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I need advice - 2007-110,750 miles & DEAD!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Joey40202, Jan 5, 2019.

  1. Joey40202

    Joey40202 Junior Member

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    Hi guys - I need some advise and I am open to all options. I have a late 2007 Prius that currently has 110,750 miles on it. Up until this point I really have had no issues and love the car so much that I talked my brother and my parents into buying a Prius.

    All regular interval maintenance has been completed on time as well as all recalls.

    Car has been driven in southwest florida only. Around Dec. 20th I drove the car about 1 mile round trip to pick up my son up from preschool and turned the car off once I got to school. Got back in it and I had the check engine, scv, the tire pressure light and the triangle of death.

    I pulled and replaced the 12V AUX battery in April, 2017 with a OEM battery. Long story short, had diagnostics done both at a friend of a friends shop and then at Toyota dealership.

    I suspected that given the circumstances the HV battery maybe the cause.

    Friend of a friend shop came back with cell number 11 in HB battery was below voltage and causing the dash light issues. OK, 110,000 miles it kinda made sense. So, I price shopped the heck out of both refurbished HV batteries and also new OEM batteries. I also contacted Toyota corporate and in the end it made financial sense to get a OEM HV battery from the dealer.

    In order to order the battery I had to have my Local dealership run a diagnostic on the car to code confirm that the HV battery was failing before the dealership would special order the HV battery. OK fair enough even though I already knew from my friends shop Who did the diagnostic a few weeks prior.

    This is where things went south. So after the dealership did the diagnostics the codes came back with the trifect of Prius probems you dont want:

    1. Hv battery was failing -$3,300 but I did Negotiate that down to a reasonable cost.

    2. ECU will most like need to be repaced $918 for just the part and not installation.

    3. Brake acuator is cycling about every 20 seconds and the repair could be up to $3,884.

    Notes from dealer diagonstics: (photos attached as well)

    *needs HV supply battery and battery ECU. Code: POA80, P3021-22 stored, failing HV battery.

    * “the tech Found multiple codes for hybrid battery and we know from experience that the engine EC you will be needed if there is corrosion at the terminals, this is an additional expense, part alone is $919.94. There is also an issue with the brake actuator, the tech heard the pump cycling abnormally and this is due to leaking internally, this cost could be as much as $3884” - (End of dealer Notes)

    We all know the car on paper is not worth anything close to that. Around $3,200 if the dash lights were not on.

    My Service tech advise me that the vehicle is not “safe” To drive because it can leave me stranded at any time. It is already sporadically reving high when letting of the gas and struggles at times to Accelerate.

    Toyota corporate decline to Assist any further in regard to the ECU and the brake actuator. However, they did inform me that they had A extended service bulletin for the brake actuator but it had expire a while back which did not help my situation.

    We all know Toyotas are suppose to be more reliable than this especially a Gen 2 Prius.

    Ideally, I would like to keep the car, however, based on the cost of repair it doesnt make any sense. I have looked into 3rd party repair shops locally and they came back slightly cheaper than the dealer. I am also considering the repairs for the ECU and the brake accuator myself but In all honesty the 240v high voltage, even when the orange plug is disconnected is scaring me away from this direction. I also, would be shooting from the hip and have no experience with these specific parts.

    Any ideas to save the car at a reasonable cost would be beyond greatly appeciated. Thank you in advance -Joe
     

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    #1 Joey40202, Jan 5, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2019
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Regarding the traction battery ECU, I suggest you defer that expense until you have a chance to see whether corrosion is really present or not. If it is really needed, consider installing a used unit.

    Regarding the brake actuator, you can defer that repair if you do not see skid control ECU warning lights on. Once the brake actuator gets to the point where you see the BRAKE, ABS, VSC, ((!)) lights appear, then if you are able to DIY, buy a used unit on eBay for a few hundred $ and install it. Get Mini VCI (Toyota Techstream clone) so that you can flush the brake fluid etc.

