2001 doesn't like being parked on slopes overnight?

criss · 03-17-2008, 10:57 AM

Hi, new here!

I have searched existing threads here as well as I could, and haven't found anything. Forgive me if this question has already been answered and I just didn't find it. Basically, what's going on is that my car has decided it must stop functioning if I leave it parked on the very moderately sloped portion of my driveway overnight! Usually I have my truck over there and the Prius on the flat part, but when vehicle-shuffling leaves them switched...

Now, it's possible that that's a red herring, but this has happened twice in the last few months, and the parking-on-a-hill is the only common thread. It's a "double fall-line"--that is, it slopes to the side as well as forwards--but as I said it's a really moderate incline.

What the car does is start up normally, but then the check engine light comes on along with the triangle with the exclamation point in it on the screen. Shortly thereafter, the ICE cuts out (usually it stays on for a little longer than this when the car is first started). The car will move, but the ICE won't come back on, so one can only go about 15 mph tops. Obviously we turned around right away and parked it back in our driveway (on the flat area!). It would have to be transported to the dealership, and last time this happened they basically had no idea what was wrong, so I'm not eager to go back.

This happened on Saturday, so I haven't called the dealership yet. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what is going on here? Last time, i think the dealership ended up just resetting something and pronouncing it good as new--there weren't any codes logged to tell them what the problem was.

One thread I read here about a different problem with warning lights had a suggestion to totally drain the 12v battery and then jump the car to reset. Is that worth trying here?

Thanks in advance!

Patrick Wong · 03-17-2008, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by criss

...Basically, what's going on is that my car has decided it must stop functioning if I leave it parked on the very moderately sloped portion of my driveway overnight! Usually I have my truck over there and the Prius on the flat part, but when vehicle-shuffling leaves them switched...

What the car does is start up normally, but then the check engine light comes on along with the triangle with the exclamation point in it on the screen. Shortly thereafter, the ICE cuts out (usually it stays on for a little longer than this when the car is first started). The car will move, but the ICE won't come back on, so one can only go about 15 mph tops.

One thread I read here about a different problem with warning lights had a suggestion to totally drain the 12v battery and then jump the car to reset. Is that worth trying here?

If the check engine light came on, then a diagnostic trouble code will have been logged. I suggest you visit your dealer as soon as possible so that the code can be read.

My guess is that your car was parked so that the engine is uphill compared to the fuel tank, and that your fuel pump is marginal so that fuel pressure is not building up. Therefore, the gasoline engine is not starting. Since you said that "shortly thereafter, the ICE cuts out", it probably never started at all, but was just being spun by MG1. When Classic is started from a cold start and left in Park, the gasoline engine will usually run several minutes before the first auto stop.

I do not suggest that you drain the 12V battery, that will not be helpful.

jayman · 03-17-2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by criss

One thread I read here about a different problem with warning lights had a suggestion to totally drain the 12v battery and then jump the car to reset. Is that worth trying here?

Some codes can only be cleared by entering the correct drive sequence. Some codes require the dealer scantool to clear.

I would *never* suggest draining a battery to clear codes. You're much better off disconnecting the battery, waiting 10 mins or so, then reconnecting. The Prius 12 vdc battery isn't very forgiving of being deeply discharged

criss · 03-17-2008, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

If the check engine light came on, then a diagnostic trouble code will have been logged. I suggest you visit your dealer as soon as possible so that the code can be read.

Possible, but last time we had this exact same prob. we did go to the dealer and they said no codes were logged, which makes me reluctant to go pay them hundreds of dollars again for the same thing.

Quote:

My guess is that your car was parked so that the engine is uphill compared to the fuel tank, and that your fuel pump is marginal so that fuel pressure is not building up. Therefore, the gasoline engine is not starting. Since you said that "shortly thereafter, the ICE cuts out", it probably never started at all, but was just being spun by MG1. When Classic is started from a cold start and left in Park, the gasoline engine will usually run several minutes before the first auto stop.

No, it was actually parked with the front end of the car lower.

The gas engine started normally, then shut off, just much more quickly than it normally would. Whether it was "running" in the sense that, in a normal car it would have kept running if I'd taken my foot off the gas, I don't know, but it definitely sounded like it was running normally. Pumping the gas pedal produced a gas smell around the car, but had no effect on the RPMs.

