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2005 Prius ICE won't start. What to do?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dhman2006, May 30, 2015.

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  1. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    Driving home today, my 2005 Prius won't move as I tried pulling off the stop light; the red triangle and all the other warning lights came on. I towed it to the dealer's lot, but won't have any news til Monday due to the weekend. Checked the 12v battery and at idle getting around 11.9-12.0V which tells me that small battery is good. What else should I be looking at? All the the car now runs on main battery only, the ICE does not fire up. All warning lights are still present.

    Always had regular oil change at the dealer and never noticed any problem until the car suddenly died today. Had my last oil change last Wednesday. Someone said online that overfilling the crankcase will allow motor oil to be sucked into the ICE. Would that be a possibility?

    Any other ideas? I have 95K on the odometer.
     
    #1 dhman2006, May 30, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Your 12v is not good but that's not the cause of your problem of not starting
     
    #2 JC91006, May 30, 2015
  3. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    Yeah I figured it's ok for now, but it's not causing the issue. What else should I be looking at?
     
    #3 dhman2006, May 30, 2015
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's out of your hands, you towed it to the dealer already. Just wait and see what they tell you
     
    #4 JC91006, May 30, 2015
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not likely the oil, but there are so many things we could guess at. why not the 12v?
     
    #5 bisco, May 30, 2015
  6. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    I understand that it's out of my hand, but i'd like to get an idea of what it could be so the dealer can't try to rip me off.
     
    #6 dhman2006, May 30, 2015
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's very hard to guess but overfilling can cause what you are experiencing.

    A good 12v battery will be around 12.9 volts fully charged. But even at 12v now, it should not stop your car, especially in ready mode

    I wouldn't stress by guessing, they'll find out and let you know. There are specific diagnostic codes logged when those lights turn on, it'll pinpoint the issue, they can't make it up and rip you off.
     
    #7 JC91006, May 30, 2015
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    What does "idle" mean?

    If you mean the Prius is READY, then the problem is the DC/DC converter is not working. If you mean the Prius is IG-ON where all dashboard warning lights are on, that voltage is OK but not wonderful.

    It is unfortunate that you did not take a photo of the dashboard and MFD so that we could see exactly which warning lights are on.

    When your service writer calls with a diagnosis provided by the tech, ask for the diagnostic trouble codes logged by the car's ECUs, and post.

    Well, if 5 quarts or more were added, that could cause a problem. Unfortunately you apparently did not check the engine oil level since Wednesday, so you will have no idea whether that might be a problem or not.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, May 30, 2015
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Since the car doesn't move, I'm assuming it wasn't ready when the voltage was checked
     
    #9 JC91006, May 30, 2015
  10. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    Well I've often experienced the dealer suggesting a more expensive repair than just the necessary one. So I was just wondering what kind of repair/ codes I should expect.
     
    #10 dhman2006, May 30, 2015
  11. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    upload_2015-5-30_22-45-18.png

    My dashboard basically looked like this except the "MAINT REQD" and the "Freezing Temp Indicator" lights weren't there
     
    #11 dhman2006, May 30, 2015
  12. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    By IDLE I meant when I start the car by pressing the start button.

    No the car wasn't READY. Only the dashboard warning lights are on and I can switch between parked and neutral.
     
    #12 dhman2006, May 30, 2015
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    An engine no-start issue could be caused by any number of problems. Just a few possibilities:

    1. the car is out of fuel
    2. the fuel pump failed or a fuel injector has a problem
    3. the throttle plate and throttle body interior are dirty, causing the throttle plate to be stuck
    4. an ignition problem caused by a bad igniter, spark plug, or engine ECU

    When you find out the diagnosis and suggested repair, if you should find the repair is more expensive than you deem reasonable, just say you need to think about it and will respond the next day with your approval of the repair. Then post all available details for the group to comment upon.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, May 30, 2015
  14. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    Since the tank was filled I think we can take no 1 off the list. I'll check with the dealer and will definitely report back sometime Monday. Hopefully it's not an expensive repair.
     
    #14 dhman2006, May 31, 2015
  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Since you're in MA, chances are if it's not an overfill situation, your repair(s) will probably still be covered under warranty (if under 10 years). And if it is caused by overfill, then whoever did the oil change can probably fork the bill
     
    #15 JC91006, May 31, 2015
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If I had to guess, it would be a electric water pump failure. If you didn't do the recall on it yet, then it'll be a free repair
     
    #16 JC91006, May 31, 2015
  17. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    Update on the repair: It wasn't an expensive repair. Apparently only had to re-calibrate the ECU. Code was - P0A0F. Anyone know more about this? Couldn't get much info from the stealership.

    Edit: Did a quick quick search and turned out to be engine oil overfill. Wondering if I should get my future oil changes done at the same dealership next time.

    Low gas caused engine failure P0A0F & P3190?? | PriusChat
     
    #17 dhman2006, Jun 6, 2015
  18. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    P0A0F is logged by the hybrid vehicle ECU and means the engine failed to start. Some TSBs were issued a few years ago, relating to firmware upgrades for both the engine and hybrid vehicle ECUs.
     
    #18 Patrick Wong, Jun 6, 2015
  19. dhman2006

    dhman2006 Member

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    Do you think I can talk to stealership and get the firmware upgrade? They didn't tell me anything but that they re-calibrated the ECU and cleared the fault code.
     
    #19 dhman2006, Jun 6, 2015
  20. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Why not. "Recalibration" may mean downloading and installing the latest firmware.

    My 2004 had an engine problem several years ago and the firmware was updated, which resolved the issue. This is strange though, because you would think if firmware was the problem the engine would have a problem from Day 1, not after a few years have elapsed.
     
    #20 Patrick Wong, Jun 6, 2015
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