2001 Prius error codes P3000, P3006, P3022, P3030, C1521, C1522

Hi, recently 3 warning lights came on in my 2001 Prius; red car exclamation mark, triangle exclamation mark and engine in red. Also found I had no reverse gear. Car was towed to dealer and following error codes came up: P3000 - battery control system, P3006 - battery levels unusually different, P3022 - battery block 12 becomes weak; P3030 - battery voltage defective live snapped, C1521 - motor and C1522 - motor.
I live in a small town in NZ and there's not much experience or expertise in fixing Prius here. The dealer has emailed to another city for info, so I am posting here in hopes that someone might be able to help me out.
Key question - is it worth fixing? - mileage is 147000 kms, so battery is probably due for replacement. I have seen quotes here of $3000 plus, that would be US$ I guess, NZ cost much more.
If I replace the battery what can I expect in terms of life expectancy and ongoing performance. Is it worth it with a 2001 model. Also why no reverse gear, while still able to drive forward? Any light you can shed would be much appreciated.

Hi nzprius. It does sound like the battery. Re the reverse gear, in reverse it can only use electric while in forward it can use both electric motors and the engine (though it still requires some battery power for this, to start the engine for example). Hopefully someone here can help you confirm whether it is just the battery and not something else.

If you can get confirmation of the battery then you might try emailing reinvolt (see Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs) and find out how much it would cost to get a battery pack shipped to NewZealand.

Hi,

I've helped install a Re-InVolt pack. Search the forum and you'll find a lot of details.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

An excellent question. I agree that the traction battery likely needs to be replaced given the logged DTC.

What is the market value of your car in New Zealand? I'd say that it is not worth spending more than 50% of the current market value on repairs. Hence, in the US, if a Classic owner had to pay $3K for a new battery I would question whether the repair is worthwhile.

Other potential Classic trouble areas include the transaxle, electric steering gear, and inverter. Replacing the transaxle with a new part at dealer prices, will likely exceed the current market value of the car.

Good luck with your decision.

I tend to look at the problem from a question of alternatives. What is the replacement cost of another vehicle versus the one needing a major repair?

There are no guarantees in life and everyone has a different threshold of when the vehicle has reached end of life. I tend to accept one major repair but draw the line at multiple major repairs major or minor. But then I remember the poem:

Title: The Deacon's Masterpiece; or The Wonderful "One-Hoss Shay"
Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes [More Titles by Holmes]

A Logical Story


Have you heard of the wonderful one-horse shay,
That was built in such a logical way
It ran a hundred years to a day,
And then, of a sudden, it--ah but stay,
I'll tell you what happened without delay,
Scaring the parson into fits,
Frightening people out of their wits,
Have you ever heard of that, I say?
. . .

Oliver W. Holmes' poem: Deacon's Masterpiece or Wonderful One-Hoss Shay


But you need to understand I often drive cars with a fairly complete set of tools and sometimes spare parts. I have no problem with incorporating repairs on a trip but this may not match the driving style of others . . . and I respect that.


Bob Wilson

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I've found a place in Auckland that sells reconditioned batteries so am going to follow that up. Am not able to do repairs myself and yet am not willing to give up on the old model just yet. Let's see how long the other bits last, hopefully I'll get another 100,000km out of it. Thanks for the poem re: One-hoss shay, too true nothing lasts forever. Because of all your replies I now feel more confident to handle the dealers and know what they are talking about. Will let you know the final outcome. Cheers.

Just to conclude this thread, I have had good news from the Toyota dealers. They would like to keep my traction battery for training purposes and so will give me a new one! Probably up for cost of installation and diagnostics, but that's all. A great outcome for me.
Thanks again.

Very good news from N-Zed

Wow!

Lucky duck!

Bob Wilson

Hi all, continuing in this thread as I have new problem with same vehicle and it may be related to the above. BTW new traction battery was fitted in June 2010 and all seemed well until 2 days ago.

NEW ERROR CODES: P3191, P3101, C1259, C1521, C1522.

Had just backed out driveway, car was idling while I closed gate and there was clunk before the engine went into quiet mode. Only the triangle with exclamation mark came up. Car was serviced in November 2010. Initial response from dealers this time is that they have cleared error codes and taken for test drive, can find nothing other than possible moisture in spark plugs. (Still limited expertise with Prius in this neck of the woods.)

Would appreciate any feedback from you guys. Have noticed some threads re: battery reseal and electrolyte leaks. Is this relevant to my situation?

Any help would be much appreciated.

What did you end up paying for the new traction battery?

I recommend that you clean the throttle body interior and throttle plate according to the TSB that you will find here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/generat...0-09-copy-sought-p3191-p3101-error-codes.html

Classic Prius is especially susceptible to engine low power and no-start problems resulting from black gunk building up in that area.

I learned on this fourum (courtesy of Tochi) that P3191 and P3101 mean you need to replace the ECU, likely a DIY job...

I cannot find a meaning/explanation for code C1259 anywhere.

Does anyone know?
Is it nasty?

Enlightenment please...Thanks!

If I recall right, C1259 is a DTC that the antilock braking ECU will log if news reaches it that the HV ECU has complained about, well, pretty much anything. (I suppose this matters to the braking ECU because it means there might be no relying on the HV ECU for regenerative braking.)

I think the conditions in the HV ECU that can cause the brake ECU to log this code include even things as innocuous as the occasional no-start or low-power code when the ICE took longer to start than expected.

If you have no active issues indicated by codes in the HV ECU, you should be able to clear this brake ECU code and not see it come back. (rule 1)

If you do have any current issues evoking HV ECU codes, fix those, then see rule 1.

-Chap

That seems inconsistent with what others have posted, mostly the need to clean the throttle body as emphasized in the most recent TSB.

Have you cleared the code to see if it recurs? Is this the only code that you have? This is a code for the HV ECU telling the ABS ECU that it has inhibited regenerative braking due to problems in the HV system. You may see it in conjunction with P3109?