Engine starts runs briefly shuts off rattle

DTC P3191: Engine does not start, logged by engine ECU
DTC P3101: Engine system malfunction, logged by hybrid vehicle ECU

1. Clean the throttle body interior and throttle plate. Remove the air cleaner housing for access. Spray some throttle body cleaner on a clean cloth and use the cloth to scrub the throttle body interior and throttle plate. Rotate the spring-loaded throttle shaft for access to the edge and bottom of the throttle plate.
2. If that doesn't help, remove the spark plugs and check the condition of the plugs and spark igniters. If the iridium spark plugs have more than 60K miles, replace them now using the correct NGK or Denso iridium plugs.
3. If that doesn't help, measure the fuel line pressure, should be 43 psi or more.
4. If that doesn't help, check the fuel injectors.
5. Are you using Mini VCI? If not, get that device so you can see if any other DTC are being logged.
6. I doubt the gasoline engine was running if you could not get engine speed to increase based upon the accelerator pedal input. More likely, MG1 was spinning the engine and drained the traction battery.

 

3. The fuel relay is aka "circuit opening relay" and it is located in the relay box next to the inverter. That is an easy item to check: find the relay, remove it, use an ohmmeter to identify the relay coil terminals which should measure ~100 ohms. Apply 12VDC to the coil terminals and measure resistance across the relay switched terminals which should be 0.5 ohm or less after you account for the resistance of the multimeter test leads. A new relay will cost ~$75.

techinfo.toyota.com which is a subscription website, is the source for factory repair manual info.

The G2 Prius traction battery has no way to access the high voltage without opening up the battery case. I do not know whether the Classic has a suitable connector or not. If you can't measure ~300VDC across the connector, then probably not.

I imagine that the freight charge to ship the battery back across the Pacific Ocean is high enough so that you are not eager to return the battery unless absolutely necessary. Good luck.

 

You don't need to remove the battery cover to charge Gen1 battery, there is an orange "plug to nowhere" on the drivers side of the battery case. You do need a charger that can output apprx 320V. I have one in Boulder and it's very handy.

This article is helpful
http://mastertechmag.com/pdf/2010/10oct/201010-outofjuice.pdf

If the battery has enough power to crank, try running the car by bursting starting fluid into the throttle body, if you can keep it running more than 30 seconds you know it's not a spark issue so it's gotta be fuel or air.

If car only runs 8 seconds it never started.

 

When you applied 12V directly to the fuel pump connector, you should have heard the pump motor running. Measure resistance across the fuel pump terminals and see what you get.

The fuel pump is definitely an integral part of the fuel tank and cannot be separately replaced. If in fact the pump has failed then you must replace the entire tank. However, make sure that you are actually applying 12VDC, and that you are applying it to the correct place, before you give up on the fuel tank.

 

Hi Windrider.

Make sure you can run the car at least 30 seconds bursting with starting fluid. If it only runs 8-10 seconds it never actually started.

Here's where to apply power direct to the fuel pump (under round disk under rear seat bottom). Double check your wiring and listen for noise when power applied. (click on the A below but apply power to connector B as shown in photo)
A

You can definitely charge the Gen1 HV battery via the "plug to nowhere". Make sure the orange disconnect is INSTALLED and measure the two outside terminals with a voltmeter. You should get full battery voltage. If not, your something is wrong inside your battery pack. See this article for more info;
http://www.mastertechmag.com/pdf/2010/10oct/201010-outofjuice.pdf

If your fuel pump is bad, you'll need to replace the entire tank (no way to get to the pump itself)...easiest to remove the rear exhaust section first and have the car up in the air a foot or more. There are many hoses and vacuum lines to unhook, just work carefully it's not that difficult. Too bad you're in Honolulu, there's plenty of good (rust free) used Gen1 tanks in California and Colorado, but shipping would be expensive. Ideally you can find a salvage one locally, or you'll have to buy a new one from the dealer. Fuel pumps don't fail all that often so a used tank is probably good. Just don't run the pump for more than a couple of seconds without fuel in the tank, the pump uses fuel its lubricant.

 

Were you able to fix this problem? My 2002 Prius has the same symptoms. I recently had several battery cells replaced in the battery. It will turn over and run for about 15 seconds or so and rattles and turns off.

