Prius runs for 8 secs then STALLS. DTC P3191 PLZ Help!!!

1. I would question whether the engine actually was burning fuel and running for the 8 seconds, or if MG1 is just spinning the engine.

2. DTC P3190 and P3191 indicate poor engine power in the first case, and engine no start in the second case.

3. Regarding the parts that you replaced, did you buy new parts or did you use salvage? If the latter, how do you know the parts are good?

4. I suggest that you check fuel line pressure (should be at least 44 psi upon startup.)

5. Check the engine coolant temperature sensor, crankshaft position sensor and camshaft position sensor (download repair manual info at techinfo.toyota.com for testing info, if needed.)

6. If all of the above are found good then the engine ECU may have failed.

 

duplicate post

 

The search function for this forum is *cough* not the best. In case you missed it, my car's P3191 was solved with a free to me reprogramming:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ooting/96109-ssc-5100-5200-related-p3191.html

 

If you're still stuck, and by chance need to use TechStream let me know by Thursday. I'll be riding through that area on Saturday on my way to Cedar Point in OH again. I'm familiar with rte 322 around state college, and if I recall, I'll be going by the HD dealership (I recall you mentioning before in a post to me that you're familiar with where they are) while working my way up to I80. Since I'm staying east of Cleveland, I could leave about 30 mins earlier if you need and let you borrow my cable.

Just shoot me a PM and let me know. We can work out details if need be.

 

i saw you replaced the spark plugs.. have you thought about the ignition coils? i've had one fail in the past. i only replaced the one that failed.

it's been said in the past... many years back by the wisest of prius folk... that there is a procedure to force everything to reset... it involves resetting the car many times over in a few second period (foot on brake... full power up.. i do it at least 5 times really quickly). any time i've ever had errors, that is what i've done and it seems like a giant safe mode for the car (ign coil failures especially.. one due to age and one incident where i flooded it during a storm... also the one time i had christmas tree failure on the expressway, like you described)

 

^^ lol, welcome to my world

Since I am the only person who has ever put engine oil in my car I am quite sure there has not been any over-filling, yet I too have a sheen of oil under the engine cover. When I asked PriusChat a while ago if this is normal I was told (in so many words) "of course dummy, you have to lubricate the valves!"

When the car was at the dealership for its P3191, the mechanic also mentioned the oil slick and offered to clean it up, but he did not think it was causing any problems so I declined the service. I have peeked at the slick over the years and I have never seen anything that even approaches a mm in height, my car runs fine, and while I *still* do not know how 'normal' it is, I have not noticed any problems.

Just a thought -- perhaps the oil is from an oil fill when I did not use a funnel, and some oil splashed into the compartment ?

 

No, it's pretty normal to get oil in the intake. It comes up through the PVC system. Also keep in mind the Prius runs a sudo Atkinson cycle. So valves are held open on compression stroke for a bit. This will force some of whatever is in the cylinder into the intake. There IS -some- oil in there to lubricate the rings. Over time the tiny bit of oil that gets forced up builds up as there is nothing in the intake to clean it out (no fuel). You can also get some oil up there when using engine braking. The Prius does this in "B" mode.
So it's normal. Now this is not to say the oil can't hurt anything. It -can- contaminate sensors. But we don't have legions of Prius owners with problems, so I think we're safe there.

Back to the OP. It's possible you got dirty gas. It has taken time to clog injectors (there is no fuel line filter in a Prius, just a "strainer" in the fuel tank). It's also possible the fuel pump has failed. So as Patrick said, first thing is to check fuel line pressure. It's an involved procedure, and as you are in the US you can inexpensively access the Toyota info site. Do so. I just read the shop manual and you want to do so as well. The fuel system part is over 4 Meg bytes and copyright protected, so I can't post it for you. Sorry, but for $10 or so you can download it and the rest of the manual from TIS.

As for the exhaust "smell" test, it's not a very good test, as any air passed through a long used exhaust system will smell just like it did when the engine was running. It just won't warm up.

 

Carbon fouling at this mileage is not normal. It could be bad gas. 100 miles is only 2 gallons.

I don't know that there has ever been a satisfactory explanation for the oil puddle, but it in and of itself doesn't seem to hurt anything. Is your oil level in between the notches on the dipstick?

I recall the problems that you had with your other car. Did you swap parts back and forth between this one? Is there a chance that something was not reconnected correctly? Although it is hard to think of what could have been disconnected or loose and not cause immediate codes, or cause a persistent rich burn condition.

I like the idea of the 5 on/off reset and/or battery negative disconnect for 5 minutes. I still wonder if that is what fixed Sage's car, since all the reprogramming does is make the engine crank longer.

 

That might be the answer in my car.

 

I do not understand this post. CO2 is carbon dioxide, an odorless gas. Perhaps you meant to say you smelled HC or hydrocarbons?

I do not know why it is so improbable for the fuel pump motor to weaken or fail. If you smell a very strong odor of unburnt gasoline in the intake manifold after your attempts to start, then the fuel pump and fuel injectors are at least providing some fuel to the engine. However this does not totally rule out the fuel system unless you measure fuel pressure and find it to be correct.

I question whether you can sell the car for $8K if it is not running unless you can find a very unsuspecting buyer.

Why not invest $200 or so with your local Toyota dealer service dept to have the Prius tech develop a diagnosis for you?

 

+1. Patrick's advice is spot-on.

I strongly suspect a fuel problem: bad gas, out of gas, low rail pressure, etc. Drag it down to a dealer if all else fails.

Don't sell a $12K car for $8K.

 

Will starting fluid mess up the MAF?

 

There's no reason to take the risk. Starting fluid will not start the engine, and if it did it wouldn't fix the underlying problem(s).

Would anyone pay even $800 for a car that isn't running?