2001 Won't charge new tractor battery Device Codes 1D8 340

Hi neighbor,

What part of Georgia?

Ok, it sounds like the 12 V system is OK.

Sorry but these are not the P<codes> read from the Onboard Diagnostic Bus (OBD) connector found under the dash to the left of the steering column. My understanding is these codes are used to diagnose a problem with the OBD bus and ECU-to-ECU communications, not the actual vehicle faults.

We really need the OBD codes for which the options are:

1. Have the Toyota Service Center read them out - but if you need a tow to get there . . .
2. Rent a Graham miniscanner ($150 tool deposit, $10/mo.) - I have two and run a tool rental service. Send a PayPal tool deposit of $150 to [email protected] and your mailing address and I can have it to you on Saturday or overnight for a little more. This will read out the last three codes from the HV, battery and engine ECUs as well as 50 other important data values. In your case, the minimum and maximum module voltages and which modules.
3. Buy a ScanGauge II ($175) and using vincent1449p XGAUGE and the adapter w2co and I worked up, you'll be able to read out the codes and all 19 battery module voltages. Similar to the the Graham miniscanner, it doesn't provide as much engine data but has excellent coverage of the HV and battery ECUs.
4. Buy Auto Enginuity and provide your own laptop ($400), this poorly supported but broad coverage scanner works and provides coverage for half a dozen ECUs (see the sticky.)
5. Buy TechStream Lite ($1,200-1,500) provide your own laptop, now you can open your own shop but this is a little pricy.

Without the P<codes> we're flyin' blind. However, there is a Tc/Ts system that can 'flash' some codes. I have not tried to use it, yet.

Bob Wilson

 

I think you cleared any problems.

Resetting the car makes it lose some of the settings and stored error codes. The fuel indicator should come back in a day but fill it up just to make sure.

Not in normal operation. If you want to, you could force charge it:

• with car in "D"
• push hard on the brake to hold it
• floor the accelerator
• the car will stop when the battery is at maximum safe charge

I do not recommend this because it heats up the traction battery. Heat is the enemy and those who want it to last keep it as cool as practical. For example, park in shade, avoid excessive charge by using "B" on hill descents, and avoiding a lot of high-speed to slow-speed, driving.

The car is designed to be driven without having to manually or in any other way fiddle with the traction battery. Just drive it.

What error indicators do you have on now? You need better instrumentation. I can't really tell what is going on from just the lights.

Bob Wilson

 

Ok, the problem is reproducible but we still do not have the diagnostic codes. The 'hidden menu' is only useful for diagnosing the bus that connects the major ECUs that operate the car and does not report the actual failure codes from the ECUs.

Let's start by discussing the On-Board Diagnostic bus system:

The connector on the left looks like the scanner connector and the connector on the right is the one in the car at the bottom of the dash to the left of the steering column. Now the signal we need to discuss is the "K-line" connected to these ECUs:

• Air bag - this computer (Electronic Control Unit) fires the air bags in an accident
• Engine - this ECU operates the engine and is located behind the glove compartment on the right
• Hybrid Vehicle (HV) - this ECU controls everything including the big inverter under the hood and inputs from the accelerator. When you press the accelerator, you tell the HV ECU which in turn operates the inverter, battery, and engine to make it go. The HV ECU is under the passenger floorboard sloping section.
• Battery ECU via HV ECU - the battery ECU passes through the HV ECU and is not independently connected to the connector (that I've been able to find.)
• Brake ECU - this operates the electrically powered hydraulics in sync with the HV ECU and inverter.
• Electric Motor Power Steering (EMPS) - provides power steering to the rack and pinion motor in response to steering inputs and speed. It is behind the glove compartment.
• Multi-Function Display - this is the display that includes error lights, speed, fuel level, e.t.c.

The "K-line", pin 7, and "L-line", pin 15, uses a protocol called ISO-9141 with KWP2000. One of the problems with cheap scanners is they can try another pair of pins, the CANbus, and spike the brake ECU with false codes:

This is a $200, Sears scanner and though it can read emissions codes, it does not read diagnostic codes. It like the other, over-the-counter OBD scanners, are incapable of debugging our NHW11 model Prius, 2001-03 because they do not read out the different ECU codes. They are designed for an barely handle emissions related data, the same goal as the Check Engine light.

You need to make some hard decisions that will require spending some time and money:

1. Buy NHW11 maintenance manuals, 2001-03 - often available on Ebay, you need Volume 1 to get the codes, fault-tree descriptions of what they indicate has failed, and sketches of how the codes relate to the hardward and Volume 2 for how to replace and repair assemblies, ~$100-400. Alternatively, subscribe to the Toyota TIS service which has daily, monthly and annual rates and view or download the technical sections.
2. Join the Yahoo Group (FREE!,) "Prius Technical Stuff", and use the search function to find similar messages and look at the "files" and "photos" to get user/owners reports about these cars. The messages date from November 2000, shortly after the first Prius arrived in the USA. In particular, look for "hidden menu" to understand what you are seeing.
3. Buy or rent an NHW11 scanner - rent a Graham scanner ($150 deposit, $10/mo.); buy ScanGauge handles HV and Battery ECU ($150-$175) and ISO-9141 adapter; if you have a laptop with USB connector, buy Auto Enginuity with Toyota option (~$400); or if you have a laptop with USB, TechStream Lite ($1,200-1,500). Another option is to make an appointment with the Toyota Service Center and pay them to read out all of the codes, battery module voltages, and diagnose the problem ($100, negotiable.)

Your symptoms are consistent with a failing traction battery but there are several ways they can fail. Without the codes we can not tell what is wrong. Expect a hard failure that leaves the car innert soon, a couple of weeks.

Some traction battery failures, a broken or corroded sense line or a leak to ground can be fixed with a lot of work. Other, more common failures such as a failed module, require a major repair action, rebuilding or replacing the traction battery. Even the simplist of these repairs are technically challenging and deal with potentially lethal voltages. We call them 'hard problems.'

Bob Wilson