 

Unhook 12V, rehook it up then try again.

Measure the time "it runs" if under 10 seconds it never actually started.
Scan for codes, if P3101 and P3191 thoroughly clean the throttle body.

Also try bursting starter fluid into the air cleaner assembly while a helper turns the key to start the car. If you can get the engine to run 30 seconds or more by bursting starter fluid you have a fuel delivery problem. And of course check there is gas in the tank...I had one customer that self diagnosed they needed a fuel pump but they simply had no fuel in the tank.

 

Were you able to fix this problem? My 2002 Prius has the same symptoms. I recently had several battery cells replaced in the battery. It will turn over and run for about 15 seconds or so and rattles and turns off.

 

Welcome aboard, but no need to keep posting, being a new member a moderator has to review your post before publishing it.

Are you a DIYer? If yes, buy or borrower the MiniVCI to pull the error codes if any to better determine what is going on with your car.

 

Did you ever figure out this problem? Love to know because I am having the same problem after my Gen 2 Prius sat for many months unused.

 

Start a car that has sat unused can be a challenge.
If you have some diagnostic test you could gather some helpful info.

In the meantime, as noted above, how long does tour car "run" before dying? 10 seconds? A minute or so?

 

Thanks for the respinse, Eric. Initially, it ran about 5-7 seconds. Then I plugged in an OBDII and got the code P2118 only which indicates either an underpowered or defective throttle body control motor. I cleaned the throttle plate and surrounding areas and replaced a blown ETC fuse (I believe my brother-in-law reversed polarity when trying to jump the car. He denies he did but pretty sure he did because the fusible link was also blown...replaced that too after he said he heard a pop while jumping the car). So now the car will run about 10-13 seconds before rough idling and stopping. The throttle plate doesn't move during that time. In fact when the car is under power, the throttle plate us immovable manually but when not under power I can turn the spring to open the valve. This is all happening while using a plug in battery to jump the car. The 12v in the car is a Delco and is under 7 months old. My question now is whether a dying 12v will starve the ECTM of the 4V it needs to function and thus cause the P2118 code. My multimeter is very eratic on the voltage setting and not letting me set ranges so I can't really trust the jumping numbers I am getting there. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Rather ETCM...Electronic throttle control motor

 

The throttle plate should fight against you when car is powered. If it didn't fight you, then that would be a problem. (Had a car with that issue once. Ended up being a Brea in the wire harness somewhere. Ended up bypassing a single wire.)

Of it dies so quickly, then in reality it never really started. Power comes out of HV battery and goes to the electric motor to spin up gas engine, so gas engine spins because of the momentum, but never really starts up.

Every time you use the battery to spin the electric motor you drive down the voltage of the battery.
It only take a few tried (5 or less), before the HV battery voltage is too low. At that point you would need to find, borrow, buy, or build a HV battery charger in order to bring the voltage back up to the proper range.

When trying to start the car have a can of starter fluid, spray it down the throttle body before turning the key. Keep spraying to keep the car running, stopping every so often to see/listen if the gas motor is starting to take over.

 

My neighbor with a 2008 Prius with 169k miles is now having the same problem with car seeminglyvstarting for about 10 seconds the rough idling to a stall. She has seen me under the hood of my Prius rrcently and asd me to take a look. I used the starter fluid trick and eas able yo keep the car running for well over 30 seconds. There are no OBD codes except for pending ones. P0101, P3190 og course, P3193 and P0A80. 12 is strong at 13.8 in Ready mode. No P2180 or other throttle body codes and her throttle body is amazingly clean. . Does she have a fuel delivery problem for sure or could it be something else. Weird how much time I have been spending under the Prius hood for the last few wrek but I have learned lots here.

 

Check under rear seat to hear if fuel pump is running. If yes, then check fuel pressure under the hood. If theretisvfuel there, you could confirm proper pressure with an external fuel pressure gauge.

Also would be good if you can confirm voltage of HV battery blocks, voltage of HV battery pack, and HV battery state of charge. (Using torque pro app or similar.

 

I am having the exact same issue except I haven't gotten that far to test if it's fuel or spark related. It all happened after an oil change at a gas station which I believe they overfilled it. on the subject of spraying starter fluid, do I just keep spraying onto the throttle plate past the maf sensor while someone else starts the car?