Fuel indicator blinking

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Tim826, Oct 15, 2020.

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  1. Tim826

    Tim826 New Member

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    Hi brand new. Had a 2006 prius donated to my Nonprofit. When I turn it on the gas gauge blinks 2 bars briefly before all 10 bars start blinking. It wont switch into drive or reverse. And the combustion engine wont start. I replaced the 12 volt battery, and filled the gas tank full. Any ideas before I scrap it? Its catalytic converter was stolen and they put a straight pipe on it. It's possible the muffler broke off? Also it was really low on oil. I put in a quart. And the brake fluid was at minimum.
     
    #1 Tim826, Oct 15, 2020
  2. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    So, the fuel gauge will always show one blinking dot any time 12v power is removed and restored. This will clear once the fuel gauge recalibrates itself. Could be 2 minutes or 2 days.

    Your situation is a bit different

    gas gauge blinks 2 bars briefly before all 10 bars start blinking.

    This type of blinking is indicative of a network communication problem. Could be connections, broken wire, ecu, etc. Is it a repeating pattern of blinks?
     
    #2 TMR-JWAP, Oct 15, 2020
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  3. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    You are starting off in a pretty big hole with this car. No ICE function, won't shift, no cat, - who knows what shape the high voltage battery is in. Unless you need a parts car or enjoy trying to fix a basket case, I'd scrap it and move on.

    If you want to try to go further you would need a Toyota compatible scan tool to see what codes there are in all of the car's modules. If there is a network comm problem (the scantool might not be able to talk to the car) then you have a whole new can of worms to deal with. Can be very challenging to figure that kind of thing out.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 mr_guy_mann, Oct 16, 2020
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  4. Tim826

    Tim826 New Member

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    #4 Tim826, Oct 23, 2020
  5. Tim826

    Tim826 New Member

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    Sorry it took so long to get back on here. Its is just 10 bars blinking. No pattern. Just a steady blinking.
     
    #5 Tim826, Oct 23, 2020
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