1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Losing engine power

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Oats, Jul 29, 2012.

  1. Oats

    Oats Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2012
    28
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    My sister has a 2001 Prius w/ 150k miles. She asked me if I could shut off her check engine light. From what she tells me 1-2 times a year on very hot days (high 90s) when she starts the car it will stumble and stall (been happening since 03 when she got it).

    I took it to autozone to get the codes which were:
    P0300 - I assume all the misfire codes are from it stalling
    P0301
    P0302
    P0303
    P0304
    P1636
    P3002


    Since she said it was normal for the car I just cleared the codes for her. She did have this checked out one time at a dealership when the car was under warranty and they found nothing wrong and blamed it on the weather.

    I searched the forums for 1636 and 3002 codes the 12v battery seems like it could be a likely culprit (it is the original battery as far as she knows). A few weeks passed while I was researching the codes and the battery options and she had another problem. (still haven't ordered the battery yet)

    She says the car loses engine power 1-2 times a week (she drive 4-500mi a week). The dash stays lit up and the power comes back quickly. Sometimes while accelerating it will just stop accelerating and then go back to normal, or on the highway it will slow down and then be back to normal. Check engine light is back on and the new codes are:
    P0420
    P1636
    P3002

    I'm going to get a new battery ordered today but I'm kind of skeptical that it has anything to do with this new problem.
     
    #1 Oats, Jul 29, 2012
  2. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    989
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    That is very odd. Obviously the first step is a new 12V but beyond that, I really don't know. I do know one strange thing that occurs on Gen I's (at least on mine). If you put the car in gear (D or R) after you turn it on but before the ICE starts, the car will default into OutOfGas mode. The triangle, hybrid and check engine lights will come on and the car will be in battery only mode (it will seem like a loss of power). Cycling the key off and back on will put the car in normal mode but the lights will stay on. This may be what's happening here. The codes will clear after four or five off/on cycles. Hope this will help you.
     
    #2 usnavystgc, Jul 30, 2012
  3. joedirte

    joedirte Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    281
    58
    0
    Location:
    ohio
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Also, it the gas pedal has random whiskers and is acting up, then stepping on the brake and shifting R N D will also light up the dash. ie. it thinks you are applying gas. You wouldn't notice any problems because foot on the brake.

    (You could apply a 9V across the pot wipers, but only if your car is acting up (ie. google heavy hand syndrome)

    ie. you aren't losing power, the gas pedal is acting up... but you can usually tell pedal response versus engine misfire/ issues
     
    #3 joedirte, Jul 30, 2012
  4. Oats

    Oats Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2012
    28
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    For the stalling issue she says the engine was running and shut off. Also cycling the key off and back on wouldn't work right away, she has to wait 5-10 minutes before it will start.

    I'll have to ask her, I never really though about the possibility of the loss of power being something wrong with the gas pedal.

    I drove the car around yesterday hoping to experience the problem but of course it ran perfectly.
     
    #4 Oats, Jul 30, 2012
  5. Oats

    Oats Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2012
    28
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The loss of acceleration problem hasn't occurred again since I posted and the cel/mil went off yesterday. New battery arrived today from elearnaid and got that installed. I guess wait and see now.
     
    #5 Oats, Aug 1, 2012
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)