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Sluggish Prius !!!!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Amanda ali, Nov 9, 2015.

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  1. Amanda ali

    Amanda ali New Member

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    I have a 2005 Toyota Prius that was handed down to me from my grandma (1st owner ) . She had given me the car at 70k miles . Over the past two years I have managed to boost the miles up to 110k . My catylic converter has been giving me problems for the past year ( icon showing up on display screen ) . I just got it fixed . Damn thing costed me 1200$ . Shortly after, my car started acting sluggish . Not going over 50mph , jerking as I press the gas , and when I sat at a red light for too long I couldn't get my miles to go over 20mph . I assumed that it was the 12v auxiliary battery so I had that changed . Another 300$ out the door . Seems to be running "normal" again but it still has that jerk to it and it takes FOREVER to reach up to 70 mpg. Does anyone have the same problem or have an answer to this never ending riddle ?

    I posted a picture of the icon that has appeared before I had the catylic converter changed ... Still displayed on the screen till this day .
     

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    #1 Amanda ali, Nov 9, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! have you taken it back to the shoppe that installed the converter?
     
    #2 bisco, Nov 9, 2015
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's not the catalytic, it's probably your hv battery. Catalytic only gives you a check engine light.

    You need to read the codes on the car to know for sure

    At this point I recommend you going to Toyota so you don't spend anymore money guessing at the problem.
     
    #3 JC91006, Nov 9, 2015
  4. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Yes watch the mfd for hybrid battery behavior. Death Tip off is sudden swings of battery charge from full to really low fast.
    Plus since it has the turtle ICON on the mfd it has logged many a DTC code. Get those codes read to confirm hybrid battery failure.
    Post them back here complete.

    Must use a OBDII code reader capable of Hybrid Codes. Usually the auto stores free code reader service usually doesn't include hybrid codes so JC's advice is good advice.
     
    #4 edthefox5, Nov 9, 2015
  5. funfinder5

    funfinder5 New Member

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    I'm betting also on the traction (high voltage ) battery. 10 years old, its about that time.

    I would guess\bet that your catalytic converter was fine or would of been ithere code was just reset. I have had the P420 code a couple times after 120,000 miles. I reset it seems good for 35k or so. Mine has 177k on it now, One would expect emissions to be a tad higher than new.
     
    #5 funfinder5, Nov 9, 2015
  6. Amanda ali

    Amanda ali New Member

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    No I have not . The icon for the catylic converter popped up last year and I had that confirmed by the Toyota dealership. I continued driving the car until all those problems started popping up until I finally decided to take it in and he cleared the code for the catylic converter and replaced it .
     
    #6 Amanda ali, Nov 9, 2015
  7. Amanda ali

    Amanda ali New Member

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    Last year I had the Toyota dealership confirm that the catylic converter needed to be changed . I continued driving it until all those codes popped up . Car drove fine and whenever the icon popped up I would pour Lucas in the gas tank which seemed to help . 3 weeks ago the cars dashboard lit up with the vsc ,check engine ,and the turtle looking icon . I changed the catylic converter and bought a new 12 v battery . Did you have to replace your hybrid battery pack ? I feel like it's too soon for the battery to give out . I have a friend with the same year make and model and she's at 160 k . Her battery is fine . I'm praying that it's not that . Better off buying a new car . The hybrid battery costs around 8 k to be replaced at a Toyota dealership.
     
    #7 Amanda ali, Nov 9, 2015
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. The high voltage traction battery should cost ~$3K for a dealership to replace it.
    2. The red icon appearing in the upper left corner of the MFD indicates you have a problem with the hybrid drivetrain.
    3. You need to retrieve the diagnostic trouble codes to determine what is wrong with your car.
    4. If you wish to DIY, get Mini VCI which requires a Windows 7 or Windows XP, 32 bit OS laptop to run. Then you'll be able to retrieve the DTC yourself.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Nov 10, 2015
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