1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Engine Computer replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by stellamonsterr, Mar 4, 2008.

  1. stellamonsterr

    stellamonsterr New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2008
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius


    We've been the proud owners of a 2002 Prius for about 9 months now. The triangle of death light came on, the car w/! light came one & the check engine light came on and the gas engine wouldn't start. I tried to start it again and the gas engine sputtered and shut off. Tried one more time and got the engine going but the lights were still on. Drove it and the gas engine would randomly shut off or rev higher. I took it to the dealer but all the warning lights went away but it was still reving. They say I need a new engine computer which is extremely expensive and not covered under any warranty. Has anyone else had this trouble? They also say that it might be causing the power steering issues I've been having too. When it's really cold the power steering will shutter until the car warms up. Ugggghhh!
     
    #1 stellamonsterr, Mar 4, 2008
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,392
    15,518
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus


    You might consider cleaning the throttle plate. It doesn't cost much and was quite effective in my case when the codes indicated the engine ECU needed to be replaced:

    Cleaning Prius Throttle

    Your symptoms are consistent with what I had last year.

    GOOD LUCK!
    Bob Wilson
     
    #2 bwilson4web, Mar 4, 2008
  3. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2004
    9,057
    3,529
    0
    Location:
    Kunming Yunnan China
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Cleaning the throttle plate is a good start. Replacing the spark plugs would be the second step. If you still get the warning symbol, then consider shopping for the ECU (part # 89661–47054) from a salvage vehicle dismantler such as LQK online or their competitors. Accept no smaller number in the last two digits of #). The installation would be easy enough to DIY.

    Less common contributors to the problem are the electrical fuel pump (inside the fuel tank) and the electrical relay that controls it.

    The steering shakes are not related to that ECU. Sensors buried deep inside the steering system are intermittently providing bad data, and unfortunately it cannot be replaced separately from the entire steering assembly.

    If the steering problem deteriorates, your options are: to live with it, pay for a new steering assembly, convince Toyota to share the cost of same (call 1-800-331-4331 polite yet persistent), or to hunt down a used steering assembly from salvage vehicle dismantler as above. In the last case, parts from a late 2002 or 2003 which had not been crushed in front would be preferred. We suppose that Toyota did improve the design mid-2002, because a warranty enhancement (which has now expired) covered only 2001 and early 2002 production.

    Good luck and please post progress or problems.
     
    #3 tochatihu, Mar 4, 2008
  4. stellamonsterr

    stellamonsterr New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2008
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Thank you so much! I had an oil change the day before and they replaced all the filters because they were really bad. I'll have to check and see if they cleaned the throttle plate. Thanks for the link. I think I can actually handle that job!!! The steering only happens once usually when it's below 20 degrees out so I can deal with that problem. :p
     
    #4 stellamonsterr, Mar 5, 2008
  5. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2004
    9,057
    3,529
    0
    Location:
    Kunming Yunnan China
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    New oil the day before eh? Well in that case you ought to make sure that the oil is not overfilled. Using an engine oil of too-high viscosity can also displease the Prius, but how can we know what they used?

    Prius is supposed to have 5W30 viscosity, and just between us, thinner oils work pretty well too. But no thicker.
     
    #5 tochatihu, Mar 5, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)