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Toyota Prius Engine Problems
My Sister has a 2003 Toyota Prius and when she goes to start the engine will roll over, but it won't start. My brother says it's the fuel pump, or something. Does anyone have any idea what it could be? And if so, how much will it cost, estimated with parts and labor? Thank you sooo much!
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She has a 2006 Prius with about 6,000 miles on it and has started getting an intermittent error type message that says (as best as she can remember) "Trans axle will not charge batteries while in neutral" and the car will not start. The dealer is unable to replicate the error and suggests that it is "driver error"?
Has anyone had this message or problem?
Simply waiting until your foot has finished moving will prevent the problem.
That little bit of patience makes a huge difference, and it is so subtle that most people don't even realize they have jumped the gun... until their awareness is heightened by having done that.
JOHN
Will not start.
Dash has all items lights on.
Will not return keyless entry key.
Owned for 10 months.
First time this has hapened.
Main batries are GOOD, the starter batt. is dead.
It sounds like you ran the 12-volt battery down by accident, either by leaving a door open or an interior light. You should be able to "jump-start" the car to get it working again. The instructions on how to do so are in the manual. You do not have to crawl back into the back of the car to get at the actual 12-volt battery. There is a 12-volt positive terminal inside the main fuse box of the engine compartment specifically for this purpose. Positive goes to this post, negative goes to any unpainted engine part. The manual should indicate a prefered negative connection point to use for jumpstarting. After you make the connections, you should be able to hit the Start button to reboot the computers and hopefully get things working again.
I'm curious as to how the keyless key managed to stay stuck in it's slot, and how the dash lights stayed on while the rest of the car appeared to be dead.
I'm stopped at a light. It turns green and I try to take off - but the Prius won't go faster than about 10 miles an hour - and a Yellow "car shaped" icon lit up (just below the temperature light). The last time I went about 1/2 block at 10 miles/hour - when it suddenly took off and accelerated normally - and the yellow light went off. It handled normally until I got home. We then called the Toyota dealer who said to bring it in. We didn't drive the vehicle until the time we took it in. The dealer service dept didn't find any problems - no "obd II codes" set in. They said that it was probably just the "traction control" kicking in (supposedly that was what the yellow "car" icon meant). They surmised that we had hit a patch of ice. I questioned the service manager for several minutes - telling him that there was no ice - I hadn't heard the brakes pulsing - and it went on for about 1 minute (an awfully long patch of ice). There were no codes retrievable.
So - any ideas out there? I doubt that it was ice (we do live in Minnesota - but haven't seen that much ice). Was it a software glitch? (I've been a software designer/developer for 35 years and have caused more than my share of bugs). I have read in some of these forums about having to "reboot" - power cycle the vehicle to clear up similar problems. However, - it has cleared up spontaneously for me. Thanks in advance....
I was wondering if anyone is familar with any sensor or starter/battery problems that would prohibit the gas motor from turning over in cold weather.
Slick 50 had to change their formulation and reports I've read say it no longer provides much benefit.
Thanks
Just use Mobil 1, which is a good synthetic oil, or if you're really enthusiastic, try Royal Purple. I think it's the "better" type of synthetic. From reading several forums it appears use of synthetic will not result in measurable fuel economy increases in the Prius. Perhaps any improvement is buried in the "noise" of background variations.
Don't get me started on the silly "fuel efficient" oils (5W30) the Pathfinder came with new. Warm engine, idling, I hear rumbling (oil film breakdown - crankshaft touches bearings). Never heard it again once I switched to 10W30 (proper viscosity) oil. Sometimes people think too hard.
I've also seen (heard) the viscosity breakdown rumble on other vehicles using 5W30 oil (non-synthetic). Only when the engine is hot and idling. Scary stuff hearing the bearings loose material! With the other vehicles it happened a long way from home and I couldn't do anything about it right away except raise the idle. With the Pathfinder it happened in my garage, and I changed the oil right then!
Never fold a wet soft top, don't leave it out in the intense sun ( Texas ), and do not use unapproved cleaners/detergents. Ford has a list of approved products.
The early 2nd Gen had a software problem that sometimes caused people to be stranded. It was fixed, but maybe your model doesn't have the fix?
