Check Engine Light for 2001 Prius

Welcome new poster. It may reset by briefly disconnecting the 12 volt battery, but this depends on what the car is trying to tell you. I think you should go to a Toyota shop, pay the money and find out.

 

Some will go away after 5(I think) restarts. Otherwise, go to Autozone or other car parts place, borrow a scanner, see what the codes are and clear them if you want.

Levi

 

Toyota has some proprietary codes that generic scanners can't see. So there is a possibility that LeviSmith's plan won't reolve this. Is is probably free though, and mostly harmless.

If your error display clears after 4 restarts I bet a nickel that you should read TSB EG011-03. It's posted on Priuschat.

 

just got my first prius and my check engine light is on, too!

hi! my mom bought me a 2002 prius and i'm so excited. i like it better than my former car but the check engine light came on and now the dealership says i need $1718 to replace the catalytic converter! ouch. i looked online and replacement parts cost only $170-something, so why the HUGE difference? i'm not very car-savvy and mom's 450 miles away so any advice would be great. thanks.

 

Re: just got my first prius and my check engine light is on, too!

I'm not as familiar with this one since I didn't go through it, but there have been a number of notes that there is some sort of mechanical arm that moves on that particular cat and it tends to get stuck. You might be able to just get it lubricated and working again.
Now whether a dealership will even bother to try fixing as opposed to replacing is another matter. I have much better luck with good local mechanics. Finding one of those can be tricky as well though...

Levi

 

Re: just got my first prius and my check engine light is on, too!

thanks, i'll ask around and see if there are any good local mechanics who'll check this out for me.

 

Re: just got my first prius and my check engine light is on, too!

Looks like there are a couple of problems:

Did they tell you or write down the error code? This makes a big difference in understanding the problem and potential fixes.

Can you afford to get a "ScanGauge II" to program and read out your error codes? Once you are able to read out the codes, we can suggest options which may include a new converter. There is a thread on how to do this with a ScanGauge so read it and let us know if you'll be able to go that way. However, new converters can be had for less than $1,700 and there was an earlier thread, about a year ago, where someone did that and had Midas replace the converter.

I assume the car still runs but the check engine light is on. Are you in a state that you need to pass an emissions test? If so, when?

GOOD LUCK!
Bob WIlson