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engine won't start

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jceh1, May 30, 2010.

  1. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    I have a 2006 prius with nav, etc. Today, on a luckily local trip and almost home, the gas engine stopped running, charge on the traction battery was low so I stopped close to home hoping I could turn the car off and re-start (I had this happen once a long time ago and that did the trick). Went to restart and no luck. At first I had the triangle and everything else lit up, now, I have the antislip, brake, vsc, and check engine lights all in yellow. Try to put it in drive and only goes to neutral. Gas engine doesn't come on either.
    Checked the 12 V battery - with the car in "on" it shows 11.9-12.1 - turn on headlights and it goes down to 10.9 but recovers to 11.3. Jumped it and had 12.8 to 12.9 volts, but still no "start" of the gas engine. Charge indicator for the traction battery shows one purple bar. I don't have a code reader (oddly enough I ordered one the other day but don't have it yet - but is is just an OBDII scanner and probably won't read hybird codes?). Any thoughts are appreciated.
     
    #1 jceh1, May 30, 2010
  2. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Are you out of gas? That is the most common reason for the ICE to stop running.

    Tom
     
    #2 qbee42, May 30, 2010
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If your fuel tank level is OK, then my guess is that your inverter coolant pump failed sometime ago. Your inverter overheated on your most recent trip, causing the various warning lights to come on. Since the DC/DC converter stopped working when the inverter overheated, this drained the 12V battery.

    There are several posts about how to verify operation of the inverter coolant pump, for example my post #9 here:
    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ing/77241-inverter-pump-coolant-question.html

    If you find that the pump is bad, then after the car cools down, see if you can start it (might need to charge the 12V battery first.) If so, then the inverter is OK and you'll just need to replace the inverter coolant pump.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, May 30, 2010
  4. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    The pump comes on and I can see ripples in the coolant resservoir, which is full. Battery is showing 11.7 volts on the prius display, which might account for not starting now??? or should that be enough to start? but it was running already when the problem first arose.
     
    #4 jceh1, May 30, 2010
  5. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    I also should add I have over a half tank of gas.
     
    #5 jceh1, May 30, 2010
  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    11.7 volts should be enough for the ICE to start. Does it spin the ICE in an attempt to start, or just sit there? Are you getting any error codes?

    Tom
     
    #6 qbee42, May 30, 2010
  7. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    You should reset the computer, some codes will not allow the car to run. If you can read the codes, then you should read them. If you need a tow, then it might be worth removing the 12 v battery negative terminal for a few minutes, put it back on and turn the car on again. That will clear the codes. If the code was transient ,then the car should run. If not, it will give you the codes again, and you can get the car towed, and read the codes later.
     
    #7 vertex, May 30, 2010
  8. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    the ICE just does nothing when I try to start it - everything else is normal - normal starting "sounds" but the ICE doesn't go. And I have the yellow warning lights - traction control, brakes, VSC, check engine light.
     
    #8 jceh1, May 30, 2010
  9. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    I don't have a code reader (funny I ordered one on line last night before this happened thinking it would be good to have for another car of mine). I'll try the disconnect and see what happens.
     
    #9 jceh1, May 30, 2010
  10. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    With the car ON the 12V battery voltage should be near 14V, because then you should be seeing the output of the car's charging system. The 12V battery has a bad cell, or the car's charger is faulty, or something else is wrong.
     
    #10 richard schumacher, May 30, 2010
  11. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    I agree with Richard, clear the codes, the car might run, then replace your 12 v battery. If it is original, you will need one soon anyway, even if it is OK.
     
    #11 vertex, May 30, 2010
  12. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    Thanks I will try this in the morning. It is the original battery so i can't complain of it needs replacement. I'll be very happy if that is all it needs!
     
    #12 jceh1, May 30, 2010
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It appears that the OP is able to make the car IG-ON, not READY. If the car is not READY then the DC/DC converter will not be operating, hence the voltage across the 12V battery will be whatever voltage the battery can produce. The 12V battery might be a problem, but the car may have an additional problem beyond that - since the OP jumped the battery, measured voltage at 12.8V, but the car still did not start.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, May 30, 2010
  14. northwichita

    northwichita .

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    Check that all the fuses are good in the engine compartment fuse box.

    If you are going to wait for the code reader you ordered (does it have CAN reading capability, believe that is whats needed for the prius ), I would put the 12 volt battery on a trickle charger and see if it holds a charge, that would eliminate the battery as the cause.

    Priuschat has a scan gauge I'd recommend.
    http://priuschat.com/shop/product_info.php/products_id/74?osCsid=09ae8d848e822cc6ff7e0abcdfa8c99f
     
    #14 northwichita, May 31, 2010
  15. jceh1

    jceh1 Junior Member

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    I disconnected the negative terminal and let it sit for about 15 minutes. When I reconnected it, I got the "ready" light and the car started and also went into gear. Let it run for quite a while - charge went to two then 3 purple bars, took it for a drive around the neighborhood and charge increased to multiple blue bars and when I pulled into the driveway it went to green! Don't know what the problem was - still have a check engine light. Tomorrow I will replace the 12v battery and see how it goes from there. Thank you all for your help and guidance.

    John
     
    #15 jceh1, May 31, 2010
  16. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    John:
    Glad to help a fellow PC and NYer. I think you still have another problem, since the CE light is still on. Was it off, and then came on, or did it come on immediatley?
    I work in LIC, and if you want to bring you Prius over, I can check the codes for you. Send me a message.
     
    #16 vertex, May 31, 2010
  17. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    D'ohh!! I read "ON" and interpreted it as "READY". My bad.
     
    #17 richard schumacher, Jun 1, 2010
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