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Newbie. Need advice on buying a used prius.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Ramie Khung, Jan 31, 2018.

  1. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Congrats, I hope.
    The random misfires could be spark plugs or coils.
    I am not sure if PCV valve or the oil usage could relate. @danlatu or @Raytheeagle can advise further.
     
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  2. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Thanks! I test drove a couple of prius beforw and this one drives like new. The company had just changed the spark plugs, front disk and brakes.

    For the misfiring, code is only thrown when starting up. With ODB2 reader, I have cleared the code and driven around. The code doesnt come back on. Seems to come up only on cold startups.
     
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  3. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Also, toyota dealership told me that canadian hybrid batteries last longer here because of 6 months of cold weather. For gen2 they've had very few reports of batteries failling and a lot them are passed the 200k miles mark.

    Does cold weather really prolong battery life?
     
    #44 Ramie Khung, Feb 4, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2018
  4. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Heat destroys 12 V Batteries, that is a know fact but cold doesn't seem to be a problem.
    Excess heat is the enemy of all batteries as far as I know.

    It would be interesting to contact local junk yards and see how many Prii they have and how many still had batteries in them. I am going to check a local yard where I live.
     
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  5. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Ill do the same for montreal. Best is to salvage from wrecked 2008-09 prii. What else besides the battery can go really bad?
     
  6. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    IMO...all you can have is an opinion about Hybrid Battery longevity.
    There really is no way of telling or predicting with much accuracy how long a Hybrid Battery may last.
    To me? They clearly seem to be durable and lasting enough to cover Toyota's warranty period. 8-10 years, 100,000-150,000 miles depending on whether you are purchasing and registered in a CARB state.
    So my expectations would be 10 years...and a lot of miles.

    You are looking at a Prius that is 9 model years old, and with high miles. So....all bets are off.
    Yes, you could go for many more miles, and even much more time. BUT..I wouldn't purchase the vehicle expecting it. Plan for the worst, expect the best.

    If I was purchasing a 2009 Prius with 190,000 miles on it, I would purchase with the knowledge and expectation that Hybrid Battery failure could happen at any time.
    I would consider it all borrowed time.
     
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  7. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    If the car can last me two years (25k miles) It will have paid off for itself because of the gas that I'll be saving from not using the Odyssey. Im an engineer so worst case scenario, Ill replace the dead cells.
     
  8. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    The exact mileage of the car is 186k miles = 300k km.
     
  9. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    How long ago did they change the plugs? The screen shot shows the last documented servicing as 2016. Anything since then? Are you the DIY type? What code is being thrown? Can you swap the coils and see if the misfire follows? How much oil is consumed?

    Good luck with your Prius (y).
     
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  10. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Last year. Misfire has been happening since the car was stilĺ under warranty. It doesnt affect operation of the car. Not sure if worth investigating further but when it gets warmer, ill try to swap the coils.

    Codes: p0300,p0301,p0302
     
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  11. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Don’t forget that misfires will put more strain on the engine block;).

    While it can be a bear to work on things in the cold, find someone with a garage and you’ll at least be protected from the elements :).

    How much oil is it consuming?

    Keep us posted (y).
     
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  12. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    1 liter per oil change.
     
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  13. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    That’s not a high rate:).

    Just keep an eye on it and you’ll be fine;).

    As for the misfires, it could be the plugs, coils or lights from the PCV return :(.

    Pull the intake and see if there is a collection of brownish material. If so and the temps are as cold as they look, you might have the cause;).

    Hope that helps (y).
     
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  14. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Very helpful! One thing I noticed just now...car has been sitting all day in my driveway. When I started it ( 32 degres F outside), the engine shook for about 1 minute. Could that be related to the misfire? Also when im neutral (on electric), i feel a faint intermittent trembling of the car.
     
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  15. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Sounds like it is all related:(.

    But there are solutions ;).

    I would look into the problem so you go after the true root cause. If it is truly lights being formed then getting sent to be combusted, an oil catch can will prevent that from occurring :).

    But check the other possibilities mentioned above;).

    Keep us posted (y).
     
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  16. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Stupid question ahead. What do you mean by lights? I understand the role of the pcv valve but not sure of the term lights. Do you mean debris?
     
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Water or condensation, gas that leaks by, etc.

    These will throw the air to fuel mixture off enough (as well as fubar the combustion process) to cause a violent reaction:(.

    There are ways to deal with it though;).

    If you go the oil catch can route on your Gen2, I know @SFO would be keen to hear the results (y).
     
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  18. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

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    Thank you sir. Sending some karma points to you :)
     
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  19. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I’m in Indianapolis through Tuesday so I need all the karma I can get;).
     
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