So start off, I was impatient and bought a Prius 2011 off of FaceBook marketplace because it had been almost two months of me not having my own car and waiting on the insurance check. I was also not well-educated on cars so I was relying on my friend who knows bit about car maintenance to give me advice. Initially the car drove fine, I probably put about 300 miles on it before I started seeing problems. The first problem was the air conditioner breaking, which was the blower motor. The next problem is still ongoing, which is the P0171 lean engine code. I got the battery replaced with a refurb, which I think my friend read in a pending deteriorating battery code. I have gotten the purge valve and the max airflow sensor changed. The car will strain when I accelerate, as I can hear the engine and is terrible at going uphill but will make it. I watched a video which mentioned that if the engine light comes on during motion it is the fuel pump if I remember correctly. I have been reading through forums on people with this engine code that have gone through a bunch of repairs just to get the light to go away, and it looks like their conclusion has been the fuel pump. On top of the straining, the car’s AC is pretty loud and the car sounds similar to a subway train when driving slower, which I assume would also be expensive to touch up on. My family is not well off, so the fuel pump would be the absolute last repair I would be willing to try, but my grandfather is also suggesting that I sell this car. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would buy this car, especially looking at least 4 owners, now technically 5, on the vehicle’s history. Should I try to get this repair done, or should I just try and sell it to someone?
Sell it if you can't really afford the fuel pump. There are 3 problems on this car that will cost $2000+ each. When 1 of those 3 problems come up, then you really will have a tough time.
I can pretty much afford the repair, I just need to consider if it would be better to just get rid of it then do repairs
I'm thinking in the Gen 3 there's no bladder in the tank so the pump can be replaced relatively easy and if it's like the pump and other Toyotas they can be had for not a lot of money most of the fuel pumps I put in my Corolla come from aftermarket suppliers and are now in the $34 range that's an EFI pump with the sock filter and what have you that same pump can also fit in some of the plastic housings that Toyota has moved to in the last decade like the GM housings that hold the fuel pump You don't have to buy that plastic housing every time you buy a fuel pump. I could be wrong but I don't think so. I have not had to replace a pump in a generation 3 yet but I believe it's kind of the way I describe unlike the generation 2 which is replaced the whole fuel tank only unless you can get a non-American market fuel tank which did not have the bladder but that's another whole story.
Yes the fuel pump is a stated above and it's in this form somewhere I just read it It is a plastic housing it pops apart You can replace just the gold pump itself no big deal so that pump can be had from a lot of different places for a bunch less money than $102 or $90 or whatever that pump that sits in there is pretty universal Yes the plug will have to match so you want the original style you don't care about the superseded number You want the one that goes on the plug that you have without having to buy a new harness.
140k-ish is not very high mileage on this car. If the mileage is accurate (check carfax for clues), it should not have a failing fuel pump at that mileage. It's more likely that the refurbished battery you put in is having issues, that's why you're getting acceleration problems and the sluggishness is there. Unless you have a competent mechanic to fix a Prius, you should not own a used one. Checking codes would be very important before you start changing anything out
Agree the hybrid battery is more likely than a fuel pump. Watch the charge level indicator. If it is goes low while waiting at a light on a regular basis you will have poor acceleration. You have bigger potential issues with this car than a cheap fuel pump. Brake booster $2500. New battery $2400. Head gasket repair $2000-$5000.
This condition arise after you replaced the MAF sensor? I would probably look at fuel injectors and 02 sensors before looking at the direction of the fuel pump.
If you changed the maf (mass flow sensor) and did not use oem, I would circle back and fix that mistake.
