2005 Prius ICE won't start, Red Triangle

The other day when I went to start the car, the red triangle and several other dash lights came on VSC, (!), CEL, and on the information screen, the car icon with the !. The electric motor was working, so I put it back in it's parking spot.

I found the oil was low. The dipstick was dry. So I added oil. I thought it was empty so added nearly 4 qts. Apparently this was too much, as it probably still had 2 qts in it, so sad to say I did overfill the crankcase. So, I watched some videos and drained out the extra oil and cleaned the puddle of oil out of the bottom of the throttle body. I am sure the oil overfill didn't help, but since the triangle appeared before that, it's not the original source of the problem (maybe the oil being low was). The ICE wasn't starting, so I hope that kept the oil from going too many places where it shouldn't. Is there anywhere else I need to check and clean? I also spilled a little oil while adding it, on top of where the spark plugs are. Are those sealed well enough to keep the spill from getting inside?

I checked the codes, and when the oil was overfilled, it was reading P0A7A, P0A4C, and P0A4D. (I hadn't check them before adding the oil, unfortunately). However, it is still showing the triangle, car with !, and other indicator lights. The P0A7A has gone away and stayed away, so now the only codes I am getting are the P0A4C and P0A4D.

I did find that the 12V battery seems bad. It was 11.6 when I first checked it. I hooked it up to a charger and got it up to 12.4 or so, though attempting the start the car quickly drains it again. A few times in IG ON it actually read 14.1, but only for a little while before going back to 11.6. The ICE still won't start. I do hear clicking from the back of the car when attempting to start it. Once I head some clicking from the front. Does that meant the battery just doesn't have enough power to start it?

I will often get the issue of the car not being Ready and only being able to shift into Neutral or park. (Got the P lock error message a time or two as well). Charging the battery and resetting the codes will make that go away and allow the car to go into Ready mode and let me move the car via the electric motor. But still no ICE, and attempting to start the ICE brings back all of the lights and stops the car from going into Ready mode again.

I am wondering if replacing the 12V will be enough to fix this or if there is something else going on to cause the ICE not to start. What other checks or test can I do?

 

I did go ahead and order a battery, since it cost less than the towing it would need to have someone look at it (and at that point, I wouldn't have enough left to have them actually fix anything). If additional repairs do turn out to be needed, it would be unlikely that I could afford them. So I wonder how hopeful I should be that the battery will solve everything. A couple of relatives also have a Prius, so if the 12V turns out not be the issue, they may have a use for the battery at some point, and I can recover some of the cost while they can save a little. They live a few hours away, so borrowing one from them is not practical, however. The new battery should arrive in a couple days. So, I have a time before then to investigate a little more. I am especially concerned about whether any of the oil could have gotten into the spark plug well.

I'm not usually a DIY car person, but not being able to afford repairs has led me down that path. I replaced the HID bulbs myself last year, since the dealer wanted to charge several hundred dollars to change just one of them. After having to remove the extra oil and clean out the throttlebody, (and a couple of days ago, I had no clue about how to do any of it-- it's all new to me) I'm starting to enjoy learning about how to do small repairs.

 

It has about 143,000 miles on it. The brakes need some work, and it is due for an oil change (the next thing to tackle after sorting out the current issue). The A/C was running very hot. It's charged now, but I wonder how long that will last.

At least I see turbulence in the coolant for the inverter water pump.

 

I didn’t find any oil in the spark plug well, though I do see some deposits built up on them. The socket also got stuck and the extender bar kept coming off the ratchet, so I had an adventure trying to get that unstuck. (Note to self: use a magnetic spark plug socket in the future instead of the kind with the rubber).

Since I had to take the air box off to get to the spark plugs, I checked the mass airflow sensor. I am guessing this is not how it should look.

 

What is Z6201V?

 

I've had the car for 15 years. I did have the hybrid battery replaced about 3 years ago. Last year it had work done on the water pump (though not at the dealer). I think this may still be the original 12V, but it seems like it should have been replaced at some point during 15 years.

 

Well, I was thinking that the little diode could probably use a cleaning, but I just put it back in since I don't have the correct cleaner yet.

 

Tried a new battery, all charged up. Still no change. So, evidently the battery isn't it.

 

I used a FixD connected via bluetooth to the CarScan app. It seems hybrid compatible, as it will tell me the voltage in each of the hybrid battery cells, but if hybrid compatible is something other that, then maybe not. Still getting the same two codes though. And attempting to clear them with the OBDII no longer works or they come back immediately.

 

No, today I just tried replacing the 12V. It took a few days to charge it. I'm not sure where to find the connectors shown in the document.