SERIOUS issues with my 2002

[whyuh]

Hi all....as you can see this is my first post and I am hoping ya'll might be able to help.
Please, be patient as I am 'mechanically challenged' and the only way I know to go about this is to give all the details as they happened.

I'm having what I can only assume is a SERIOUS problem with my 2002 Prius. At the very least, it sounds really bad to me. (Keep in mind as you skim through this...I drove the car 2 days before, approximately 50 miles round trip, with not a hint of trouble.)
Yesterday, I had to make a trip and of course wanted to drive my Prius...got in, turned the key....cranks up, no problem. I put the car in reverse and back up...again, no problem, but I have now noticed that the CHECK ENGINE light is on(no other warning lights)...odd. When I put it into drive and mashed the gas....nothing. Ok, moved my foot and tried again....nothing. Suddenly, this horrible clunking (imagine the stereotypical cartoon car KACHUNKKACHUNKpopKADUNKshudder) and the engine dies.
I crank the car again, try putting it back into drive, same response. Nothing when I try to accelerate and it shudders and dies. Ok, I have got to go somewhere...let's push the car out of the way so we can take out the gas guzzling truck. Wait...wouldn't it be easier to just put the car in reverse and back it out of the way? Sure! This time, it won't accelerate in reverse either. Put the car in N (did not turn the key off), push it back, put it in PARK and it shudders and sputters and clunks that horrible death not even in a gear! Now there are beeps and whistles and alarms going off everywhere, but not really telling me anything (IE no specific error message).
Now my car is sitting in the yard like a sad blue dream that once was.
Please...anyone with any ideas? I'm coming here first rather than my dealership because, well many reasons. The main ones being I'm a student with an expired warranty and no money. I just want to know if there is a place to start that doesn't involve a tow bill and a dealership planning to expand their store off what I'm about to pay in repair bills!
As I stated at the beginning, I'm mechanically challenged but I know where to find help if I need it. Problem is, popping the hood on a Prius can intimidate some of the best mechanics I know so, I thought I would come to the experts first and see what they advised; but please...speak slowly and use the small words so I can relay the information to the ones with the tools!
Thanks much in advance for taking the time!

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by whyuh

I'm having what I can only assume is a SERIOUS problem with my 2002 Prius...I put the car in reverse and back up...again, no problem, but I have now noticed that the CHECK ENGINE light is on(no other warning lights)...odd. When I put it into drive and mashed the gas....nothing. Ok, moved my foot and tried again....nothing. Suddenly, this horrible clunking (imagine the stereotypical cartoon car KACHUNKKACHUNKpopKADUNKshudder) and the engine dies.
I crank the car again, try putting it back into drive, same response. Nothing when I try to accelerate and it shudders and dies...wouldn't it be easier to just put the car in reverse and back it out of the way? Sure! This time, it won't accelerate in reverse either. Put the car in N (did not turn the key off), push it back, put it in PARK and it shudders and sputters and clunks that horrible death not even in a gear! Now there are beeps and whistles and alarms going off everywhere, but not really telling me anything (IE no specific error message)...

Sorry to hear about your problem, which I agree is serious. Which warning lights have come on besides the Check Engine light?

It will be necessary to have the diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) read on your car. Once they are identified, we can provide advice about the likely source of your problem. Not knowing the codes, my immediate guess is that the hybrid vehicle ECU (electronic control unit) or the transaxle is at fault. The shuddering & sputtering is probably because your gasoline engine is trying to run but MG1 (motor generator) in the transaxle is not spinning to allow the engine to idle.

If a non-Toyota code reader is used by your non-dealer mechanic, the reader may not be able to pick up all of the DTCs logged by the various ECUs in the vehicle. It probably will identify DTC logged by the engine ECU, which will be a start.

Due to the seriousness of this problem I suspect you will need to have your Prius towed to your local Toyota dealer.

Good luck,
Patrick Wong

[rochesteruser]

Originally Posted by whyuh

Hi all....as you can see this is my first post and I am hoping ya'll might be able to help.
Please, be patient as I am 'mechanically challenged' and the only way I know to go about this is to give all the details as they happened.

