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2006 Prius engine won't start

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Laura Astrid, May 21, 2015.

  1. Laura Astrid

    Laura Astrid Junior Member

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    2006 Prius
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    II
    Hi. I went to leave work yesterday and my ICE would not come on. Several lights came on including the red triangle and the hybrid system warning light. The add fuel popped up on the display and then the fuel gauge goes from one pip to all ten pips flashing. I was not actually that low on fuel as lately the add fuel message has been popping up when I have about 4 gallons left. I wonder if the car just thinks I am out and so won't kick the engine on. There is no tension on the gas pedal.
    A coworker had a diagnostic reader and did a reading. We got codes U0100, C1259, and C1310.
    I replaced my 12V battery about two years ago and replaced my big battery 15 months/25,000 miles ago. I am at 133,000.
    I did drive through some kind of high water a week ago. I didn't think it had an effect though, but possibly. I have been able to drive about 100 miles since then. However, I drove through the water, left the car at a friend's to go out of town, came back 5 days later. When I started my car after coming back, the engine kind of shook and made a strange noise. This lasted about 10 seconds. I drove home and it seemed fine for the next 100 miles.
    Any tips or help is appreciated. I don't want to get a tow to the dealership if I don't have to.
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Well I would fill it up and see how many gallons of fuel you can get in there.
     
  3. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    C1259 = HV System Regenerative Malfunction
    C1310 = Malfunction in HV system
    U0100 = Lost Communication with ECM/PCM "A"

    I can't tell you what that means exactly, but it does point towards your HV battery. With what did you replace your big battery 15 months ago? A rebuilt, by any chance? How is the HV battery fan behaving?

    I don't know if this thread is of any use to you: 06 Prius with repeated HV battery problems, need help! They had a couple more specific battery codes that pointed to specific bad battery blocks, which you don't report having.
     
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  4. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Reset the ECUs by disconnecting the 12v battery (easiest at the negative lead). You should then be able to start the car. There is a procedure to reset the gas gauge. Do a search on PC.

    JeffD
     
  5. Laura Astrid

    Laura Astrid Junior Member

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    It was a refurbished Dorman. I haven't noticed anything with the HV fan. What is happening now doesn't really seem like what happened when my HV battery failed.
     
  6. Laura Astrid

    Laura Astrid Junior Member

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    I will try this, but are you saying you think the gas gauge could be why it won't start?
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Since you say the hybrid system warning light is on, I assume the MFD upper left corner has the red icon of an ! superimposed on the outline of a car. If my assumption is correct, this means that the hybrid vehicle and/or traction battery ECUs have logged powertrain DTC which start with the letter P. Your post did not mention any such DTC, hence I believe your co-worker's OBD-II code reader is not adequate to read all of the DTC that exist.

    What does your observation, "There is no tension on the gas pedal" mean? Are you saying that the spring which holds the pedal up is faulty? The accelerator pedal is just connected to two sensors which provide electrical signals to the hybrid vehicle ECU. There is no mechanical connection between that pedal and the throttle plate.

    As previously suggested, you should disconnect the 12V battery just to clear the existing DTC and allow the fuel gauge to reset. Then reconnect the battery and see what happens.

    f you still have a problem, then see what the fuel gauge reads. If it shows 2 bars or less, add some fuel. Then disconnect the 12V battery again to reset the fuel gauge, then reconnect.

    If the Prius still doesn't become READY, then buy Mini VCI so that you can see all the DTC logged by your car. Or, have your car towed to your local Toyota dealer for professional assistance if you don't have the time to pursue this further by DIY.
     
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  8. Laura Astrid

    Laura Astrid Junior Member

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    So... update time. Still got problems.

    We ended up getting the car to start and drove it to the dealership. The tech said he thought it was a bad HV battery. Didn't give me all the codes, but gave me p3000, p0A80, and one I don't remember for a specific cell going weak. Quoted $3700 for a new battery. So I contacted Hometown Hybrids who said they would do used for $1100 and new for $2800. The tech came out and had it swapped out in 30 minutes. Thought my troubles were over. We take it to the convenience store a little later and a mile down the road all the lights came back on the dash. Red triangle, abs, tire, check engine and the turtle. We turn around and soon I lose power and have to coast into a parking lot. Unplug the 12V for a bit, get it going, and end up coasting onto our street where she still sits now. After that, I tried to start it a few more times. Half the time when I try to turn it on, it sounds like the engine is kicking on then it kind of whirs for a bit as the pitch gets progressively higher then shudders off. The other half of the time, the engine does not start and I never get a ready light. So any suggestions for troubleshooting? The tech at HH said he would come put my old battery in and give me a refund if I find it would be cost prohibitive to keep trying to fix it. I think maybe I should have him do this before I mess with it anymore as I am afraid whatever's happening will ruin the new battery too. Then if I can figure out what the problem is and can afford all of this/it's worth it, I will buy another battery from him.
    Anyways, any ideas? What are the easiest things I should try first? Should I get my old dorman put back in first? Right now, I'm not really feeling like going back to the dealer.
    Also last night when this happened we had a pretty crappy code reader, but it pulled one code for poor engine power. P3190.
    Plz halp. Thanks.
     
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. If you are serious about troubleshooting you really need Mini VCI to see all the DTC logged by your car.
    2. You are assuming that the traction battery is not the problem now, but it might still be.
    3. Regarding P3190, try cleaning the throttle body interior and throttle plate.
     
  10. Laura Astrid

    Laura Astrid Junior Member

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    Thank you. I will try that tomorrow.
     
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you can get a refund, that would be great
     
  12. Laura Astrid

    Laura Astrid Junior Member

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    I know it's been awhile, but I wanted to follow up. We ended up cleaning out the throttle body and the air sensor and that was all it took to fix the issues. There was a piece of pecan shell up near the air sensor, dang squirrels! I don't know if that was the problem, but I read on here something tiny like that can cause no-start or stalling issues. I kept the new battery and she's running like a champ and I've had no other issues with it. Thank ya'll for the help and suggestions!
     
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