Prius sat in my garage for about a month with out moving went to start it up had 0 power, the unlock button on the keys wouldn't even open the doors. So naturally i tried to jump start the car which would kind of work. The car would turn on for a few secs maybe 5 sec then turn right back off. So we had the battery tested and came back as bad battery. Replaced the battery from toyota for $200, now the car will start engine will run fine, stays running and even drove it around yesterday to go get a hair cut out to dinner freeway speeds 60-70 mph everything was great. But this morning my wife tried to take it to work she said it made it to the end of the block and it turned off she turned it back on it drove home but stated it had no power at all. Now we have a orange triangle and check engine light. The car turns on, engine runs In every gear but the car wont move. Put it in D it tries to move the engines revs up and the car stutters a little and moves about 1 foot and then the rpms drop again. Do that enough times and the car will then just start to move and drive like normal. Literally drives normally freeway speeds and everything. Turn the car off and you have the same problem again. Any idea where to start ? what problems could this be? Car has 148k miles. Recently replaced spark plugs about 6 months ago. The screen in the car has never worked i bought it with a cracked screen and never replaced it. If anyone needs pics or a video i can certainly do that thanks for any help.
Quick update. Just turned the car on to drive it around and see what happens. Turns on fine engine runs great but still has the triangle ! and check engine light plus i notice in the top right that the blue cold coolant light stays on don't think it use to do that. Shit into reverse little orange turtle pops up uhh ok thats new. Shift into neutral sounds like the rpms go up and a loud buzz noise (by buzz noise i mean a noise like the door is open but doesn't ding just stays constant) stays on when in neutral but the turtle goes away. Shift into drive and it rolls forward fine no turtle or buzz noise same with B. Ok thats odd. Turn car off try again exact same thing happens. So i decided to let it run for a few mins see if the blue cold coolant light goes away and it does after about 3 mins. I then turn the car off and back on no Triangle ! or check engine light, the blue coolant light has gone away and all gears work fine and car drives fine. Seems as though if the car warms up its fine? so confused.
These kinds of symptom descriptions can be interesting and suggestive, but the car's computers log specific trouble codes for you (many dozens of possibilities) and there really is no better way to proceed from here than to start by getting those codes read out. Posting the codes here will be worth at least a thousand words trying to describe symptoms, and give us all the best shot at being able to help you. Not every car code scanner can retrieve all the codes on a Prius - in fact, most can't. If you don't already have one that can, I would highly recommend getting one. It is one of the most useful and important first purchases an old Prius owner can make, and doesn't have to be much money. You can search this forum for lots of information on the choices that work. If, at the moment, the problem your car has right now is on your mind, not how to buy a good code scanner, then if you can get to a Toyota dealer easily and have them read the codes for you, that's probably your fastest, sure-fire option. They'll probably charge something on the scale of three pizzas for doing it. Be sure you ask for a complete list of the codes they found and the three-digit subcodes if any. Hope this helps, -Chap
So going to the local auto parts store napa, o reilly etc wont give me all the codes? Toyota wants 53$ just to give me the codes or 118$ for a full diagnostic. Not really money i have to be tossing around at the moment. Just about to return to work after being out for short term disability and not really good on money.
Right. Most likely, they will only be able to show you codes from the engine and possibly the brake computer, and those are probably not the computers with the most important things to say to you right now. Ok, so maybe more like four pizzas. It's not far from what I expected. Getting a code reader of your own could be from around $25 (if you have an old laptop lying around) to $100-150 for a standalone device you can also use as extra instruments while driving. In the case of your own scanner, that would be money you spend just once, and can use for as long as you keep the car. Either way, getting the codes this time is probably going to hit you somewhere in the $50 to $150 range. I understand about money being tight, but especially if money is tight, thinking that you will save any by trying to find your problem without the codes will probably turn out to be false economy. -Chap
Ok went to a local shop drove about 20 mins no problems at all no check engine lights or anything and drove home no problems. Its a toyota shop that said they can pull everything for me same as toyota. Only 2 codes came up P1455, & P3191. He said that cleaning the throttle body could help, checking air filter and the box. Also the MAF may need to be cleaned or replaced. He said start with those or have him do all that for about 100$ and see what happens but stated i could easily do all that myself which i will do. What do you guys think about the codes and what he said could be the problems & fixes?
P3191 is a very generic code ... it means at one time or another, your engine didn't start. P1455 is a small leak in the plumbing that captures fuel vapors from your fuel tank. That could be a bit fiddly to diagnose, and can probably be saved for another day ... I doubt that problem is what's causing the things you're seeing. I'm not sure I get what you're saying here ... by "a toyota shop" you mean not a dealer, but they tell you they're happy to work on toyotas and they can pull everything the dealer can? I'm asking because it strikes me odd that the only two codes they did pull both come from the engine computer, which is the one every cheapo scanner can talk to, so this doesn't really confirm that their scanner is able to talk to any of the others. Some of the behaviors you're reporting make me think that at least the hybrid-vehicle computer might have some codes for you. Not long ago there was another poster here who had been to a shop where they said "sure, our equipment can scan all that" and it clearly couldn't. (If it were me, I'd be tempted to at least trigger some known codes on purpose in the HV, battery, steering, etc., computers, then go back to this shop and see if their tool picks them up.) -Chap
Chap, Probably a really ignorant question but I'm trying to learn and out of curiosity... how would one go about triggering codes (without causing harm to your car)?
Spend some time thumbing through the service manuals at techinfo.toyota.com, looking at the diagnostic sections in volume 1 for the different computers in the car, especially the lists of the trouble codes and exactly what conditions trigger each one ... pick a few that look as if you could trigger them by doing something simple like unplugging a connector or relay without any irreversible damage to the car ... there you go. -Chap
Can you still get service manuals in paper form? Quick look on Amazon shows: "2001 Toyota Prius Shop Service Repair Manual Book Engine Drivetrain OEM" But this appears to be "Volume 1"
Years ago (when I bought my Gen 1), you'd order through Toyota's Materials Distribution Center. After that, they contracted distribution out to Helm, Inc., (helminc.com), which is the service manual distributor for a lot of different car manufacturers. For a long time you could buy the manuals there, but the stock seems depleted as of the last time I checked there - most service manuals were no longer even listed, which suggests Helm isn't planning another print run. Past the 2011 model year, it appears Toyota isn't even producing print manuals. So probably eBay is your best bet. For example, here's a set that's almost complete: Vol 1, Vol 2, wiring Those volumes cover diagnosis, repair procedures, and everything about the wiring (including routing, connector identification, the works), but they all kind of start from the assumption that you have a basic understanding of what the various systems do and how and why. All of that information is in one more volume that will help a lot with understanding your car. To really complete the set, there's also this volume, but useful only if you practice cutting and welding of sheet metal. -Chap
After I posted this I found Vol 2 on Helminc. But without the others that's not much use. Kind of pricy for the set of books but compared to a subscription might be cheaper in the long run. Are there any disadvantages to the printed copies? Does the online subscription give you better/more info (I don't want to highjack this thread so let me know if I should start a new discussion)?
As far as I know, the manuals on paper contain the same stuff as the manuals online. You can thumb through the printed copies anywhere any time, instead of needing a computer/tablet/phone/whatever to read the electronic ones. You can get greasy thumbprints on the pages, instead of on your tablet. On the other hand, greasy thumbprints probably easily wipe off the tablet. Once you have the techinfo subscription, you have access to not only the manuals but all sorts of Technical Service Bulletins, special service campaigns, recalls, etc., that apply to the car. You can also (for a slightly pricier subscription) get a license key to run techinfo. -Chap
