Engine ideals but quickly dies after trying some DIY to remedy blow by.

I'd read the codes, most likely you probably just have a loose connection going to a coil or MAF sensor or something, since all that stuff has to be unplugged to get access to the PCV. I'd be willing to bet it's a P3190 (Poor Engine Power) along with something like a misfire or MAF sensor error. Did you pull the battery for a few minutes after/before doing all this?

As for your blowby/oil burning issue.... 0.5qt/2500mi is pretty reasonable for a Gen 2 over 150k. If the PCV Valve doesn't reduce it, could try a piston soak if you're that concerned about it, the oil control rings get clogged up over time.

 

I'd highly recommend getting yourself a cheap bluetooth ELM327 OBD2 reader if you have an android phone (or an old android phone/tablet sitting in a drawer)... W/ the Dr Prius app you can read the Hybrid system-specific codes. It's hard to guess what's going on with any modern car without a basic scantool, you're basically guessing and throwing parts at the problem

Should probably pull the 12v battery for a little bit to let the ECU reset and relearn... they can act weird after a throttle body cleaning if you haven't done it.

 

To me they look fine, just a little worn.

Yeah I'd start with disconnecting the 12v for like 15 minutes... Like I said, they can act strange after a TB/MAF cleaning if you don't allow the ECU to reset and do a relearn. I'd just go back and verify that all the injectors/coils and MAF are properly plugged in. If you don't see anything obvious, you're definitely probably gonna need a scanner to figure out what codes it's throwing because after that you're basically blindly guessing

 

That engine isn't actually starting. When a Prius tries to start its engine, it uses its electric motors to spin the engine much faster than a traditional car can.

This gives the appearance and sound of an engine starting and then stalling but what you are seeing is a fast prolonged start attempt that isn't working.

You only get so many of those before the traction battery is depleted, and it is not easy to charge that battery without a successful engine start.

 

Did you clean the throttle body bore? All of the black deposits around the edges of the throttle blade should be removed. Hold the throttle open with one hand and use some "throttle cleaner" (or brake clean) on a rag to scrub the goo away. Sometimes need to use an old toothbrush.

Did you GENTLY clean the actual sensing elements of the MAF sensor? The 2 little elements are fragile (they make a special spray cleaner for that as well).

If you try to start the ICE "too many" times without it running (and charging the HV battery), you will run that battery down and will be stuck.

Always a good idea to be able to scan all systems on a complex car like a Prius.

Here's a thread that reviews some scantool apps and devices.
https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3290690

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The coil connector definitely isn't ideal, but as long as it's fully seated in there, it should be making contact. Even worst case scenario it isn't, the engine should at least attempt to run before flashing a misfire code I'd think. Hose going to the TB is obviously old, but doesn't look bad enough to cause a big enough vacuum leak for the engine not to start either. Have you tried unplugging the MAF and trying to start the vehicle? Maybe it was somehow damaged during cleaning and is throwing some super wrong value that isn't allowing the vehicle to start.

Either way, you're probably definitely going to need a scan tool to figure out exactly what's going on (or for future diagnosis). If you've got an android phone/tablet and the Dr Prius app, just go grab yourself a cheapo ELM327 bluetooth reader from Amazon Prime for like $10, or grab a mVCI cable and a copy of techstream if you've got a laptop.

 

You can repair the existing coil connector, or buy replacement coil connectors. Just chop off the old one and splice on the new one.

You can get the replacements from most late model Toyotas (any gasoline fueled model) at a junkyard, or from Toyota parts dept, and there are Dorman/generic ones available from Rock Auto, Autozone & others.

 

No idea about what a particular store has for any scantools. I only know about the tools in the linked thread that I tested (all from amazon).

For the moment the PVC hose is a minor concern.

However, the ignition coil connector could explain your problem. If that terminal on the wire doesn't stay put in the plastic connector and doesn't make firm contact with the mating terminal on the coil - then that coil won't "fire" (produce spark).

That's bad because the coil won't send an ignition confirmation (IGf) signal to the ECM - which usually responds by setting a P035x code (P0354 for cylinder 4) and also will not trigger the fuel injectors. Which equals a "engine spins but won't run" condition. Plus a "engine fails to start" code somewhere.

I can't really describe how to inspect that terminal to see if it's ok to reuse. (Google "pin drag testing")

Lots of sources sell the plastic connector as they break fairly often on old Toyotas. I also can't describe how to properly remove the other terminals from the old connector (depin) and fit them to a new one. Maybe a youtube search can help.

Another option would be to find a replacement ignition coil repair "pigtail" connector. That's a new connector with terminals and about 6" of wire on them. You would have to cut the old wires at the old connector and correctly splice the new wires to the engine harness wires.

All this assumes that my guess about what's happening is correct.

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None of the things will actually reduce oil consumption on a high mile engine. Rebuilding the engine with new rings and valve seals will help.

. A bad or disconnected pcv or a bad maf sensor will create a no start on these engines.

Most budget code scanners are not good enough for serious hybrid issues. Even if it does provide codes it is unlikely to be detailed or comprehensive. But a no start that is strictly engine based won’t throw useful codes other than a code that says the engine is not starting.

 

It's not a bad idea. Just expensive and somewhat risky vs. 50-100k worth of oil top-ups.

A real ELM327 is great. There are many, many counterfeits on the market. Some of those counterfeits work great, but a lot don't. Be ready to return a few until you hit one that just works.

Toyota Techstream on a windows laptop is fully capable, it will read from every ECU in the car. The phone apps aren't 100%, but at least a few of them have very good coverage of the many subsystems in the Prius.

 

Just to add to this: 0.5qt/2500mi is actually pretty low for a Gen 2, especially one with 150k+ mi. Usually when people do a piston soak (and maybe some seafoam or MMO in the oil before a change), they're doing it to engines with way more consumption to bring it down to a more normal level (like yours burning 0.5/2500mi). It does seem to work, I had another Gen 2 that burned about ~1qt/1000mi (w/ ~235k mi), changed the PCV and did a ring soak, brought the consumption down to pretty much what you have if not slightly less

Basically this. A lot of ELM327's online are fake, hence why I recommend you buy from someplace like Amazon to make returns and replacements easy if you get a dud or fake one that doesn't work well. I bought ~10 of them a couple of years ago to give to some family members, and had one dud out of the box that didn't want to connect to anything, was able to request a new one from Amazon at no cost. I'd also highly recommend getting a copy of techstream w/ a cable if you've got a laptop, it can do anything the dealer can, read subcodes, make keys, etc. The ideal solution is to have both: the ELM327 in the car for scanning with your phone when you're on the go or away from home (this is what i use 98% of the time), and Techstream for when you're at home for doing more in-depth diagnostics.
For the ELM327 Reader, you definitely want the Dr Prius app since it reads HV system codes and can do some other stuff, and I also recommend Car Scanner ELM OBD2 by 0vZ (in the Play Store), Torque, and here's a link so you can add custom Gen-2 Prius-specific PIDs: Gen2 Prius: Custom PIDs for Torque (Android App) with formulas | PriusChat