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Failed on highway. Current codes:P0A0F, P3191, Historic: B1200, B1271

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Thepriusthatcould, Mar 2, 2022.

  1. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Andover, MA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I am looking for possible solutions to my problem. I have a 2004 Prius with 180,000 miles. Original HV battery still good.

    I have the following codes. Current: P3191, P0A0F. History: B1200, B1271. ICe died while on highway with 2 bars on gas gauge.

    Triangle, exclamation, MFd "turtle," and check engine light came on. Pulled over and tried restarting, but the ICe wouldn't start and car would not stay in ready. Was able to start briefly and move a few feet. Felt like the ICe wasn't getting enough gas and was running really rough. Also retrieved 3190 from my Bluetooth OBd reader.

    While pulled over I had to leave the car in ignition mode (later change to accessory) so that I could keep the lights on while I waited. The aux battery got down to 7V in under an hour while waiting for a tow. Needed a jump from a jump battery pack to get it in neutral for the tow. Jumped using the jump point under the hood.

    At home I filled the Prius with 2 gallons of gas using a can and charged and recovered the auxiliary battery. It is still weak.

    I attempted to start car initially went into ready but ICe wouldn't start. Reset the car by unplugging the battery. 2nd attempt was successful, I gave it a little gas right before because thought it would cut out. Ran the car for 30 minutes and drove it down the street. Car drove well but the Hybrid warning light on the MFd, check engine, and red triangle were on the dash.

    Codes read: (After I disconnected my 12V battery at home. These codes were not from the actual highway incident).

    Techstream:

    P3191 engine failed to start
    P0A0F

    Historic codes:
    B1200 - Body ECu commutation stop
    B1271 to - Combination Meter ECu stop

    I checked and cleaned the mass airflow sensor.
    HV battery seems okay, a quick look at block voltages indicates similar values.

    Other information:

    A few hours before I spent an hour driving on the highway and got a P0446 (Evap vent control
    circuit) code using with a Bluetooth reader. This DTc has been an issue since last summer. The P0446 didn't go off recently because it was so cold here (went off because it was a unusually warm day, 65F). I don't think Evap tests run with freezing temperatures. I think this is unrelated to my current issue.

    Car sometimes smells like gas from the outside when starting. I assumed it was related to the EVAP code. This has been going on since last summer.
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Thepriusthatcould, Mar 2, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2022
  2. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2020
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    Location:
    Andover, MA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Possible causes:
    • Incorrect gas gauge level reading caused me to run out of gas (it was on 2 pips). If so, why would there be other codes and warning lights?

    • Intermittent fuel pump failure

    • Electronic control module or wiring connection somewhere in the car. Code b1271 and b1200 could point to the combination meter/hybrid ECu.
    • ICe is protecting itself by refusing to run.

    Would something with an ECu cause the engine to fail to start intermittently? I see misfires, etc. Would the ICe present these problems all at once? Maybe some other airflow, electronic, other issue outside of the engine may be causing yhis.

    I cleaned the MAr (mistakenly with brake cleaner). I have to check the throttle body and clean with a throttle body cleaner. I will also look at spark plugs. Any other ideas? Thank you.
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    If this were my car, I would get a new 12v battery, put in 3 gallons of gas and see how it runs afterwards.
     
  4. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
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    II
    Yes, I definitely need a new 12V. Would be great if it resolved some issues, Probably won't solve the ICe problem because the inverter seems to be working okay. Will put it more gas in addition to the 2 gallons.

    Thank you for the reply.
     
  5. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

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    2004 Prius
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    II
    Got a more specific sub code-P0A0F-205.

    Car started with no audible problems. Check engine light it still on, but the triangle and MFd battery icon is no longer there.

    Didn't drive it anywhere because I'm afraid of it shutting down again. Will add more gas as suggested and will try clearing the code.

    It seems that P0A0F-205 Could be many things, . The manual's workup for this code seems short and sweet, but I think it implies to look elsewhere for the problem.
     
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Right, P0A0F is a code from the HV ECU, not from the engine control module. The HV ECU is essentially the orchestra conductor for the car, and P0A0F just means it gave the cue for the engine to come in, and that didn't happen. The INF code 205 means the ECM actually said "nope" to the HV ECU and declined to start.

    That's as much as the HV ECU knows about the situation. The rest of the details have to come from the ECM.
     
  7. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
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    II
    Thank you for the input. It's helpful to put everything in context. On its last startup the car ran great, you would never know anything was wrong were it not for the stored codes/check engine light.

    I purchased throttle body cleaner and will take a look the next time I'm in town. Had to park it at my parent's house because that's was the closest suitable tow location.

    Will keep everyone updated of any progress.

    I'm assuming the highlighted yellow fields of the freeze frame data indicates abnormal values. There is a lot. Since there were no problems before I'm hoping the issue will become apparent.
     
  8. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Sometimes the simple answer can actually be the answer.
     
  9. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

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    2004 Prius
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    II
    Yes, that is often the case.
     
  10. Thepriusthatcould

    Thepriusthatcould Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Andover, MA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Small update:

    Started the car the 4th time. No check engine light, everything ran wonderful on a .4 mile trip. Engine started to run rough when I got home but it corrected itself.

    Haven't had time to get into it, but I notice the FFd indicates a misfire in cylinders #1 & #4. Not enough to register a code but worth looking into.

    Will update with any information.