I'm having what I can only assume is a SERIOUS problem with my 2002 Prius. At the very least, it sounds really bad to me. (Keep in mind as you skim through this...I drove the car 2 days before, approximately 50 miles round trip, with not a hint of trouble.)
Yesterday, I had to make a trip and of course wanted to drive my Prius...got in, turned the key....cranks up, no problem. I put the car in reverse and back up...again, no problem, but I have now noticed that the CHECK ENGINE light is on(no other warning lights)...odd. When I put it into drive and mashed the gas....nothing. Ok, moved my foot and tried again....nothing. Suddenly, this horrible clunking (imagine the stereotypical cartoon car KACHUNKKACHUNKpopKADUNKshudder) and the engine dies.
I crank the car again, try putting it back into drive, same response. Nothing when I try to accelerate and it shudders and dies. Ok, I have got to go somewhere...let's push the car out of the way so we can take out the gas guzzling truck. Wait...wouldn't it be easier to just put the car in reverse and back it out of the way? Sure! This time, it won't accelerate in reverse either. Put the car in N (did not turn the key off), push it back, put it in PARK and it shudders and sputters and clunks that horrible death not even in a gear! Now there are beeps and whistles and alarms going off everywhere, but not really telling me anything (IE no specific error message).
Now my car is sitting in the yard like a sad blue dream that once was.
Please...anyone with any ideas? I'm coming here first rather than my dealership because, well many reasons. The main ones being I'm a student with an expired warranty and no money. I just want to know if there is a place to start that doesn't involve a tow bill and a dealership planning to expand their store off what I'm about to pay in repair bills!
As I stated at the beginning, I'm mechanically challenged but I know where to find help if I need it. Problem is, popping the hood on a Prius can intimidate some of the best mechanics I know so, I thought I would come to the experts first and see what they advised; but please...speak slowly and use the small words so I can relay the information to the ones with the tools!
Thanks much in advance for taking the time!

When was the last time you changed the oil?

[hobbit]

Well, here's something you can do without popping the hood.
Start it, and leave it in PARK, and watch/listen/feel carefully
what happens. Make notes. Then, using this for reference,
press the accelerator to try and get the engine to start up
again [still in Park] -- if it does, quickly shift to Neutral
and see if stays running. Describe your observations back into
here. This will help determine if the problem is in the engine
or the electrical side.
.
_H*

[bwilson4web]

Hi,

Originally Posted by whyuh

Hi all....as you can see this is my first post and I am hoping ya'll might be able to help.
Please, be patient as I am 'mechanically challenged' and the only way I know to go about this is to give all the details as they happened.

I'm having what I can only assume is a SERIOUS problem with my 2002 Prius. At the very least, it sounds really bad to me. . . .

I'm in Huntsville AL. If you're anywhere close, I'd be happy to come take a look.

I've got a 2003 Prius, the maintenance manuals, Graham scanner and have learned a few tricks from folks around the Prius forums. At a minimum, we could read out the error codes.

Bob Wilson

ps. Some of my work: 2003 Prius

[whyuh]

Originally Posted by rochesteruser

When was the last time you changed the oil?

The oil is changed regularly and has been since the day I purchased the car with 32 miles on it. This shouldn't be an issue, but...to be on the safe side, that was one of the first things we checked when the car klunked at us to begin with.

Originally Posted by hobbit

Well, here's something you can do without popping the hood.
Start it, and leave it in PARK, and watch/listen/feel carefully
what happens. Make notes. Then, using this for reference,
press the accelerator to try and get the engine to start up
again [still in Park] -- if it does, quickly shift to Neutral
and see if stays running. Describe your observations back into
here. This will help determine if the problem is in the engine
or the electrical side.

I'll try this and see if I come up with any new results. Thank you.

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

Hi,


I'm in Huntsville AL. If you're anywhere close, I'd be happy to come take a look.

