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Gen 1 Prius Codes

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by C Clay, Mar 12, 2014.

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  1. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    It's been a year since I've posted anything... Knock in wood and a move to Arkansas has me wondering who to take my daughters car to.

    The red triangle light and the car with the ! Light went off and these are the codes the local shop has found:
    P0121
    P3190
    P3191
    C1259
    C1213
    P3101

    The shop I went to in Little Rock would not touch it.

    Can anyone put these together and help me diagnose where to start?


    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394662121.925031.jpg
     
    #1 C Clay, Mar 12, 2014
  2. yotatoter

    yotatoter Member

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    Clean your throttle body and the other codes would indicate a throttle position sensor.. at least thats what it appears to be..

    SCH-S738C ?
     
    #2 yotatoter, Mar 12, 2014
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  3. yotatoter

    yotatoter Member

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    After looking at some other materials there is a chance that just cleaning the throttle body may fix the other tps code. Not sure but i would start by cleaning the throttle body and erasing the codes and test drive it..

    SCH-S738C ?
     
    #3 yotatoter, Mar 12, 2014
  4. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    Cleaned the throttle body. Here's an update: Drove the car about 12 miles after resetting codes and then it happened again:
    First the check engine light came on....moment later the triangle on top and car w/triangle came on on bottom. I was only able to drive car on electric power- gas engine would not come on.
    Stopped, turned car off then back on again and was able to drive as normal ( except the lights remained on)

    Green battery light went to about a 1/4 full as it died on me. When I restarted car- I was able to get it back to full charge.

    Any thoughts on whats up?
     
    #4 C Clay, Mar 12, 2014
  5. yotatoter

    yotatoter Member

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    Sounds like the throttle position sensor is bad..it will shut the engine down if that goes bad. I believe that to be the case any way. From my understanding if the tps goes bad the ecu will madate engine shut down due to engine problem.

    SCH-S738C ?
     
    #5 yotatoter, Mar 12, 2014
    C Clay likes this.
  6. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    If you were me - where would you take this? I guess what I am asking is- if the diagnosis is clear and the sway in price isn't that bad, I can go to a dealer. I got a recommendation on a non dealer service shop today - but I don't yet know how that will pan out
     
    #6 C Clay, Mar 12, 2014
  7. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    I would take it to me. A tps is not hard to replace. I would drive it for a while and see if what you did will fix the problem (sometimes these things will clear up over time). If that didn't fix it, I would have the codes read again (just to make sure something new hasn't popped up) and then I would try replacing the TPS.
     
    #7 usnavystgc, Mar 13, 2014
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    DTC P0121 does point to a failed throttle position sensor. The Toyota repair philosophy is to replace the entire throttle body, not just the sensor. That will be quite costly at a dealer since you'll be paying for a new throttle body and associated labor.

    If I were you I would purchase a used throttle body from a salvage yard and install it myself. In your case, perhaps you can buy the used part and have a local shop install it if you are not comfortable DIY.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Mar 13, 2014
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  9. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    I got a TPS today, gonna try it tonight. Is there a youtube or pictures online for instructions. Newbie here.
     
    #9 C Clay, Mar 13, 2014
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Since you have managed to obtain a sensor, remove the old one, replace with the new one, and see what happens. You may have to remove the entire throttle body for access to the TPS, you'll see if that is needed when you start working on this.

    The physical orientation of the TPS on the throttle body is highly critical. That is why Toyota does not provide instructions for replacing the TPS independent from the throttle body. You may want to take a photo of the old TPS on the throttle body to refer to, so you can install the new TPS in exactly the same position.

    If you find that engine idle speed is screwed up after replacing the TPS, then you can try adjusting the TPS position. Once you give up playing around with that, then buy a replacement throttle body.

    Also see this website from Hobbit which explains how he removed and cleaned the throttle body. This also explains the critical nature of the TPS orientation on the throttle body:
    TB cleaning
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Mar 13, 2014
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  11. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    Thanks Patrick, here's an update. I was unable to get part today (shop didn't deliver on time), but I did drive for 20 miles with some odd things I noticed:
    -I noticed sometimes when driving there was no energy transfer indicator going on on the display for maybe 2-3 seconds
    -I also noticed that I would be going along at 60 mph and the energy indicator would show that I was charging the battery- I didn't think that occurred unless I was braking ... Am I wrong?
    -I think twice in 20 miles the hybrid battery indicator went to 50%
    -all engine light indicators went off earlier today and have never returned.

    I'm going to out that Throttle position sensor on when I get it- but I'm just waiting for the lights to come back on.
    Any thoughts?
     
    #11 C Clay, Mar 13, 2014
  12. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394765617.116032.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394765628.615750.jpg
     
    #12 C Clay, Mar 13, 2014
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I think this is normal behavior.

    Normal. If the hybrid vehicle ECU thinks that the traction battery needs some charging, it will route power to the traction battery via the inverter even when regen braking is not occurring.
    It is normal for the Classic battery SOC gauge to move between 50% and 75%. When you start to see the gauge move outside that range, it is time to get worried.

    It is good that the warning lights went off. There is no need to disturb the throttle position sensor until the check engine light returns. At that point I suggest that you first confirm the current list of DTC.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, Mar 13, 2014
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  14. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    This problem may not recurr but if it does, you know what to do.
     
    #14 usnavystgc, Mar 14, 2014
  15. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    Thanks usnavystgc (I was a YN1 by the way.) It seems odd that that check engine light has went off after a light throttle body cleaning-- it has been on for nearly 9 months! Yotatoter thought he fixed the issue and then I relocated almost immediately after I left his garage.
    Got my fingers crossed.
     
    #15 C Clay, Mar 14, 2014
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  16. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    You know, Gen I's can be finicky but, based on the codes you had, that was likely causing your problems. Let's just hold our breath for a while and not declare victory yet. The good thing is, its running well and getting good mpg.
     
    #16 usnavystgc, Mar 14, 2014
  17. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    Not so fast. The lights are back after 150 miles with two issues. One- the hybrid battery indicator appears to occasionally indicate 100% charge- see picture. I'm near certain I've never seen that. Also the cruise control doesn't engage- first time ever to notice that and I am a daily cruise user. Anything anyone can read into this?
     
    #17 C Clay, Mar 24, 2014
  18. C Clay

    C Clay Member

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    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1395709619.562883.jpg
    Not so fast- lights came on again after 150 miles.
    Two more oddities:
    Hybrid battery indicates 100% full and I'm certain I've never seen this.
    Also cruise control doesn't engage. That has never happened either.
    Anything anyone can read into these?
     
    #18 C Clay, Mar 24, 2014
  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It could be that the traction battery is beginning to fail. I suggest you have the current DTC read.
     
    #19 Patrick Wong, Mar 24, 2014
  20. yotatoter

    yotatoter Member

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    I would have to agree with Patrick.pull the codes and go from there. That is not a good sign for it to show 100 percent.when you start the car in the morning check and see where the level is at.it should be around the 75 percent range and should not drop to say 25 percent and quickly climb back up. If it does that you are almost certainly looking at fixing /replacing battery..keep us posted..

    SCH-S738C ?
     
    #20 yotatoter, Mar 24, 2014
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