I started a thread a couple of years ago for Prius Software errors; the thread is closed but you can still view it.
If I power off, the P,B,D,R cluster stays on, without the READY light, as does the big screen which displays "CAUTION - Transmission "P" lock mechanism is abnormal. Park in a flat place and apply brake."
If it didn't start this morning, I was going to disconnect the battery (in the back, right side) to force a re boot. I think because I let the battery run out, that wasn't necessary this time.
This could have been a major problem if my wife was using the car and/or was out of town.
I will downgrade my Prius from the best car I've ever owned to just OK because of this. (unless Toyota has a good explanation or there was a service bulletin that I did not take care of.
A 5w-30 (vs. 10w-30) oil will not make an engine have knocks or other oil starvation sounds on startup. Just the opposite. You are more likely to hear that from the heavier oils because your oil pump can't pump the thicker oil as easily to your engine components. Use a good synethetic oil of the lightest weight your vehicles owners manual recommends. That is usually a 0w or 5w. I don't know of any modern engines that recommend a 10w although they can be run in hot weather. It's just not nice for your poor engine to have to try and pump that 10w on a 32 degree day. Do your Pathfinder and change to 5w-30 (or even 0w-30) in your preferred synthetic. Easier on the engine that 10w-30, even in hot weather, but especially in anything less than 50 degrees.
On a note unrelated to viscosity or weight. another reason synthetic is better because it leaves a film on internal parts, after shut-down, longer than conventional oils, so it is easier on an engine at startup (which is when, arguably, all engine wear occurs).
Though some drivinge mileage increase may be apparent in certain engines, most of the mileage gains are from the time of first startup and then the miles put on until the engine warms up. This is also why, in many vehicles, the mileage improvements, when using a synthetic vs. conventional oil, are higher or more noticable in the winter time. Of course the biggest mileage killer in the winter time is people idling their cars for 15 minutes before they leave. Park your car in your garage (rather than having it full of junk) and think how much gas the country would save every winter day! hehe.
I currently use 5W30 in my Prius and don't see any evidence of breakdown, but I'm using Mobil 1.
All the dash lights go on, including the check engine (I got an oil change etc at the recommended 5,000 miles) and nothing happens. Had it towed and of course did not hear from the dealership all day.
I'm sorry I didn't buy another Honda. What I want is reliability AND responsibility.
mm517a
When you get this info go onto a site like PriusChat and post the problem along with the 'code'. There are Master Techs and very smart people there that can give you straight info.
It was eventually towed to our mechanics - he diagnosed a frozen parking brake. Oddly, he had the same "problem" with his Prius that morning. A day later, on a cold morning, I couldn't get the car door to open with the "keyless." I opened it with the key and started up the car. All dash lights came on and the car would not go into any drive gear. I shut down the car got out, locked it with the key, went inside. Three minutes later I came out. The car responded to the "keyless" and started normally and drove normally. A day later I took it to our local dealership where they were "not able to duplicate the problem."
The diagnostic gave some various indications of a low 12v battery but the battery itself was strong. So, unless the dealer has the car hooked up to diagnostic and the problem occurs, I'm outta luck.
Service records show an ECM update was done on the car - we bought it used in 06.
Any ideas?
BTW did you know that part of the oil used to make Synthetic oils comes from rendered animals?
"Mobil 1 0w-20 is what I use in my Ford. They want 5w-20, and this is an official substitute."
Just so you know, the Ford motorcraft 5-w20 is a synthetic blend, it is part dino, part synthetic. Using a 0-20 over 5-20 gives better protection in cold weather starts and meets the manufacturers warranty requirements and CARB. If you use 10w-40 Mobil 1, you are still protected, but will not meet CARB, and your cold protection is not as good. THe higher the numbers, the thicker the base oil. The thicker the oil, the more effort to get it where it needs to go, and the harder the engine works due to fluid dynamics. The thicker fluid offers resistance as opposed to friction, it still protects well, but requires effort to get past that resistance.
The reason slick 50 had to pull teflon out is due to two things, one is when burned, and it does get burned, it pollutes something fierce, and second, it tends to expand when heated and has been known to clog oil filters.