Check engine light!

Hey gang,
I was driving today on a normal city street (as a sidenote, it was raining) and as I turned a corner I got a face full of warning lights. I got the 'Check Engine light' , the Big Red '!'. And on the MFD it said 'Problem'. I called toyota's roadside assistance line (I'm only at 20k) and since the car seemed to still be driveable and I was only a few minutes from the dealer they told me to drive it in. They said if it got worse to stop immediatly.
So I got to the dealer ok, and the service manager stareted to take down my info. He came back to the office and said 'so the light went out eh?". Sure enough.. the light wasn't on anymore. Why does the problem always dissaper as soon as you get to the service dept?? So he said he would keep it and check it out but if he gave me a loaner then I would have to pay for it (unless they found something major, that would justify the loaner car). I said I didn't really want to pay anything since I was under warranty so he said I could bring it back tomorrow and they would take a look at the codes.

Well sorry for the long story.. I guess I was just wondering if I should bring it back to the dealership if the light doesn't come back on. If they 'check the codes' and don't find any major problems will they charge me for the labor? What might cause those lights to go on.. and then turn off again? I had tried to turn the car on and off a few times to 'reset' the light but it didn't work for me. Only after I got to the dealership did it go off. I'm just wondering if it might be something serious or something I don't need to worry about.

thanks alot,

Peter B

 

Thanks guys. I already had the SSC#: 40D (Prius OBD) service done a few months ago. Not sure if that had anything to do with it. But since it's still under warranty I might as well have them check it out. I will let you know what they find. Guess it can't be too serious if the check engine light isn't flashing anymore.

 

Well it's good to hear that others have had this problem and no serious problems because of it.

I just got back from the dealer. The service manager said 'the computer had a glitch, and we re-programmed it.' Not very specific. He wasn't there when I picked it up so I couldn't ask him any questions. Here's what my paperwork says:

Found codes 'P3191' (engine does not start) and 'P0A0F' (engine failed to start). It says they re-programmed the engine ECU. Rick was right about the 3191 code. Can someone explain what those codes really mean and what it means when they say they 're-programmed' the ECU?

thanks alot,

Peter B

 

Well I guess there is a Chapter 2 to this story...

So I had the check engine light turn on last week... had the dealer check it out, and they re-programmed the ECU. Everything is great.

Well over the weekend I went driving with my friend out in the desert. We were crusing down a flat streach and I pushed the car up to 105MPG (I know. .. not a good idea). I quickly resumed my normal speed (around 70) and about 45 seconds later I had lights flash at me again. This time I got: The Red '!' (inside the triangle), the yellow '!' (inside the circle), and on the MFD it said 'Problem' (and had the symbol of the car with the '!' over it). This time it wasn't just the lights, I started to notice that I was losing power (I couldn't keep the car going 50). So I pulled over to check it out. Turned off the car, and turned it back on and the lights were still there. Let the car sit for 10 mins. and then tried again. Lights were still on (actually I think the yellow '!' turned off at this point) but this time the car performed normally. So at this point (I was far from civilization) I started to drive home. Took it very slow at first but the car was driving normally (other than the lights still on). Got home (It was a sat. night, so no dealers were open) and the next day I drove the car and all the lights were gone.

So I'm wondering if this problem might be realted to my first incident when the lights flashed at me, or if I pushed the car too hard and maybe I damaged something.. or maybe it was just asking me to give it a break? I also noticed that the oil level was too high (quarter inch over the top mark) so I drained some out when I pulled the car over to the side of the road. not sure if this could have anything to do with it. Should I take it in to the dealer again to 'check the codes'? Why can't the car be more specific... when it says 'problem' it's not very helpful.

A side question.. does this car have an electroic speed limiter on it? What is the max speed? What speed is too fast for the car? I know the tires have their own speed rating.. but I wonder what car itself can handle without damage. (just for short periods... not day to day driving)

Would love to hear your input... Thank.

-Peter B

 

Well I'm going to bring it in tomorrow... want to be sure these lights were not a sign of somthing serious (if it was serious the lights would still be on right?). Toyota emailed me back and said the cost (of the diagnosis) might or might not be covered by the warranty. That sucks. In what case would diagnosis of trouble lights not be covered by the warranty? I'm only at 21,000 miles. Unless they can prove I abused the vehicle somehow (not doing maintenance or something?) I don't see why this wouldn't be covered under warranty. I know driving fast it not good for the car but that doesn't invalidate the warranty does it?

thanks,
Peter B

 

Thanks for the info Rick, that's what I thought too. Well I got the car back again and they said it was a similar thing. A 'Computer Glitch'. The code this time: P2128 (Throttle Pedal Position Sensor/Switch 'E' Ciruit High Input). They didn't mention my high speed but they asked what was happening when it went off. I just said I was doing some hard driving. So is this error code a sign that maybe the sensors are a little too sensitive? Or maybe I shouldn't drive too fast next time! I wonder if V8Cobrakid ever got any errors (I thought he has done some high speed driving beore).
My service manager said that they contacted Toyota Corporate and opened a ticket on this issue so they can track if I get any further codes. I guess this is expeced with a new car. When I go buy Windows 1.0 it is expected to have to upgrade to 1.1 or 2.0 at some point as they improve the software.
A side note.. they also did the 20k service on the car even though I didnt' request it. So when they asked me to pay for that I reminded the service manager that I never requested that service and my car was totatly up to date on all service. He discussed something with his supervisor and 5 mins later I had my car... no charge.

Well thanks again.. Will update if I get any further errors.

-Peter B

 

After looking at my paperwork closer.. I see when they did the service that I didn't ask them to do... they used 10W30. Shouldn't they know what oil the car needs more than me?? Doesn't it say right on the cap... 5W30?? They probably overfilled it too.. I better go out and check right now. Is it really that hard? I mean really.

anyways... have a good weekend.

-Peter B

 

Totota's response was a bit lame....

me: I had 2 questions about my Prius. I recently took my car into Keyes Toyota and they changed my oil. I didn't notice it right away but on my paperwork it says they used '10W-30' oil. I know the user manual says to use '5W-30'. Is this a big problem? why did they do this? Will this harm my engine or effect my gas milage? Will it effect my car's warranty?


Toyota:
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

We apologize for any confusion regarding the recommended oil selection. The Owner's Manual cites the recommended engine oil selection under what is assumed to be a standard, or typical set of driving conditions.

Your local Service Manager has both the business right (since dealerships are independently owned service facilities), and the real-world experience, to offer his own input and advice, often seen as the dealership's general service recommendations. Additionally, a local Service Manager has the ability to fine tune service recommendations for particular environments, and perhaps even specific, return customers.


They didn't say anything about warranty or fuel economy.

-Peter B