I've got a 2003 Prius, the maintenance manuals, Graham scanner and have learned a few tricks from folks around the Prius forums. At a minimum, we could read out the error codes.

Bob Wilson

ps. Some of my work: 2003 Prius

Mr. Wilson, this is an extraordinary offer. I'm not sure that I'm "anywhere close" however. Then again, we are southern and "a ways/a bit/and down yonder" could mean 5 minutes down the road or 5 hours!
I'm about an hour south of Birmingham so...you tell me...is that too far out of the way? I understand completely if it is and my next question would be...have some friends in South Alabama?

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by whyuh

. . .
Mr. Wilson, this is an extraordinary offer. I'm not sure that I'm "anywhere close" however. Then again, we are southern and "a ways/a bit/and down yonder" could mean 5 minutes down the road or 5 hours!
I'm about an hour south of Birmingham so...you tell me...is that too far out of the way? . . .

I need to know the distance. Perhaps a town? Montgomery? Troy? Brimingham is a day trip. Beyond Birmingham, I can do it if I can plan the trip so it is just a day trip (home by 10:00 PM or midnight.) If you still have transportation and can wait until the weekend, we can work something out.

I do have to ask the obvious and also ask that you try one simple test. Gas, you have plenty in the tank?

As for the test, potentially you may have a sticky throttle plate:
Cleaning Prius Throttle

See if you can move the throttle plate or have someone start the car while you watch to see if it moves. This is a fairly simple test and could lead to a very easy fix.

Let us know what happens,
Bob Wilson

[tochatihu]

A disconnected ignition or fuel injector wire transforms the Prius engine into (whatever that sound was you made) when it tries to run on 3 cylinders.

Not a likely scenario unless you have been goofing around in the vicinity of those connections. That's how I messed mine up

[whyuh]

After speaking with Mr. Wilson, he suggested I post this here as well to see what ya'lls input might be as well. Again....thanks to everyone for their time and wisdom!



Mr. Wilson;

If you decide to come down, just let me know when and where, and we will make arrangements on our end. I wanted to bring you up to date on where things stand with the car right now though so...here goes.
I have marked an arrow on the picture you used for the throttle cleaning walk thru. We did check the throttle plate today and it seems to be fine. What we did find however, appears to be a set of ground wires coming off that main wire harness (to the right of the air filter ) that is severed. They are white/blue wires, at least 2 maybe 3 wires, bolted to the right side of the motor. By the picture here, it seems to be a similiar hookup, so you might be able to find the bolt location I'm talking about by looking directly underneath/behind the wire harness I've marked on the photo. The harness itself seems to carry some wires to part of the fuel injection (found under the right corner of the air filter). I'm not sure if something has managed to get into the engine block and gnaw through them, or something popped up from the road with enough force and velocity to actually cut it (seems unlikely), but it does appear to be new since the wires don't even have dust on the severed ends at this point.
Also, after using some of the cleaner on the throttle plate, we cranked the engine to try and let it idle. Being the one cranking the car, I noticed when I attempted to mash the gas peddle, there was no change in the idle and it felt as though it were just a dummy peddle, attached to nothing.
From outside the car, watching the throttle as it was cranked, it didn't seem to matter if the throttle plate was wide open, or allowed to open slightly on its own, the car would only idle for approximately 15-20 seconds then suck for air and come to a shuddering halt.
Yes, I realize that some of the symptoms I'm describing sound as if there is no gas, but there is just over a half a tank of gas in the car so that shouldn't be the issue at all. What does seem to be a problem is the engine actually accessing the gas in the tank.
After talking to someone else they agreed that it does sound like it's a fuel problem, but 1) with all the electrical humming the car makes when it's cranked, it's impossible to hear the fuel pump cut on or off and 2) we're not sure how to test the fuel pump to make sure that is the actual problem.
Any thoughts, advice, input with this new info?
Thanks again for all your time!
Take care,
whyuh

[statultra]

it sounds like injector or air intake problem, my 01 prius i accidently disconnected the injector so itll startup run, then go bang bang bang progressively louder, then itll shut off, but itll still run if i press on gas.