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

fixing up an 07 prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by WhatsAnEngine?, Jun 7, 2021.

  1. WhatsAnEngine?

    WhatsAnEngine? New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2020
    6
    1
    0
    Location:
    Idaho Falls
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    So heres the story:
    I bought this car for $650, it drove but couldnt get above 60 mph. It has 330k miles, most of which were highway miles, driving across several states for work.

    I had a mechanic friend take out the cat, which I sold for a pretty penny, then installed a new cat.
    Next I took out the hv battery and swapped it for a battery that PriusCamper kindly recharged/rebalanced for me, previous to me crashing it in December.

    The 12v battery is fine, and as mentioned before it ran and drove, though with some struggle.

    So heres what happens when I turn the car on: the engine starts and there are no more dash light errors or red triangles, it runs for about 8 seconds and then sputters out, leaving only the ability to drive on electric, which it can at this point (though I didnt test this much). Then after the engine dies the problem lights including the triangle come on and the engine wont start.

    To try to fix this I changed all the spark plugs which didnt indicate any serious problems, I cleaned the MAF sensor, and I cleaned the throttle body.

    The next time I turned it on after this it stayed on for about 30 seconds rather than 10 and it kept trying to keep the engine on but with no luck - and then the codes.

    Dr. Prius gives the codes P0A0F, P3190, P3191

    My thought is that the hv battery that I let sit for several months needs a recharge or something since the engine ran before the swap, but honestly im not sure. Am I forgetting to plug something important in? I appreciate any thoughts or help. If anyone has the ability to rebalance/recharge my battery, I live near Idaho Falls, and can drive as far as Salt Lake area or nearby states.
     
    #1 WhatsAnEngine?, Jun 7, 2021
    PriusCamper likes this.
  2. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2020
    3,461
    1,505
    0
    Location:
    NJ-USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Your engine isn't starting at all. A Prius uses the HV battery and the MG1 motor to spin the engine at almost 1000 rpm when it wants to start the ICE. The ecu will allow up to 10 seconds of "cranking" time before it stops trying and sets a code. So the ICE needs fuel, air (compression) , and spark- all in the correct quantities and at the correct time. Time to do some testing and find out what you don't have.

    Until you do find and repair the actual fault (ie, something like a dead fuel pump), I wouldn't keep trying to start or move your car because you will discharge the HV battery. Also put a decent charger on the 12V while doing testing. Good luck.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #2 mr_guy_mann, Jun 7, 2021
  3. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,297
    4,235
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    DTC P0A0F has five (5) related subcodes (INFs), knowing the subcodes (detailed codes or INFs) may help diagnose, you can also use a mini-vci cable (20usd) and techstream (dealer technician software) to find the freeze frame data.

    Here is the workup for DTC P0A0F with an INF of 238 : https://share.qclt.com/丰田普瑞斯原厂英文手册pdf格式/repair manual/04pruisr/05/21bpm/0a0f238.pdf

    Here is the workup for DTC P3190 and P3191 and P3193 : https://attachments.priuschat.com/attachment-files/2019/10/176519_DTC_P3190_P3191_P3193.pdf
    If you do attempt to start it again, and if it starts, try to keep the engine running longer than 30 seconds so as to charge up the HV battery. If needed, do you know how to force charge the HV battery while in drive?

    Have you cleaned the throttle position plate (butterfly valve) and surrounding area with a toothbrush dipped in vodka or rubbing alcohol.

    Did you replace the upstream A/F sensor, and was it replaced with an the OEM or the Denso equivalent?

    FYI - you're being moderated until you've posted five times.
     
    #3 SFO, Jun 8, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2021
    Raytheeagle and PriusCamper like this.
  4. WhatsAnEngine?

    WhatsAnEngine? New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2020
    6
    1
    0
    Location:
    Idaho Falls
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I cleaned the throttle body and butterfly valve, I didnt replace the A/F sensor, but i did clean it.
    im not sure if force charging would work since putting foot on the gas doesn’t seem to affect anything but I will give it a try.

    This morning i swapped back the dying pack that it was running on when i bought it to see if the engine would run at 60 mph like it did previously, but with the same non running result, plus codes for a dead/dying hv battery.

    So then I switched back to the better battery pack and swapped out the orange safety plugs between the two batteries because I was curious if it would have an effect.
    The engine wouldn’t even come on at all with the new orange plug, and gave me a p3004 code, which was new.

    I dont have easy access to finding subcodes.
     
    #4 WhatsAnEngine?, Jun 8, 2021
  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,297
    4,235
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    What did you clean it with?
     
    #5 SFO, Jun 9, 2021
  6. WhatsAnEngine?

    WhatsAnEngine? New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2020
    6
    1
    0
    Location:
    Idaho Falls
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    a can of mass airflow sensor cleaner… should be sufficient
     
    #6 WhatsAnEngine?, Jun 9, 2021
  7. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,297
    4,235
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Might go through the workups above, or take a gander at the spark plugs (right type and condition), and make sure the airbox isn't plugged up (rodents much?). It sounds like you have 12v going to the fuel pump, but you should check if the pump is function properly (43psi min).

    Best to pick up a mini-vci cable and use techstream on a windows device, it could save you a bunch of time and money going forward.
     
    #7 SFO, Jun 9, 2021
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)