Suggestions sought: cold engine stalling at 240k miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by golden_bear, Sep 17, 2017.

  1. golden_bear

    golden_bear New Member

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    My 2006 inexplicably lost engine power as I was leaving work last night. Brakes and power steering still worked fine. Engine was cold. Dash lights stayed lit. I couldn't shift back into drive until I turned the car off and on again. Drove home fine after that. The red triangle was on along with a red car symbol on the top left of the touch screen. No new trouble codes to explain it.

    I searched the forum and saw that a failing inverter pump can cause stalling without a trouble code. Mine was replaced at 100k miles.

    Not sure if it is related but the car has had codes for the catalyst system, camshaft advance and inadequate engine heat for closed loop fuel control (she is very slow to warm up). Car also burns a quart of oil every 1500 miles and the engine sometimes knocks under light throttle.

    Car has high miles (245k) and I'm trying to keep her alive until I can save for a newer Prius. Thanks in advance for your suggestions about how to troubleshoot this!
     
    #1 golden_bear, Sep 17, 2017
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Which scanner was used to read the codes, and which codes did the vehicle offer up?

    How old is the 12v battery?

    Inverter pumps are generally good for about 100k, give or take.
     
    #2 SFO, Sep 17, 2017
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe the hybrid battery, how old is it?
     
    #3 bisco, Sep 17, 2017
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  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Regarding the engine being slow to warmup, why not replace the engine thermostat.

    I doubt the inverter coolant pump is causing the engine stalling. However since the engine has some known problems I suggest you should try to address those that aren't expensive to fix.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Sep 17, 2017
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  5. golden_bear

    golden_bear New Member

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    It's still on its original high voltage battery - now I wonder how to inspect it.

    The 12v battery is a few years old. Could be bad, given how it has been drained fairly quickly in the past (a jump start was required a almost a year ago after sitting briefly with accessories on and engine off).

    I used a cheap bluetooth dongle and the torque android app to scan for codes. I gather that this isn't an optimal setup.

    Thanks for the responses so far. Hopefully I can get this sorted out soon.
     
    #5 golden_bear, Sep 17, 2017
  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Oil eater and knocks under load, don't put any money in it because it's not long for this world.

    But cold stall is probably a gunked up throttle body. Read the codes it will tell u why it's stalling.
     
    #6 edthefox5, Sep 18, 2017
  7. golden_bear

    golden_bear New Member

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    So the red triangle and red "!" warning light on the touchscreen both went away today mysteriously.

    I wonder if it had anything to do with plugging in an elm327 obd adapter earlier that day and leaving it in when parked.
     
    #7 golden_bear, Sep 18, 2017
  8. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Have you tested the inverter pump to see if it is functioning.. you can check for vibration by touching the pump, or if you see a slight turbulence on the liquid surface inside the reservoir.
     
    #8 SFO, Sep 18, 2017
  9. jadziasman

    jadziasman Prius owner emeritus

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    I had that happen when I was using the ELM327 but I can't remember why it did and how it cleared. Wouldn't be the cause for the engine stalling. As to the engine not warming up, I had a 92 Camry that had a stuck open thermostat. That is likely to be the cause of your issue as Patrick just mentioned.
     
    #9 jadziasman, Sep 18, 2017
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