    Get factory repair manual info at techinfo.toyota.com so that you can assess the difficulty of these repairs.
     
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  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    In addition to Patrick's advice, the brake actuators can be purchased refurbished from Dorman. I see prices around $700 online. It may be a better option than the eBay parts that are identical to your failing part, that may fail again.
     
  4. Ernest Erickson

    Ernest Erickson New Member

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    I would have an opinion, but, as very recent owners of their first Prius, all we have available, is the issues we noticed when the front tire was blown on the 202 just outside of Phoenix.
    The garbage spare caused a drive imbalance that forced the car to operate at unsafe speeds to be on the highway. I was told that even a minor pressure difference can effect the traction motor's ability to get the car up to speed(we noticed this right away).
    In the 3 weeks we had it, it has been a pleasure to drive, responsive in steering, braking, and we love the dynamic braking, as this reduces brake contact wear and heat.
    Had to replace the key fob battery...2032 Li battery.
    As the image illustrates, we are also Star Trek fans....we think it fits perfectly..
    The backup camera mod appears to be a nice mod.
    After we are settled in, and feel comfortable with the car, that mod might be first on the list.
    In-car video/audio will be installed.
     
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  5. T1 Terry

    T1 Terry Active Member

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    If you are at all DIY handy, the traction battery is really easy to remove and replace yourself. There is a great You Tube video linked on this thread Replacement traction battery, standard style cells v tubular cells | PriusChat that I used to help me replace my traction battery. I found it easiest to completely remove the back seat and slide the battery out through the left hand rear door on to a trolley so I could wheel it away and wheel in the replacement battery.
    There are lots of threads on this forum about how to test and balance the battery pack to save buying a complete replacement if you are money poor but time rich and handy.

    T1 Terry
     
  6. Joey40202

    Joey40202 Junior Member

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    Thanks for all the info.I am relatively handy. I fix most things around the house usually with success. I had a 92 camry prior to this and I removed replaced the radiator myself using a chilton service manual. I have watched the YouTube videos for removing the HV battery and it seems straight forward enough. The ECU and the Brake actuator are foreign DIY to me as well as well as the safety of the voltage situation.
     
  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I agree with the above. The battery is the first thing to address and it's easy to replace. Tons of good videos showing how. But don't get a refurb if you can help it at all. They rarely last very long. Get new or a kit from @2k1Toaster. If you want a whole battery and can get up here to Tampa, Home - Tampa Hybrids Inc. should be much cheaper than Toyota. He can sell you a new one or a nearly new one from a wreck that has not failed or been rebuilt. He probably has ECU if you wind up needing one.
     
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  8. Joey40202

    Joey40202 Junior Member

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    Thank you for the help. Is the corrosion on the traction battery ECU is mild is it something that can be cleaned up to restore functionality? I could see the situation were if the dealer sees corrosion they are required to recommend replacement instead of "cleaning it up." Is this a possibility with the ECU or no?

    Regarding the brake actuator, currently there is not a skid control ECU warning lights (these lights are not present BRAKE, ABS, VSC, ((!))). If the brake actuator fails complete while in operation is the vehicle still able to brake?
     
  9. Joey40202

    Joey40202 Junior Member

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    Hi - I have been in conversation with Todd at Tampa Hybrids in regard to the HV battery. Todd is a wealth of information and super helpful. The original plan was to take the vehicle to him but that was before the vehicle starting going into 'Safe Mode' in the first 5 minutes which rendered the vehicle unable to make the trip to Tampa. I was able to work with Toyota to get the price of a new OEM HV battery down to an acceptable price.

    Once I replace the HV Battery does anyone know if the vehicle will run normal until the brake actuator and ECU fail? If so, maybe then I can drive it to Tampa Hybrids in regard to the ECU and Brake actuator.
     
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  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The traction battery has 28 modules, divided into pairs. One of the busbars connecting the modules together has wiring which connect from the 14 module pairs to the traction battery ECU so that the module pair voltages can be continuously measured. If the ECU wiring harness connector socket develops corrosion, then you can try using electrical parts cleaner spray to see if that helps.

