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I officially hate my prius and toyota

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by BROOK SIDE, Feb 5, 2011.

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  1. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    Some of the back and forth bickering on this thread is just painful to watch. But I'm too curious about the root cause to unsubscribe. At this point I see about 6 possible solutions:

    [ame=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Toyota+Dealer&aq=1&sll=49.249431,-123.110733&sspn=0.27924,0.727158&ie=UTF8&t=h&rq=1&ev=zo&split=1&radius=19.68&hq=Toyota+Dealer&hnear=&ll=49.249431,-123.110733&spn=0.27924,0.727158&z=11]Toyota Dealer - Google Maps[/ame]

    And there's 3 more further out. Call around, find a service manager that you like on the phone and give it a shot.

    - D
     
  2. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    Sorry must have missed your post among the many. I rest the avg for every tank... As I posted in the questionare up until the car "went south" on me for 3 yearsof summer and winter driving my avgs were best 4.8, worst 5.6 and most of the time 5.3 this is all per tank as I track every tank. Car reliably pulled down those mileages which is why I began to take notice as the AVG suddenly crept up and up. Seemed to happen almost overnight. One day the economy was crap and there's nothing specific that triggered it.
     
  3. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    I believe the water leak is unrelated to the economy. I have not had the alignment checked - there's nothing to indicate that there is anything wrong with the alignment. Tire wear is even and car drives normally
     
  4. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    thx - I have already begun that process.
     
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    No worries.. there's a flurry of responses here so it's easy to miss.

    While I'm not as technical as some of the others here, it seems like something is causing the engine to run (either faulty thermostat or confused ECU etc).

    There's probably a lotta things they've asked you to do but if you have time, try driving in "B". You said it shuts off. See if driving in "B" for a round-trip commute brings the car back to normal behaviour.
     
  6. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Ok. Thanks for confirming.

    Back to the 12 volt battery condition. It's extremely easy to check and you could do it in the morning before leaving for work or after you're done for the day. Yes, yes, it's been replaced but you saying it's "perfect" doesn't tell us what the voltage really is.

    As for fishing about brakes sticking, well, it's a possible cause and I'm not the first (nor only one) to suggest this when someone has a mileage complaint.

    I really wish someone in your vicinity could loan you a ScanGauge to at least see what's going on w/the coolant temp, ignition timing and HV battery voltage and SoC.
     
  7. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    wow... i checked it and it's only 6 volts
     
  8. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    ha ha ...okay that was just a joke.
     
  9. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    back to the topic - the only codes I can see on the MFD are these, but I believe they all apply to the stereo?
     

    Attached Files:

  10. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    So now that we are done laughing what did your multimeter say? How many volts on a cold start, down to at least 1 decimal place. (##.#)
     
  11. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    like I said - it's not the battery and it's not a conspiracy ... hey ... how about looking at those actual error codes I posted instead of chasing a fantasy.
     
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, that would be irrelevant to your mpg issue.
     
  13. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    :frusty: These people are trying to help you putting so much effort to get information out of you. The voltage they are asking is a one minute task (just touching the MFD screen in certain order) and you are just going to brush them off like that?

    Nobody knows the real issue (including you). That's why you are where you are. You could be chasing a fantasy also. People helping are trying to rule out the easy ones first. You brushing them off like that is not going to rule out the 12v battery.

    In fact, we'll have many more posts about it because you want to answer what you want to answer, instead answering to the questions.

    Why do you have those error codes for the Stereo? Maybe it is related to the 12V battery after all.
     
  14. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    I figured as much though one does seem to apply to the transmission or am I reading them incorrectly?

    Question - will any obd reader work with the prius? If so maybe I should buy one and confirm that there really are no codes logged? I'm willing to try anything

    Thx


    And to those that continue on about the 12v battery save your typing. I have told all of you repeatedly that it is both brand new and within spec . I know this disappoints conspiracy theorists - either that or you are simply trolling this topic which I don't appreciate. That should be the end of the discussion re the 12v battery please and thank you.
     
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If your car has no warning lights on, then there won't be any DTC logged.

    When do you plan to take your car to another dealer so that engine coolant temp can be determined and engine thermostat functionality confirmed?

    Do you like the idea of having the hybrid vehicle and engine ECUs reflashed to current firmware, if no other problem can be identified?
     
  16. Ryanpl

    Ryanpl Active Member

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    How do you know it's within spec? Elearning aid claims they have a 1% failure rate. Maybe you're within that 1%? The people responding to you, myself included, are not trolling we are simply trying to rule everything out. Here is the test procedure suggested by ELearning:
    Prius battery test procedure for 2004 to 2010 Prius Cars

    Here is a battery test you can perform on a Prius battery that is easy to do. It will not always detect a weak battery that does not allow you to park you car for long before it is drained down by the security system.

    However, this test requires no tools, is easy to do and will give you some idea of the state of your battery. You can also perform this test after the car has been parked for a while to see how well the battery holds up under the drain from the security system.


    • Do this test after you have driven the car for at least 30 minutes. This will give the battery a chance to be fully charged.
    • Put the transmission in Park.
    • Engage the parking brake
    • Push in the power button. (if not already on)
    • Push Display button. top button to left of screen - "DISPLAY" will now appear in the upper left corner of your screen.)
    • Push on the upper left(1) on the display just inside the box, withdraw, then push on the lower left display(2).(see picture) Do this three times. Keep trying till the screen changes. If the word "Display" in the upper left hand corner of the screen goes away hit the display switch again.[​IMG]
    • Push on Menu in upper right of display screen.
    • Push on Display Check
    • Push on Vehicle Signal Check
    • You will see the 12 volt voltage displayed. In accessory mode the voltage should be 12.6
    • With no electrical accessories on including lights the voltage should be fluctuate between 12.6 and 11.9. The lower the voltage, the less of a charge your battery currently has. If the voltage is low do not proceed as the load test might totally discharge your battery. (If you see a voltage around 13.8 you are seeing voltage from the high voltage battery being converted to around 13.8 in an attempt to recharge your battery. This normally does not occur till after you start the engine but might occur earlier if the battery is very drained.)
    • You can also test the battery by turning on the headlights, rear window heater and the heater fan. For a new battery the voltage would be around 11.3. If the voltage drops below 10.2 it should definitely be replaced. For voltages in between the lower the voltage, the lower current charge of your battery.
    • Note: If in doubt disconnect the 12 volt battery completely (start with the negative post to avoid shorting the battery) and hook it up to a battery tester.
     
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  17. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    I went to another dealer but their prius guy is on vacation for a few weeks so I am stuck for a while til he is back

    I am making a list of suggestions for him . FYI yes I am ignoring the 12v battery red herring posts as they are honestly unnecessarily cluttering up the topic
     
  18. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    When the dealer told you vague statements (your car is normal, within spec) like that you got frustrated. You are doing the same thing to us, those trying to help.

    Good luck man.
     
  19. BROOK SIDE

    BROOK SIDE New Member

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    Dude - I'm a licensed electrician. The 12v battery is fine - drop it
     
  20. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    My suggestion to you.... Unsubscribe and save your frustrations.
     
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