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Dealer service says replace Transaxle Assembly P3009 + 526 info codes

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by MJFrog, Feb 23, 2014.

  1. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    Follow-up on Prius status:

    After sitting in the driveway for almost three weeks, with only a battery tender occasionally applied to it during that time...I did a disconnect of the battery (to clear any codes) and tried to start it up.

    First try...lots of dash indicator lights... Disappointed and resigned to having to pay $$$ to fix it.

    Just for grins, I shut it off and tried it one more time. Abracadabra--started right up with absolutely no dash lights lit at all.

    Shut it down again and waited a few minutes...started right up again.

    Shut it down again and waited 'til after supper...started right up again.

    Haven't even had the engine steam cleaned yet. Discussions with my co-workers brought up the BAD winter WEATHER and road conditions...suggestion was to have the engine steam cleaned to get rid of any salt corrosion that might be creating a short in the wiring harness.

    ...perplexed, but feeling better. Question is, will it start tomorrow or is this a one-shot wonder?
     
  2. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Sometimes it is necessary to restart twice after 12V battery disconnection, as others have reported the same behavior.
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Did you actually drive the car anywhere after starting it up? If you did not, then no power was applied to MG2.

    I believe that when you actually drive the car for a while, that the DTC and warning lights will return.

    You may recall that I suggested in post #2 that as a workaround, you can disconnect the 12V battery to clear the hybrid vehicle ECU DTC, which will allow you to start the car until the DTC is registered again.
     
  4. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    No, I did not. I'll have more time today to mess with it, so I'll give that a try and see what happens.

    (Actually, I did move it forward about 3 feet, but I don't think that's what you're referring to).
     
  5. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Hi MJ, it's probably worth a try, given that you haven't actually had any of the driveablity issues normally associated with a bad transaxle.

    Even better would be if you have any good (trusted) independent Prius specialists nearby where you good get the wiring harness and transaxle connectors looked over. Definitely worth having it looked into before writing this thing off.
     
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  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    A high voltage ground fault does not cause any driveability issues, but instead results in a potential safety issue.
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you have a bad mg2 the car will shudder at take off and have a loud whine when you are coming to a stop.

    SM-N900P ?
     
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Refer to this tsb, it has the dtc you listed

    Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0306-08 MIL ON DTC P3009 or P0AA6, Information Codes 526 & 613

    SM-N900P ?
     
  9. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    Yes, the Toyota guy gave it to me. The TSB states it applies only if BOTH 526 and 613 codes were present. Code 526 was listed, but 613 was NOT.

    Test drive............
    Well, a promising start...followed by RED Triangle...

    I took the Prius out for a test drive this morning. Speeds varied between 45 mph and 60 mph for most of the trip...no trouble lights; acceleration pretty much normal. Total time was about 35 mins; distance was 20.2 miles. About 4-5 of those miles were 60 mph on the hwy; the rest mostly 45 mph on secondary roads, then 30-35 mph on city streets.

    I drove the first 17.5 miles without a single problem. At that point while stopped at a streetlight I tapped the gas pedal to kick it into S4 mode (Full Hybrid mode). Less than .2 miles later the RED Triangle and Transmission indicators came on. I had planned to stop at a shopping center for some purchases, but I cancelled that and went straight home.

    Final indicated mpg was 47.3 over the 20.2 miles. The mpg indicator bar was about 15 mpg for the first 5 mins (cold engine and idling while swapping cars in the driveway), then 30-35 mpg for next 5 mins, then slightly above 50 mpg for most of the rest of the trip. One stretch reached 90+ because the HV SOC was close to 70% (per Scangauge) and it ran all battery for a while.

    Status: disappointed; suspecting an ECU or sensor problem. Don't really think it's the TransAxle Assembly per se.
     
  10. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    Agreed, and my main concern would be a fire.

    Based on my test drive this morning, I am not sure the fault is actually in the transaxle assembly...more likely wiring harness, ECU or sensor.

    In the meantime, I'm really loving my Leaf. Too bad I also need a gas vehicle for long distance drives.
     
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You didn't feel the car shuddered during initial acceleration when ice had not kicked in? Or a louder whine when slowing and coming to a stop?

    SM-N900P ?
     
  12. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    Not at all. Car runs as smooth now as when I bought it.
     
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    When I had mg2 failure, I had the 2 symptoms I mentioned. You probably don't have a mg2 issue

    SM-N900P ?
     
  14. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    Status update:
    PIS kit completely removed (except for EV button wire) from car
    Just took the car for a 20 mile test drive...no codes or indication of any issues. Had it all the way up to 70 mph on the highway and no sign of anything out of the ordinary. On city streets it acted as a normal hybrid should, with engine cut-out at appropriate times. SOC (per Scangauge) ran from 56.5% to 65.5% based on load and regen opportunities. This is my second test run without any codes showing. Two earlier tests runs DID produce codes.

    When I removed the cables from the HV battery terminals, I noted that there was some minor corrosion build-up on one of them. I cleaned it before putting the nut back on.

    My current suspicion is that one or the other of the PIS control boards was throwing a wild code on the CAN BUS. I have no way to prove this other than to make a lot more test drives and not get any codes displayed, but even that would not be conclusive. I don't believe the minor corrosion on the HV terminal was the cause of any of this mess, but I mention it because it WAS present when I removed the cables.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    glad to hear it! did you talk to robb at pis to see what he thought?
     
  16. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    No. Although I have suspicions that the problem may lie there, I have no conclusive proof, nor any way TO prove it other than no further problems over time.

    I suppose I could send him the control boards for analysis, but I don't know if it's reproducible with just those pieces. I'll give him a call when time is available and see what he thinks.
     
  17. Prune

    Prune New Member

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    Well, what ever happened? Did the trouble ever return? I'm having a similar problem with my daughters 2003, TOD and "problem!" on the LCD. Haven't taken it to the shop yet. It starts, it runs, no odd noises. (93k)
     
  18. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Prune, have you checked the oil?
     
  19. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    I drive the Prius VERY infrequently, but so far, nothing has shown up since I removed the PHEV kit. I probably won't be 100% confident in the car until I make a cross-country trip. Presently it drive it about one day a month. About a week ago, I drove it in slush, snow, and ice and had no problems at all. Those conditions were very similar to when the problem first showed up.

    I'm loving my LEAF! Right now it handles about 98% of my needs. Only once have I had to make an unscheduled charging stop.