    I have owned several Toyota hybrids. The 2001 Prius and 2006 Highlander Hybrid both experienced early failure of the traction battery which was replaced under warranty. The traction battery ECU was not replaced in either case. Hence you can see that Toyota would not routinely replace the ECU if they bear the cost. It is easy for the dealer to charge you for the ECU replacement, you have to know enough to push back.

    The skid control ECU will evaluate the extent to which the actuator is losing pressure, and will give you adequate warning. After you see the warning lights come on, you need to take action. Do not ignore the warning lights after they appear. Considering your limited repair budget, you do not need to be concerned with preventive repair of this item.
     
  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    What @Patrick Wong said.

    Also, I don't think (but also don't know) if Toyota includes the wiring harness in the battery replacement. I would try to get a good look at it and if it looks corroded, Todd can also replace that. It is user replaceable if you have a torque wrench that works in inch/pounds.

    The brake pump issue should be OK until it throws a code and lights a light. At that point it becomes urgent.
     
  12. T1 Terry

    T1 Terry Active Member

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    My guess is the ECU corrosion will be at the module connection end of the cables and not at the ECU plug end. Once the modules have had a hard time of it and start to throw in the towel, they leak through the terminals and that causes corrosion at the connectors and it's a down hill slide from there.
    If Toyota will sell a replacement pack at a reasonable price, check to see if the supplier name is Primearth EV Energy, here is a link to why that would be Primearth EV Energy - WikiVisually If it is still branded Panasonic then give it a miss because it is rather old stock, instead go for either a good S/H or the cylindrical cell cell replacement pack from 2k1-Toaster. If the cost to ship it to Australia hadn't been close to the cost of the battery pack I think I would have gone that way, but I was lucky and scored a relatively new Primearth traction pack for $400 from a local vehicle dismantler.
    I agree about the brake accumulator, my ex taxi Prius has had the rumbles when sitting in traffic for a quite a long time and I'm lead to believe it is related the brake accumulator, but it hasn't given any other problems so I just ignore the rumbles and pass it off as Prius indigestion :lol:

    T1 Terry
     
  13. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    It looks like you declined to have them check anything, is that correct? If so that’s why they said you need a new ECU. They don’t want to take a chance. Even if they did do a test the only way to really know if there is corrosion is to physically inspect it. You would almost have the traction battery out at that point. I doubt they did that. Here is the best battery removal video I have seen.

     
  14. Joey40202

    Joey40202 Junior Member

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    I didn't specifically decline however, the car was only in for a code diagnostic confirmation to order the Traction battery. The other two issue (ECU and brake actuator) I learned about once the codes were produced.
     
  15. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Ok so you might need the battery ecu, you might not. No way to actually know until the battery is apart. That leaves a tough choice for you.
     
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You have to treat the dealer service department as an extension of the Finance dept in the new car sales. This is where they push Add On items to you that you may not need, but it's put in a way that it's in your best interest to have it. It's all to get extra commission on the sale.

    If the items recommended can be deferred (battery ECU rarely fails), you should just let them deal with the real issue at hand first. Which is the failing HV battery that Toyota has agreed to provide assistance.
     
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  17. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    I never knew those parts could be refurbished.
    Maybe that would depends on the kind of failure those ABS pumps dormant refurbishes.
    If they really do work, I'd prefer those, to the eBay ones.
     
  18. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    @ChapmanF seems to have a very good understanding of all of the Prius systems, maybe he'll know what parts on this Actuator/Accumulator fails and what Dorman would likely have to replace in order to refurbish the part.
     
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  19. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Never been a fan of Dorman myself. Their quality seems low to me. Hopefully they do a better job than they do with traction batteries
     
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  20. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Dorman is just a brand, with anything, there's going to be good stuff and bad stuff that they put out. I agree the HV batteries they rebuild are crap.
     
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