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

2003 Prius Stalling Out

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by PatDevlin, Feb 25, 2014.

  1. PatDevlin

    PatDevlin New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2014
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    New Brunswick, New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Hello.



    So in August 2013, my wife and I inheritted a 2003 prius with about 65,000 miles on it. The prius spent most of its life in sunny CA with a relative, but for the past few months it's been with us in snowy/cold NJ.

    Recently it's been cold and quite snowy. Last week, I accidentally stalled out the car (I forgot about the parking brake [doh!]). On restart, it threw a bunch of warning lights and such (including check engine and that orange triangle with a ! in it). But it had no noticeable affect on driving whatsoever and nothing was flashing or anything, so the dealer said over the phone we could drive it around until we can get it in.

    A few days later, I turned it on to bring it in and all the lights were normal. I took it to the dealer anyway and they sent me away without looking at it.

    We thought all was fine, but then this morning my wife turns on the car and it stalled out before she even put on any gas. She tried restarting but it wouldn't go. Then she waited with it off for a bit, and then it was able to start up fine, but now we have those lights on again...

    What's going on? It looks like people have had very similar issues with these cars, and they just had to replace their computers. But our car (though it has fewer than 80,000 miles) is too old for this to be covered by warranty, right?

    Is this an issue that I should take to the dealer or no? (It's a $120 fee just to read the error code(s), and then I think they'll just suggest I get the computer replaced, which might cost a ton.)

    Any feedback would be great!

    Thanks,
    Pat Devlin
     
    #1 PatDevlin, Feb 25, 2014
  2. yotatoter

    yotatoter Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2011
    161
    43
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Clean your throttle body,when the weather is cold they tend to stick . Check your codes and you will probebly see code 3191.. Let us know what you find..
     
    #2 yotatoter, Feb 25, 2014
  3. PatDevlin

    PatDevlin New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2014
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    New Brunswick, New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    One
    These were the codes it gave today:

    P1202
    C1202
    P3191
    P0301
    P0303
     
    #3 PatDevlin, Feb 25, 2014
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,464
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1. As previously suggested, clean the throttle body interior and throttle plate now. That should take care of P3191. It should not be necessary to replace the engine ECU.
    2. Replace the iridium spark plugs with the correct NGK or Denso plugs as specified in the owner's manual. When removing the plugs, examine especially cylinders 1 and 3 for water or rust on the spark igniters and within the spark plug wells. Cylinder 1 is closest to the passenger-side fender. That should take care of P0301 and P0303.
    3. I don't think P1202 is a valid Prius DTC.
    4. You are correct that any applicable warranty (5 year/60K mile power train) has expired long ago, so you are on your own with regards to funding the needed repairs.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Feb 25, 2014
  5. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    988
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I would also recommend checking the health of the 12V battery as a precaution.
     
    #5 usnavystgc, Feb 25, 2014
  6. PatDevlin

    PatDevlin New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2014
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    New Brunswick, New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Could the codes related to the cylinders be red-herrings? Perhaps the bulk of the issue is just the throttle plate and the other codes come up simply related to the thing stalling out? (Is that possible, or not really?)

    What might happen if this remains unchecked?

    Why does the check engine light go away after a bit? [the light is now "off" after restarting the car a few times] (If there's a problem with cylinders, wouldn't the light stay on?)
     
    #6 PatDevlin, Feb 25, 2014
  7. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    988
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    When the problem is not constant or intermittently recurring (as is the case here), the CEL will go out after 5 on/off cycles. I do believe the other cylinder codes are likely related to the throttle plate and will go away after it is cleaned.
     
    #7 usnavystgc, Feb 25, 2014
  8. PatDevlin

    PatDevlin New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2014
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    New Brunswick, New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    One
    So I'm a capable guy very willing to clean a throttle plate by myself, but I've never done that before.

    Could somebody provide a link or something detailing how to do that?
     
    #8 PatDevlin, Feb 25, 2014
  9. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    988
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    #9 usnavystgc, Feb 25, 2014
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,270
    15,067
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I'd think it perfectly reasonable to check the throttle body first and if that gets things going, clear the codes, and see if any misfire code comes back. If not, hooray. If so, the plugs or other misfire causes can be checked at that time.

    If unchecked for a long time, continued driving while misfiring will damage your catalytic converter. You probably don't want that to happen, as the factory one is very well built in stainless and should last a great long time, but expensive to replace. About the only other option's to have somebody weld in a cheap substitute, so it's good to keep the original healthy if you can.

    -Chap
     
    #10 ChapmanF, Feb 25, 2014
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,464
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1. Buy a can of throttle body cleaner.
    2. Make the Prius IG-OFF. Remove the engine air cleaner housing above the throttle body.
    3. Spray some cleaner on a clean cloth. Use the cloth to scrub off the dirt within the throttle body and on the throttle plate.
    4. Rotate the throttle plate shaft to make sure it turns smoothly.
    5. Replace the engine air cleaner housing. Check the engine air filter to make sure it is in reasonably clean condition, otherwise replace it.

    Considering your car is 10 years old and has logged misfire DTC, I think it is reasonable to replace the iridium spark plugs now. However if you wish to defer that activity, that is your business.
     
    #11 Patrick Wong, Feb 25, 2014
  12. Mr_I_Want_More_MPG

    Mr_I_Want_More_MPG Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2012
    32
    6
    0
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    When I had water in my fuel I got random misfire codes. All codes went away with fresh fuel.
     
    #12 Mr_I_Want_More_MPG, Feb 27, 2014
  13. brhillct

    brhillct Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2013
    6
    5
    0
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I had a P3191 and P0300 (Random Misfire) and stalling upon starting two weeks ago. I live in CT, so weather is very similar. I cleaned the TB as suggested in another thread, cleared the codes (disconnected the negative 12v battery lead), and it fired right up. Haven't had any issue since. I have a 2002 with just over 60k, original HV battery. Next is to replace the spark plugs with the NGK iridium plugs that have been in my garage for two months awaiting a warmer day...

    Then get a Prius-aware scanner...love my G1!
     
    #13 brhillct, Feb 27, 2014
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)