2008 Prius stalled - Shop says battery is dead...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jswessler, Jul 26, 2024.

  1. jswessler

    jswessler New Member

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    2008 Prius
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    2008 Prius with 130k miles. Was driving home on the highway yesterday when the engine suddenly stopped and several lights came on, including the red triangle. I pulled over on limp mode and checked the codes with my OBD scanner app. The codes I had were:

    P3190 - Poor engine power
    P3191 - Engine does not start
    P0A0F - Engine failed to start
    P0101 - MAF Sensor range/performance problem

    The battery was acting completely fine in limp mode - I was able to pull over safely about 0.25 miles down the road, and the tow truck driver had no issues driving it onto his truck on the battery.

    I tried to turn on the car a few times after stopping, and each time the engine started fine, but ran at a very low (~800) RPM for a few seconds before turning off.

    I got it towed to a shop, this morning they called me saying that my hybrid battery was completely dead and it would be $3500 to replace... My hybrid battery has been acting completely normally, I haven't noticed the engine coming on more than normal to compensate or anything like that.

    I don't believe this is the real issue with my car. From the research I've done, the P0101 code caused the computer to shut off the engine for safety and throw all the other errors. The way the engine started, ran for a few seconds, and stalled has happened to me once before when I got debris in my throttle body after an oil change. The fix for that was around $50.

    Any advice would be really appreciated! I'm planning on calling a nearby dealership to get a second opinion.

    Thanks :)
     
    #1 jswessler, Jul 26, 2024
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    What codes did the shop pull?

    Are you using a Prius aware scanner that shows sub codes?
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 26, 2024
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I don't think so It had power just a little while ago so it's not completely dead so more than likely this shop doesn't really work on Prius I work on whatever people open their wallets to pay for whatever suggested or something Not saying you don't need a battery but I doubt it's completely dead but yeah what do I know
     
    #3 Tombukt2, Jul 26, 2024
  4. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    What OBD scanner app are you using?

    FYI, your engine is trying to start, but it is not starting. Each time you try to start the engine, you are using about 1% state of charge (SOC) of the hybrid vehicle (HV) battery. If you continue to try starting the engine, you could drain the battery done far enough that it will be impossible to start the engine without using a grid charger to charge the battery. What is the hybrid vehicle battery level showing on the meter?

    Yes, you should be very skeptical of the diagnosis of the HV battery needing replaced. Your car not starting has nothing to do with your HV battery! EDIT: Hopefully, the shop you took it to did not drain the HV battery.

    The first three things that need to be done are:
    1. Add at least 3 gallons of gas into the gas tank.
    2. Clean the MAF sensor.
    3. Clean the throttle body.

    After these three things have been done, try starting the engine. If it does not start ( runs less than 30 seconds), do not try starting it again. Tow it to a good hybrid mechanic or the dealership.
     
    #4 Brian1954, Jul 26, 2024
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2024
  5. bzbee

    bzbee Junior Member

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    #5 bzbee, Jul 26, 2024
  6. jswessler

    jswessler New Member

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    I am using the "Car Scanner ELM OBD2" app (App Store)
    When the car died, it said I had 62% SOC on the battery. When it was towed, it was at 52% after a few attempted starts and driving to a pull-off site.
     
    #6 jswessler, Jul 26, 2024
    Brian1954 likes this.
  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Get it towed to a better shop, they're barking up the wrong tree.
     
    #7 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 26, 2024
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