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Loss of acceleration....

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by DebWV, Jun 8, 2017.

  1. DebWV

    DebWV Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I have an '07 with several issues. First started happening last yr and to date, has happened 3 times. I'll go to start the car and after it starts, I've lost the lighting of my instrument panel. I have to access the battery in the back, unplug it, let it sit for a bit, plug back in and everything is back to normal. Second and third happened pretty much at the same time. When accelerating over 50 mph, I can hear what sound like something fluttering in the front of the car. It sounds like you're holding a piece of paper in front of a blowing fan. Once I reach an even speed, that noise stops. I see nothing at the front of the car, outside or under the hood. Then there's the loss of acceleration speed. I first noticed it when I had the cruise on at 75 mph and started up a steep, steady incline, which I had traveled many, many times before. I would get halfway up and the car would start to lose acceleration and knock itself out of cruise. Even with my foot to the floor, it wouldn't go any faster than 57 mph. It has happened several more times in the same area. One time I tried not using the cruise, just driving it normally, trying to get up that road was awful. So, The next time, anticipating the incline, I was able to get it up to 89 mph at the bottom, to help get a jump on it. I got to 3/4 of the way up and still loss power and topped the mountain at 56 in a 70 mph zone. Any help, suggestions would be most appreciated!
     
    #1 DebWV, Jun 8, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    get thee to a dealer and have the trouble codes read. how many miles on her?
    you can start by contacting steve at auto be yours for a cluster swap. maybe he can recommend a local installer.
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 8, 2017
  3. DebWV

    DebWV Junior Member

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    I meant to put the mileage but forgot. I have 185k on her. My son-in-law can hook up to the diagnostics when he can find the time, but I thought I'd just throw it out there to see if anyone else has experienced any of my issues too.
     
    #3 DebWV, Jun 9, 2017
  4. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    What is the battery level at when the loss of power happens?
     
    #4 Aaron Vitolins, Jun 9, 2017
  5. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    Your display issue is probably a well known problem with the combination meter. Do a search here. It remains drivable so address the other issues first. I agree, get the codes scanned. You may need a Toyota scanner, though.
     
    #5 andrewclaus, Jun 9, 2017
  6. DebWV

    DebWV Junior Member

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    I'll be traveling that road tomorrow, so I'll try to notice. Someone offline said it might be spark plugs or gapping of them
     
    #6 DebWV, Jun 10, 2017
    edthefox5 likes this.
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Sounds like the hybrid battery is going bad. What does the hybrid battery charge look like on the mfd meter while this loss of power is going on. I suspect one purple bar or worse.

    The "fluttering" may be engine knock. When the hybrid battery is not participating hardly at all because its essentially empty( no blue bars just purple or worse red) the engine has no assist and must carry the whole load. Thats really hard when your going up a steep mountain and want to do it at a fast speed and not compensating for this lack of assist. Compensating by taking it easy or force charging the battery before ascent. You may notice the engine is screaming full blast when going up this mountain. Its really stressing the engine out trying to do what your doing. Please check the engine oil after the car has sat for a while. Its probably very low.
     
    #7 edthefox5, Jun 11, 2017
  8. DebWV

    DebWV Junior Member

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    I'll have to notice what the battery status is next time, as I was just concentrating on driving and getting my car up and over the top of the mountain. I'm always vigilant about keeping an eye on the oil level. It just recently had an oil change, so this isn't an issue. Unless the Prius engine knocking is different than a regular car's engine knocking, I know the difference between fluttering and knocking :)
     
    #8 DebWV, Jun 15, 2017
    edthefox5 likes this.
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    at 185k, it could be anything. all the best!(y)
     
    #9 bisco, Jun 15, 2017
    edthefox5 likes this.
  10. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Thats good your on the oil level. But check it first thing the next morning after an oil change thats when it moves around. Check it before starting the car.
    Its the best little motor ever but will not tolerate low oil.
     
    #10 edthefox5, Jun 15, 2017
    Aaron Vitolins likes this.
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