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Triangle of Death suddenly on then off just as quickly!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Fubar1764, Jul 13, 2015.

  1. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

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    A strange thing happened the other day. I was driving in Houston heat (98F), started up the Prius, pulled out of the parking lot with a quick (well, as quickly as a Prius can. . .) turn to merge onto the street, and the Red Triangle of Death suddenly appeared and disappeared just as quickly.
    Anyone have this happen to them? Thought it was odd.
    Another odd thing that's happened is the CEL will come on on long road trips immediately after I get gas. Yes, there are elevation changes, but the CEL used to trip then turn off after a few minutes to half an hour. Now, it goes on for over a day. Thoughts?
    Hope everyone's well and motoring just fine!
     
    #1 Fubar1764, Jul 13, 2015
  2. koolingit

    koolingit Member

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    Check your oil dipstick as soon as possible. You may be very low on oil. That will make the red triangle flash as you described.
     
    #2 koolingit, Jul 13, 2015
    composr and valde3 like this.
  3. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

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    Will do.
     
    #3 Fubar1764, Jul 13, 2015
  4. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Interested in seeing how this turns out.
     
    #4 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 13, 2015
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I would think your check engine light might be a problem with the 3 way coolant valve.
     
    #5 JC91006, Jul 13, 2015
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many miles on her?
     
    #6 bisco, Jul 13, 2015
  7. gdanner

    gdanner Member

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    Does your gas (petrol) tank cap fit tightly?

    Evaporative emission system tries to draws a vacuum in tank shortly after you start the car. If gas cap is missing or loose, it can't draw a vacuum and after a while that will turn on check engine light. Likewise, any other leak in fuel system might trigger CEL. Do you ever smell gasoline/petrol inside the car?

    The Prius evaporative emission control system probably works about the same as all other gasoline (petrol) engine cars, so I'd think any mechanic would be able to diagnosis it. Especially if they have an OBD2 code reader. It's always been my habit to fix things that cause a repeating CEL to turn on -EB
     
    #7 gdanner, Jul 13, 2015
  8. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

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    Just got back into town last night. Confirmed that the oil was low. . .very low. I was overdue for an oil change so went and did that as well. Penzoil full syn. Not sure why I'm burning oil. I'll keep an eye on that.
     
    #8 Fubar1764, Jul 14, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 14, 2015
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    probably a good idea. when you don't check your oil, you don't know if you're burning oil, leaking oil, or they didn't fill it the last time. where is it on the dipstick this time?
     
    #9 bisco, Jul 14, 2015
  10. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

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    Dipstick is at full right now. I'll have to keep an eye on it. It doesn't appear to be an oil leak as I haven't found any oil on the ground. My guess is burning oil.
    I'm pretty aggressive when I drive, so my guess is the RTD flashed when the engine was starved for oil in an accelerating turn.
     
    #10 Fubar1764, Jul 14, 2015
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    On my 2006, it doesn't leak any oil but goes through a quart every 1000-1500 miles......it depends how hard I drive it. The harder I drive it, the more it uses
     
    #11 JC91006, Jul 14, 2015
  12. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

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    Interesting. I'm usually real aggressive in turns. And since the Prius tends to have anemic get up and go, I'm also mashing the throttle a lot. Not exactly the best conditions for FE, but hey, I'm still turning over about 43mpg, which I find just extraordinary!
    Sooo. . .maybe the burning of oil is a combination of the motor hitting its early midlife and operator error. :p
     
    #12 Fubar1764, Jul 14, 2015
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