Maybe I'll try disconnecting the 12v battery.

bwilson4web · 03-17-2008, 01:41 PM

Probably not related but have you had the throttle plate cleaned?

Would the slope area be where water and humidity might be a little higher and possibly a little cooler than the other areas? Cool and high humidity are associated with the throttle plate sticking.

Bob Wilson

Patrick Wong · 03-17-2008, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by criss

...Pumping the gas pedal produced a gas smell around the car, but had no effect on the RPMs.

Maybe I'll try disconnecting the 12v battery.

Well, there should be no gas smell in any event no matter what you do, unless you have a fuel line leak or a problem with the evaporative emissions control equipment attached to the top of the fuel tank.

I'd again encourage you to visit a competent dealer's service dept if one exists in your area. They should only charge you for one hour of diagnostic time to read the DTC.

If you disconnect the 12V battery, that will erase whatever codes currently exist.

tochatihu · 03-17-2008, 11:38 PM

This is an interesting one, unfortunately I do not have much to add. Could it be that the fuel tank was nearly empty, or the engine oil is substantially overfilled?

As a 2001 Prius 'off-roader' I have parked the car at some quite extreme angles, but never had this problem.

Please tell us what you find out, and if the throttle plate was stuck with soot (as Bob W proposed).

criss · 03-18-2008, 09:16 AM

All interesting suggestions (and yes, the sloped area is wetter--it's gravel/dirt where the flat part is asphalt). The car is a little low on gas, so maybe I'll try adding some and see if that helps as a last resort before paying to have the car taken to the dealer (only about 10 miles but still...) and then paying them to not know what's wrong. If I do take it in I'll ask them about cleaning the throttle plate.

The gas smell was when the ICE was running and we tried pumping the gas pedal to see if it would rev up. So I'm guessing the smell was from uncombusted fuel coming out the exhaust.

criss · 03-20-2008, 03:55 PM

So, I finally managed to get the car over to the dealership--it's just been a hectic few days--and they tell me there's a service bulletin that dictates replacing the 12v battery, a $40 relay...and...drumroll...the computer.

Y'all sitting down? $2000.

The less-bad news? They are going to try replacing just the battery and the relay, which will come to about $500.

And then the guy tries to tell me it's basically my fault b/c I didn't replace the 12v battery and that improper voltage could have fried the computer. If this is true, I'm going to be majorly irritated w/ myself--but if it isn't true, I guess I should find someone else to service this car, since frankly I don't think they know what they're talking about w/ hybrids. The battery itself is $200+, which seems egregious to me.

But I guess I have no choice--my car can't be driven in its current state, which leaves me with my horse-hauling pickup as transportation (I don't usually drive the truck unless I'm hauling something, horse or hay or whatnot). Diesel just hit $4/gallon here, and at 19mpg, I'll spend $500 on fuel before I know it...

Patrick Wong · 03-20-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by criss

So, I finally managed to get the car over to the dealership--it's just been a hectic few days--and they tell me there's a service bulletin that dictates replacing the 12v battery, a $40 relay...and...drumroll...the computer...

TSB EG011-03 is the relevant TSB, which I attached to this msg.

The 12V auxiliary battery should cost ~$160. The circuit opening (aka fuel pump) relay should cost ~$75 and lives in the relay/fuse box near the inverter. If you have the car back at home you can easily replace both parts yourself.

The TSB suggests replacing the engine ECU, not because the old one failed, but because the current revision ECU has different firmware that allows more time for the engine to start before giving up and logging a DTC. If your car is at home, you can look at the engine ECU and compare its part number to 89661–47054 which is the current part number. The engine ECU is located behind the glovebox.

If your car has been working OK in prior winters and only this winter is having trouble, you might also consider doing a tuneup by changing the iridium spark plugs and cleaning out the throttle body and throttle plate. Change the air filter if dirty. That might be enough to eliminate the driveability issues you are now noticing so that there's no need for the new engine ECU.

I am surprised that the dealer didn't want to replace your fuel tank. That has been a frequent response to the problem you face.

