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"christmas tree codes"

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by WarEagle07, Apr 4, 2011.

  1. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Hello all! I am a long time looker but first time poster. So I go out to my 2006 prius this morning to turn it on and i get a bunch of lights going off. Red triangle, vsc, check engine light. Well after reading and searching on here I decided to change my battery after getting a confirmation that it was bad from autozone. Well after getting a new one from the dealer and installing it then i drive down the road a couple miles bang the codes are back.
    Another thing i noticed is that the battery display is going pretty wacky. At a point it will be full green (i mean all cells filled up even the top one), then they will deplete extremely fast. So after changing the battery I am wondering if maybe it could be a problem with the water pump that is on recall?? Although I kinda doubt it because I notice after I reset my system by removing the neg cable, then turn it on it runs good for a few min then the traction battery fan kicks on and the traction battery seems to get quite warm. I mean warm enough to where u can feel it while in the driver seat.

    Any ideas would be GREAT!!
     
  2. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Forget to mention that I am at 110,000 miles
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It sounds like you have a traction battery problem. The presence of rapid changes in the traction battery SOC display is indicative that the battery has failed.

    I suggest that you have the DTC read at your local Toyota dealer to confirm that is the problem. Good luck.
     
  4. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Not what I wanted to hear but thanks
     
  5. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Was the new 12v battery fully charged when it was installed? Even though it's a new battery, if it doesn't have sufficient charge, it will display what you are seeing.
     
  6. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Honestly I didn't even check... My motor cranks right up and i dont notice dim lights or anything
     
  7. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    The ICE (internal combustion engine) on the Prius is NOT started by the 12 volt battery. It's started by the big HV battery.

    A low 12 volt will not exhibit slow cranking or inability to crank that you'd see on non-hybrids.
     
  8. uart

    uart Senior Member

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  9. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Well I need to get my recall done so I made an appointment for Wednesday. I am going to cross my fingers that my pump is whats causing all the problems. If that is not the problem I really hope that they use KY before they stick it to me...
     
  10. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Ask them to read the codes while you are there. Insist on receiving freeze frame data and the sub-codes as well. If it is the traction battery, there are options...
     
  11. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Just did some browsing on here and I found this post.

    "If it is the IC pump (which we still don't know), then the primary risk is running your 12V down so low that sensors fail to operate and the computer systems shutdown, along with the car. This also has the unintended feature of erasing your original P0A93 code and, usually, adding a whole bunch of ABS/VSC codes. To my knowledge, that has not happened to someone that has an Optima 12V installed and has the IC pump failure, and that includes me driving 30 miles without issues, other than a sweating, cranky wife.

    If you reset the code, the DC converter will work again, and you'll be much more likely to make it. But leave off all non-essential 12V systems like A/C, headlights, etc, you'd be able to make it quite a ways, if not all the way, before the inverter coolant gets warm enough to set the DTC again."

    Seems this could be my problem. Because after i reset the code it works fine until a couple miles down the road then the codes start...
     
  12. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    You can check to see if the pump is working by observing the inverter coolant tank when the car is in READY. If the pump is working, you will see turbulence in the tank.
     
  13. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    So I took it into the dealer and they said that my traction battery needs to be replaced. I got the code P0A80 but the funny thing is that only one cell is bad with all cells measuring around 17.40 and the bad cell was at 16.08?? also got a C0205 code as well as a P3000. Should I let them change it for $3000?
     
  14. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Actually, the instrumentation measures two modules in series. There are 28 modules so you probably have 14 different measurements.

    Since a module is composed of six cells, each of which have a nominal 1.2V rating, it makes sense that the bad module is showing a voltage which is 1.32V below the other modules.

    You certainly could spend $3K at the dealer. If you care to DIY, you can buy a salvage traction battery for $1K or less and install it yourself. Or you can consider the "remanufactured" alternative for ~$2K. This is the use of a salvage battery which has undergone testing.
     
  15. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Well after talking to them for a while they pretty much told me that it will cost $3000 even and that the batteries are in back order and I am the 15th person in line for the southeast. I thought about doing it my self but with all that voltage I am honestly scared to do it. Of course they told me that there was no way that they could change it if I got a used battery. Has anyone here ever replaced their own battery?
     
  16. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Call ReInvolt and see if they can recommend an installer in your area. Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs. It will save you at least $1000.
     
  17. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Left them a message but it looks like they are no where near me. I wonder how hard it would be to remove the battery myself?
     
  18. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Not too hard if you have a good set of metric tools and can observe safety precautions. There are a few posts on that subject and you can obtain repair manual info at techinfo.toyota.com which is a subscription website.
     
  19. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Since you are only 10k out of the battery warranty, have you tried contacting Toyota's National Customer Service line to ask for goodwill consideration?

    They warranty the same batteries in select states for 10/150k.
     
  20. WarEagle07

    WarEagle07 Junior Member

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    Wow good idea this is totally worth a try. Maybe I can say that I am a service member and my family really relies on this car.