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2005 Prius engine hesitation followed by check engine light

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by politically corrupt, Jan 13, 2009.

  1. politically corrupt

    politically corrupt New Member

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    Well I have checked through most related threads and haven't seen any that are quite like my problem.

    2005 prius, 50-thousand plus miles, just had new tires put on, and about one-thousand miles past oil change.

    Buffalo, ny 19 degrees, engine start fine, warmed up and began to drive.

    Engine hesitation occured at low speed and was infrequent.

    Hesitation increased with time, check engine light appeared

    Gas engine seems to work fine, electric engine seems to work fine. Hesitation occurs when both are working together...at acceleration, and sometimes now at idle.

    Taking it in to dealer this morning...anything I should be aware of? anyone have this problem?
     
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two

    Sounds like the throttle body butterfly is clogged. A common problem. Just take off air cleaner...turn butterfly by hand and look down throat of TB. If its dirty go to autostore and buy a spray can of throttle body cleaner and go at it.
    You really really should buy a ScanGauge here at PriusShop. Click on the top button thats orange on this page that says SHOP. You can get better gas mileage with it..it will read out & re-set codes..and it has all the meters on it our cars are missing. If we knew the code it threw we could tell you exactly whats wrong with it. Knowing whats wrong with the car before it hits the dealer will save you alot of time & money.
     
  3. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
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    One simple thing: check the oil level yourself before going to the dealer. If it is above the top ("full") mark it can cause fouling of the throttle as ed noted above. Unfortunately it is common for service departments to overfill the oil.
     
  4. politically corrupt

    politically corrupt New Member

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    thanks for your replies....


    I will def look into buying a scan tool, and I appreciate the advice from both of you.


    My problem turns out to be a broken cowl (spelling?) underneath. Living in buffalo, and having to park on the street sometimes we have to back in and out of perilous snowbanks, I don't know if that caused the initial problem but the broken cowl caused water to get into places and freeze and thaw which shorted out the ignition coil

    The code was for misfiring on all pistons, the ignition coil is shorted and needs to be replaced. They also want to charge me for spark plugs. My Warranty will cover the coil, but not the cowl and of course not the plugs...

    it looks like out of pocket I will have to pay over $300, I got a free rental car cause they don't have the part and it s covered on the warranty I guess.

    It's not as bad as I thought but I need to move to a warmer climate :rolleyes:

    They also tried to get me for front brakes and rotors, but I can get a discount on those so I told them to hold off.
     
  5. lrchome

    lrchome New Member

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    Location:
    Port Richey, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I just bought an OBD11 scanner from OBDCOM for $87.00 that works with your laptop and reads all trouble codes for all newer cars with OBD11 connections.

    The scanner comes with a 6 ft cord with an obd11 plug on one end and a usb connection on the other end and a Cd with software to read all codes and gives explanation for the trouble code.

    It works great on my 2005 Prius. I have not tried it on our 2007 Hyundai Sonata yet,but will in a day or two.
     
  6. pvandrew

    pvandrew Junior Member

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    Location:
    Manhattan, Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Prius P0302 Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected
    Prius P0300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
    Prius P0302 Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected
    Prius P0138 O2 Sensor Circuit High Voltage (Bank 1 Sensor 2)
    Prius P0300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
    Prius P0302 Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected

    Anyone have any ideas on this
    2005 Prius 178000 mi
    New Plugs
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
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    Two
    I suggest that you work on DTC P0302 first. Regarding the cyl 2 misfire, check the cyl 2 spark igniter, the cyl 2 fuel injector, and the wiring harnesses leading to both.

    After resolving DTC P0302, clear all DTC. If DTC P0138 comes back, then it looks like you need to replace the oxygen sensor downstream from the catalytic converter.
     
  8. pvandrew

    pvandrew Junior Member

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    Thanks Patrick for your help.

    Pete