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2004 Prius 226K mi, Red triangle and yellow check engine, brake, VSC lights, red car w/! in display

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chrisgagne, Oct 7, 2018.

  1. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Hi PriusChat!

    I am 200 miles south of Eugene OR on a Sunday. The following lights popped up on the highway:
    • Red master warning light
    • Yellow check engine light
    • Yellow brake system light “((!))”
    • Yellow VSC light
    • Red car with exclamation mark on display
    I didn’t notice any driving issues. I’m safely parked at a rest area and waiting for a tow truck to come.

    The inverter water pump was replaced under recall years ago. The hybrid battery was replaced with Gen 1 cells by Luscious Garage a few years ago too (probably 50K miles).

    I was going to check if I could see turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir but it says not to open while hot and I’ve been driving for a bit. (How long to wait before opening?)

    Any guesses as to what’s going on?

    Are there any really solid places to get this fixed in Eugene besides Kendall Toyota? I’d like to be on the road by Tuesday AM if I can.
     
    #1 chrisgagne, Oct 7, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
  2. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    1. Allow the engine to cool down for some minutes before opening any of the coolant covers(inverter, or engine).

    When the engine cooks down you can safely open the inverter cover, then ready the car, and check for turbulence.

    If no turbulence, inverter pump has failed.

    But I doubt it would be the inverter pump, since no "sign of a car with something like a thermometer " showed on the MFD.

    I'm ruling out the pump.

    Get the car scanned, if you got a scantool calable of retrieving hybrid codes.

    2. Your car is a gen2, and how comes they did replaced your pack with a gen1 modules?

    Gen1 packs are prone to leaks and failures.

    I'd direct my searchlights to the battery pack, and see what's up. It might be that the packs(modules) are leaking.

    3. You can drive the car home straightaway, f you wanted to.

    If the cause of the lights on the dash aren't as a result of voltage leaks(insulation problems), car should go into ready. But if it doesn't, then disconnect the 12V battery, for awhile, then connect back.


    I'm 100% sure this has something to do with your hybrid battery.


    Dxta
     
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  3. Jmack111

    Jmack111 Member

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    Reset the error code even if is not listed. Should drive now for a short time. Don't go anywhere with out your scanner

    Now am guess unbalanced battery I had the same thing
    My voltage all normal but resistance was different on two
    Find you highest batter out to . 00 and replace the bad battery then charge two at a time with the same voltage to balance the two cells 20181007_122930.jpeg 20181006_152030.jpeg 20181006_151720.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  4. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Thanks Dxta and Jmack111! I don’t own a scanner and don’t have my (cheap) multimeter with me. Would you recommend buying a scanner at this point given that I probably can’t fix it myself and could apply that money to a repair?

    I do have a car icon on the MFD, looks like the attached image (in tow truck, got this from a photo of the manual). Does this change anything?

    C6FC4460-6E6A-48F2-9B22-FD899B2535C1.jpeg
     
  5. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    You might have two problems here:
    1. Inverter pump failure
    2. Or a voltage leak problem

    If you have an old laptop, you could get a techstream software for $30 or so, and install on the laptop. That would enable you scan the car, and even read live feeds of the hv battery itself.
     
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  6. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Those are what capacity power supplies you're using to charge those batteries in the rear?
     
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  7. Jmack111

    Jmack111 Member

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    Charging 8.1v 2Amp 1amp each 20181007_122556.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  8. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    What brands are the power supplies?
    You didn't mind clamping them? Prevents bulging of the modules during charging.
     
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  9. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Thanks, no old laptop with me as I’m in the middle of a road trip. Just a modern MacBook which I guess I can get Windows running on. Where can I get the Techstream software and adapter retail? Would a cheap OBD II scanner from an auto parts shop work?

    Does the presence of the red car on the MFD (instead of the main battery icon) mean that it’s likely not the HV battery? Sounds like a much cheaper repair. Codes to be determined, of course...

    Update: just got dropped off. Opened the coolant reservoir with car in ready and saw turbulence, so guessing it’s not the inverter coolant pump...
     
    #9 chrisgagne, Oct 7, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
  10. Jmack111

    Jmack111 Member

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    Only using 2amp very slow and the not warm at all but there in the oem battery case anyway it clamped 1538951565266.jpeg 1538951551098.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  11. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Then you for a problem in the HV battery area.
     
  12. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Thanks, Dxta. It’s throwing a P3030 and P3000. Cell 1 is reporting -12.7V, everything else is 18V. Luscious Garage suspects a broken sensing wire. Kendall Toyota told me it was “melting wires/connectors between battery and hybrid computer” despite no visual inspection and said I needed a new hybrid battery and hybrid computer. At a local mom n’ pop shop and opening the battery now...
     
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  13. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Hi Chrisgagne,
    I think I saw your post over on Reddit as well.

    A visual inspection should clear things up. Of course you'll end up paying the labor charge for that.

    A 6 volt difference is huge.
    Unlikely to get fixed in a day unless you fully replace it.

    If it is a sense wire it is unlikely that the part will be in stock so you'd be stuck waiting. You might be able to kluge something together if you are in a bind and have some soldering skills. But it is not a pemanent or proper repair.
     
  14. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    This is what Toyota was referring to.

    The battery fires at ECU sense connector thread | PriusChat

    Or, it could be just one broken wire.
     
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  15. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Thanks, ericbecky! Yeah, posted on Reddit too. :) Hopefully just a bad sensor wire... it’s negative 12.7V on cell 1, which seems sorta consistent with what Luscious Garage says about the P3030 errors: Toyota Prius code P3030 “High Voltage Line Snapped” - Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists

    Hoping it is this simple!
     
  16. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    -12.7v is not a real reading.
    You could call the dealer to see how to order a HV battery wireframe, the cost, and find out how soon it can come in.
     
  17. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Epilogue: I had it fixed at Autobahn Imports in Eugene, OR for just shy of $300. No parts, just a broken tab of some kind. Luscious Garage helped on the phone.

    I’ve always been impressed by Luscious Garage, but this takes the cake.
     
  18. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Darn was hoping to hear the detailed resolution on this.

    Broken tab? Where? On a plug?
    Something inside the battery?
    On a battery ring terminal?

    Inquiring minds want to know.
     
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  19. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    I wish I knew. I’m guessing it’s one of the sensor wire tabs? No idea...
     
  20. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    If it was a broken ring terminal on the hybrid battery harness I would highly recommend having the entire wireframe replaced.
    Otherwise additional sections will continue to corroded and leave you stranded over and over.

    But who knows? Maybe that was not the problem at all.
     
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