ New Member

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    Nice call Patrick. I had to charge the battery this morning for my wife. Guess I will try the battery and see what happens.
     
    #5 ggowan@, Jul 30, 2008
  6. 0die78

    0die78 New Member

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    HELP Got brand new 09 prius yesterday. When I drove in the garage last night the red car symbol started flashing. Still flashing 9 hours later. Powered it up this morning briefly but still flashes. Any suggestions?
     
    #6 0die78, Apr 29, 2009
  7. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    Generally it's better to start a new thread if any detail of your problem differs from the existing thread.

    The red/amber 'car' symbol with a key superimposed on it, in the main dash, is the security indicator light. It flashes when the car is off with the key out, to tell you that the immobiliser is set. The same light is used (possibly a different colour) to show you that the alarm is set, if fitted. All UK cars have the alarm system, including the glass break sensors, so I'm not familiar with how the indicator behaves without the alarm fitted. The light is illuminated while the alarm is arming.

    The Master Warning Light is a giant exclamation point in a triangle. It's about an inch across. It may make more sense to European drivers, and anyone else following the Vienna Conventions on road signs, where the 'general hazard' sign is a large exclamation point on a triangular sign with a red border.

    There is a car indicator, with a superimposed exclamation mark, on the Multi-Function Display, under some fault conditions. It's called the HV System Warning in the service manual.

    The car also has a Check Engine light (outline of an engine with the word CHECK) referred to as the Malfunction Indicator Lamp or MIL. Some conditions cause the MWL without the MIL and vice-versa.

    If the MWL or MIL is illuminated, or the car indicator appears on the MFD, get a dealer to check it out. There are many conditions, certainly in double digits, possibly over a hundred, that cause the MWL to illuminate. Generally illumination indicates a problem that should be inspected soon, flashing indicates a hazard condition and you should pull over. For example, if the engine is misfiring and the resulting fuel burn-off in the catalyst is causing it to overheat, which reduces its future efficiency, the MIL flashes.

    If the MWL illuminates, a Diagnostic Troubleshooting Code will have been stored. If it's an engine problem it might be readable by a generic OBD-II scanner or ScanGauge, but only reading codes from the Engine ECU (ECM) has been standardized by SAE. DTCs logged in other systems are only retrievable with Toyota's scan tool. Independent mechanics may or may not have access to this tool.
     
    #7 Mike Dimmick, Apr 29, 2009
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