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2007 Prius - Check Engine, Red Triangle, VSC Lights - 12 volt battery issue?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by tampaite, Jan 30, 2018.

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  1. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    So, I got the dreaded check engine, (!), red triangle, VSC light etc lights up on the dashboard yesterday.

    If I disconnect the 12V battery for 30 seconds and reconnect, the lights go away and after about 10 mins of driving they, are back ON.

    I tried to charge the battery with smartcharger(Schumacher SSC-1000A) at 2Amp but within 5 mins of hooking up, the battery charger shows fully charged - which I thought was wierd so maybe it's not the battery??

    2007 Prius(Touring) just had oil change 2 months ago and crossed 180k miles

    Checked the battery voltage with just the MFD being on nothing else, 12.1v

    My first thoughts were Optima battery was going bad. Bought it in Sep 2015 and so far it's been in the Prius for about 2.5 years

    As I bought from Amazon and it was within the 36 month warranty, they offered me a refund but unfortunately, I had bought it for $130 + tax and now, I see it's double at $268 + tax

    I heard Exide batteries are good but its not available on Amazon and I have the part number as "Exide Edge FP-AGM51JIS"

    Anyone other website you recommend for purchase?

    Also, I've decided to sell the car. CarMax offered $2.1K and I believe private party is around $3.5K. Any thoughts where I can list the car for sale?
     
    #1 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2018
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Although the 12V battery may be weak, I doubt the 12V battery is causing the problem, and suggest you determine what are the fault codes to get a clue about what is wrong. Craig's List might be a reasonable place to list the car for sale, however it is not going to sell for much until you fix the current issue.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jan 30, 2018
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  3. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    Thanks Patrick. You are right. I'll have to get the diagnostic codes and then determine.
     
    #3 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    see my new signature.
     
    #4 bisco, Jan 30, 2018
  5. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    Went to Autozone and their tool didn't bring up any codes.

    Drove another 10 miles to Firestone and they pulled below codes.

    C1259
    C1310
    P0A80
    P03013
    P0A80

    one code showed up twice....

    Can someone help me with these codes and what they mean?
     
    #5 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2018
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    The HV battery is not in healthy condition. You need to replace the HV battery.

    C1259 = HV System Regenerative Malfunction (This code is set because of the others)
    C1310 = Malfunction in HV system
    P0A80 = Replace Hybrid Battery Pack
    P3013 = Battery Block 3 Becomes Weak
     
    #6 dolj, Jan 30, 2018
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  7. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    Thanks. I think replacing the HV battery is the last thing any Prius owner doesn't want to hear.

    Would replacing block 3 be sufficient?i

    also, given the mileage - am not sure if its worth it to pay for NEW HV battery, Used one or having it rebuilt?
     
    #7 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
  8. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    If you are DIY, consider the kit of new cells from @2k1Toaster here for $1600 shipped. The details are in my signature. One of our experts out over 4000 miles on one before ending his test.
     
    #8 Prodigyplace, Jan 30, 2018
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  9. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    I just looked up an eBay seller who offers mobile installation but they have 6-month / 12 month /36 month and so on.

    Not sure if they are using inferior material for 6 month warrantied battery as opposed to 36 month.

    *** 6 MONTH WARRANTY *** 2004-2009 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID BATTERY | eBay

    They are offering 6 month warrantied battery for $550 + $250 shipping and take back the core.
     
    #9 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
  10. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    tamp,

    First, are you desiring to sell the car because of the codes, or are you just wanting something different? If the car was problem free, would you like to keep it? If you like the car and would keep it if it were problem free, then it could very well be worth fixing. I would highly recommend not using the 6 month warranty option, as that battery is undoubtedly built with POS modules.
     
    #10 TMR-JWAP, Jan 30, 2018
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  11. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Used batteries are generally no longer a good option for a reliable car since proper building & patching of used modules takes time & care, both of which are in short supply for commercial companies.
    @TMR-JWAP is one of our hobbyists who is very good at rebuilding & testing the batteries because he takes time and has attention to detail in his work & testing.
     
    #11 Prodigyplace, Jan 30, 2018
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  12. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    We have an addition to the family so we were looking to sell and trade up the car in the next 6 months perhaps to a Prius V but one that's more current(age wise) and less mileage.

    If the car was problem-free, we would still have sold it anyway but now there is an urgency, we might just have to fix it and sell it.

    6 month warranty = $800
    24 month warranty = $1350

    Decisions, Decisions.....is there a reason to doubt the scan codes pulled by Firestone? Not sure if I need a second opinion..
     
    #12 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
  13. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    When you say worth fixing it - how much would you spend to keep it running say for another 5 years or until it hits 250k(Currently, it has 180k and I put on about 20k a year)
     
    #13 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    @tampaite Maybe you can still edit the title, 12 volt battery issues off-the-mark now?
     
    #14 Mendel Leisk, Jan 30, 2018
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  15. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Too bad that it is 100% absolutely, positively backwards WRONG. (n)

    If the 12 V system supplying power to all the computers no longer has the capacity to provide enough power to run them properly.......FALSE trouble codes can be set, causing you to spend a LOT of time and money on a wild goose chase.
    Even "trained technicians" often fall into that trap.

    And then for the OP: The Optima batteries don't have a very good reputation it seems.
    It will cost you little or NOTHING to have it tested.
    12.1 is way too low......and having an automatic charger think it is full after only a short time is a common symptom of a failed battery (won't take a charge).

    Please don't overlook the obvious here.
     
    #15 Sam Spade, Jan 30, 2018
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  16. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    I have tried :)

    As soon as I got back with the codes, i tried to edit but I cannot seem to modify the title, only the body of the posting.
     
    #16 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
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  17. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    Well, I can borrow my neighbor's Prius and switch to his battery later tonight and see if the light still comes up on the dashboard. Good suggestion!
     
    #17 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Look in this pull-down menu, at upper-right corner of post #1, if you haven't. Apologies if you have. Ah woops, forgot to post the pic:

    upload_2018-1-30_9-36-42.png

    Altertanately: report the post (button at lower-left corner, request the moderator to revise the title?
     
    #18 Mendel Leisk, Jan 30, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2018
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  19. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    You will be resetting the codes when you disconnect your battery. Just in case you don't know.
     
    #19 padroo, Jan 30, 2018
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  20. tampaite

    tampaite Member

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    Thanks. Change done.
     
    #20 tampaite, Jan 30, 2018
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