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Towing and Now ABS & Brake Lights on Dash

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by bear15, Nov 1, 2011.

  1. bear15

    bear15 Member

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    Today I used a tow dolley (two front wheels off the ground) to tow our 07 prius approx. 4 miles. I put the car in neutral as the manual specifies and followed all other directions. During the tow, I never traveled more than 25 mph.

    Now the ABS & Brake warning Lights are on in the Dash.

    I checked for codes, but it does not show any in my instrument tool, so there are not any code to re-set.

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Ed
     
    #1 bear15, Nov 1, 2011
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Try disconnecting the negative 12v cable from the little aux battery (goes to the body) for a couple of minutes to reset codes and see if they clear.

    Your code reader can only see a subset of the codes from the many ECUs

    JeffD
     
    #2 jdenenberg, Nov 1, 2011
  3. bear15

    bear15 Member

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    I will give it a try tomorrow.

    Thanks, Ed

     
    #3 bear15, Nov 1, 2011
  4. bear15

    bear15 Member

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    I tried disconnecting the 12v battery, but it did not solve the problem.

    The problem, however, is now solved!

    After approx. 2 miles of driving it to the dealer to look at, the warning lights went out. The dealer confirmed that we are good to go.

    Thanks, Ed


     
    #4 bear15, Nov 2, 2011
  5. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Why is there a need to put the car in neutral with the front wheels off the ground on a tow dolly, surely all that is required is that the parking brake is released to allow the rear wheels to rotate and with the vehicle not made ready no codes will be thrown. Or am I missing something?
     
    #5 Britprius, Nov 4, 2011
  6. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Good question, I wanna know also!!!:D
     
    #6 KK6PD, Nov 4, 2011
  7. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    I don't see anywhere in the manual where is says put the car in neutral. I do see they have a legitimate concern that the steering lock mechanism can be trashed if towing with only the front wheels raised and the car turned off. So,

    0. Do not tow Ig-On if possible, because the 12V will die.
    1. If towing with all four wheels on the ground, the car must be in Ready, Neutral, and must be towed forward only.
    2. If towing with the front wheels off the ground, the car should be in Ready, Park, with the parking brake off. Using the old fashioned sling type tow truck (don't see those anymore) will destroy the front bumper.
    3. Towing on a flatbed is preferred.
     
    #7 seilerts, Nov 4, 2011
  8. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    There is no steering lock on a gen2 Prius and why should it be in ready.
     
    #8 Britprius, Nov 4, 2011
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