03-17-2008, 10:57 AM	#1
criss Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6 My Car: 2001 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	2001 doesn't like being parked on slopes overnight? Hi, new here! I have searched existing threads here as well as I could, and haven't found anything. Forgive me if this question has already been answered and I just didn't find it. Basically, what's going on is that my car has decided it must stop functioning if I leave it parked on the very moderately sloped portion of my driveway overnight! Usually I have my truck over there and the Prius on the flat part, but when vehicle-shuffling leaves them switched... Now, it's possible that that's a red herring, but this has happened twice in the last few months, and the parking-on-a-hill is the only common thread. It's a "double fall-line"--that is, it slopes to the side as well as forwards--but as I said it's a really moderate incline. What the car does is start up normally, but then the check engine light comes on along with the triangle with the exclamation point in it on the screen. Shortly thereafter, the ICE cuts out (usually it stays on for a little longer than this when the car is first started). The car will move, but the ICE won't come back on, so one can only go about 15 mph tops. Obviously we turned around right away and parked it back in our driveway (on the flat area!). It would have to be transported to the dealership, and last time this happened they basically had no idea what was wrong, so I'm not eager to go back. This happened on Saturday, so I haven't called the dealership yet. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what is going on here? Last time, i think the dealership ended up just resetting something and pronouncing it good as new--there weren't any codes logged to tell them what the problem was. One thread I read here about a different problem with warning lights had a suggestion to totally drain the 12v battery and then jump the car to reset. Is that worth trying here? Thanks in advance!

03-17-2008, 01:41 PM	#5
bwilson4web Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: North Alabama Posts: 1,575 My Car: 2003 Prius Package: #1 Nominated 2 Times in 2 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 7	Re: 2001 doesn't like being parked on slopes overnight? Probably not related but have you had the throttle plate cleaned? Would the slope area be where water and humidity might be a little higher and possibly a little cooler than the other areas? Cool and high humidity are associated with the throttle plate sticking. Bob Wilson

03-17-2008, 11:38 PM	#7
tochatihu Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kunming Yunnan China Posts: 1,818 My Car: 2001 Prius Package: Pioneer #1 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 7	Re: 2001 doesn't like being parked on slopes overnight? This is an interesting one, unfortunately I do not have much to add. Could it be that the fuel tank was nearly empty, or the engine oil is substantially overfilled? As a 2001 Prius 'off-roader' I have parked the car at some quite extreme angles, but never had this problem. Please tell us what you find out, and if the throttle plate was stuck with soot (as Bob W proposed).

03-18-2008, 09:16 AM	#8
criss Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6 My Car: 2001 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: 2001 doesn't like being parked on slopes overnight? All interesting suggestions (and yes, the sloped area is wetter--it's gravel/dirt where the flat part is asphalt). The car is a little low on gas, so maybe I'll try adding some and see if that helps as a last resort before paying to have the car taken to the dealer (only about 10 miles but still...) and then paying them to not know what's wrong. If I do take it in I'll ask them about cleaning the throttle plate. The gas smell was when the ICE was running and we tried pumping the gas pedal to see if it would rev up. So I'm guessing the smell was from uncombusted fuel coming out the exhaust.

03-20-2008, 03:55 PM	#9
criss Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6 My Car: 2001 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Update...ugh... So, I finally managed to get the car over to the dealership--it's just been a hectic few days--and they tell me there's a service bulletin that dictates replacing the 12v battery, a $40 relay...and...drumroll...the computer. Y'all sitting down? $2000. The less-bad news? They are going to try replacing just the battery and the relay, which will come to about $500. And then the guy tries to tell me it's basically my fault b/c I didn't replace the 12v battery and that improper voltage could have fried the computer. If this is true, I'm going to be majorly irritated w/ myself--but if it isn't true, I guess I should find someone else to service this car, since frankly I don't think they know what they're talking about w/ hybrids. The battery itself is $200+, which seems egregious to me. But I guess I have no choice--my car can't be driven in its current state, which leaves me with my horse-hauling pickup as transportation (I don't usually drive the truck unless I'm hauling something, horse or hay or whatnot). Diesel just hit $4/gallon here, and at 19mpg, I'll spend $500 on fuel before I know it...