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aw geez, whats happening to my flawlessly running prii? Triangle, DTC issues

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Mileage_Mofo, Aug 18, 2019.

  1. Mileage_Mofo

    Mileage_Mofo New Member

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    I bought a gen 2 with 109k in April. So far, I am loving it. Road tripping, going from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back, I have put 11,000 miles on it since spring. Recently, I have been running into issues. Having owned and maintained a high mileage chevy astro van, I'm no stranger to hard work and researching car problems. Anyone who has owned a gm van will tell you, there are many issues. Ok, here's what's going on with my prius:
    I've noticed a 10 MPG drop on the display and over the last two days, I keep getting the triangle and other warning lights along with loss of power. Usually happens after a mile of driving but today it happened when I started the car. I have used a Bluetooth OBD2 reader I have gotten P010A and P0111. Today after clearing, I get P0130 also. I learned from this forum that P0111 and P010A are not actual DTC's for gen2 and I need to get a different wire/techstream(ordered).
    So I use an app to scan and reset the codes, triangle and lights goes away, and I proceed hoping it makes it home under sometimes reduced power. I also learned from this forum that a dying battery can cause wacky issues.

    Here's my multimeter battery measurements:
    12.8V after sitting for hours,
    12.7V IG-ON (one push, no pedal)
    12.5V ACC (two push, no pedal)
    when I go to push the pedal and start it from here, the voltage drops to 12.3, then goes up to 13.8V when the car starts. When I read the voltage using the cars menu on the display (in ACC, hold info button and flick lights 3x), all the voltage values are about .3V less on each.

    Do you guys think its the battery causing problems?
    Can I trust that P0130 is an accurate DTC's for prius?
    Is there any paid app that will load the correct PID's to accurately scan or do I need need techstream to find out for sure?

    Thanks you guys! I love this forum, the search bar has been invaluable and the advice has been top notch.
    This forum's got something special going on:D
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Mileage_Mofo, Aug 18, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2019
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Not sure which app you are using with that OBD2 bluetooth adapter, but I've used Torque with success. There are other app options as well, like Dr Prius and Hybrid Assistant I believe. If needed, you can research them is the proper sub forum. None of the apps that I know of will read the DTC subcodes (INFs), though Techstream can.
     
  3. Mileage_Mofo

    Mileage_Mofo New Member

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    I have Torque Pro, Dash command, Dr Prius, and Scan and Go.
    The free Scan and Go seems to be the fastest and most reliable at connecting and clearing codes.
    I bought a battery from Toyota yesterday, but after doing more reading about my voltage, I'm hesitant to put it in
     
  4. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Pretty sure the Gen2 PIDs are preloaded in Torque Pro, if not select them from the menu. Never tried Dr Prius before, but would also assume that it is ready to scan and hybrid compatible. The other two (2) apps I would be hesitant to use on a hybrid.
    If you're having issues with connecting, you can try another adapter : Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus
    It sounds like your 12v is fine.
     
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  5. Mileage_Mofo

    Mileage_Mofo New Member

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    Torque pro, hasn't been connecting properly but reads 0 fault codes with repeated attempts. I can't get that app to function correctly.
    That's a great link, thank ya!
    Also, thanks for verifying my battery specs. I was a little unsure, but I really appreciate ya letting me know.

    I took the MAF sensor off and cleaned it with MAF cleaner.
    I took the air cleaner off and cleaned the Throttle body. Blue shop towel doused in TB cleaner wrapped around a screw driver worked pretty well. Maybe the shop towels from walmart aren't as strong as others or something because I would stick one sheet wrapped down there, gentle wiggle it but the blue towel would flake/chunk off so easily. I had to wet the end of screwdriver to yank out 3 large chunks of towel out of the throttle body. Surely that could cause a problem, no? I blew air into the TB and was confident I got the towel pieces out. Closed it up and went for a drive.
    New codes I've got P0201, Injector Circuit Malfunction - Cyl 1 maybe from the loose crud that got moved around, I'm not sure. The code hasn't shown back up so I think I'm good.
    All the lights and same codes are showing up. I get my techstream wire hopefully tomorrow
     
  6. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    When on the main page for Torque, select the gear looking icon in the lower left corner, then select 'settings', then select "Manage extra PIDs/Sensors, then in the upper right corner select the three (3) vertical dots, then select "Add predefined set", then select "Prius Gen2 (2004-2009). That should load the correct PIDs.

    If you're still having Torque issues, then try Dr Prius and post any stored codes after scanning. If neither are working, then scan with techstream and post those codes.
    Which app did you use to scan with this time?
     
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  7. Mileage_Mofo

    Mileage_Mofo New Member

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    Thanks SFO, I've had the PID's loaded on Torque but once connected and scanning for fault codes, will stop around 30% and say no codes found. Dr. Prius won't connect anymore and neither will Dash Command. I'm using a Google Pixel 2. I have only been scanning/clearing with the Scan and Go app
    I pulled out my old Galaxy S5 and attempted connecting. Dash Command was the only one that would connect and when I went to read codes, said none found.
    I've tried with the car on, ig-on, and acc mode.

    One thing I've been noticing is fan noise coming from the cool air intake on the rear passenger side wall. I don't remember it being that loud.
    The car has been sitting all day. Is that fan supposed to come on with two pushes of the power button into IG-ON mode?
     
  8. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Anytime you clear the codes or disconnect the 12v battery, there will no longer be stored codes (DTCs). And will now have to wait until they are stored again. Sounds like it could also be either a phone or bluetooth adapter issue.

    Though you might want to check the service history and run the VIN at http://toyota.com/owners

    Since it appears you have a DIY mindset, you should think about picking up a mini-vci cable (or similar), then you can run Techstream for all of your OBD2 code (DTC/INF) needs (among other things).
    Have you taken the time to inspect the HV battery fan, and potentially clean it?

    The fan shouldn't be running at such a high RPM, unless it is overheating or has thrown a HV battery failure code (P0A80).

    Without any OBD2 codes (DTCs) to go by, and with what you've now described, it appears you have a failed or failing HV battery and should plan accordingly. Look into either fixing it yourself, find a junkyard special, or get one of the new options.
     
    jerrymildred and Raytheeagle like this.
  9. Mileage_Mofo

    Mileage_Mofo New Member

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    Dang, I was hoping it wasn't the hv battery. I haven't inspected it's fan yet, but I will check it out.
    My OBD2 is old that it's probably not operating right. I popped it open and found it to be one of those single layer ones.
    I should have the techstream wire tomorrow and will know more.

    Thanks for all your help, you guys are amazing
     
    Raytheeagle and SFO like this.
  10. RP67

    RP67 New Member

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    Techstream is definitely the way to go, Torque is very good to monitor things and for certain DTC's. To do proper diagnostics, you need more. I recently sourced XVDIAG VCX Nano with TIS capability, works like charm ($70) I also used do complete brake calibration on one of our car and found some more serious issue on the other one. I regret to wasting my time with apps what you mentioned. Keep us posted.
     
    edthefox5 likes this.
  11. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    I use VXDIAG also works great. $66 on Amazon.
     
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  12. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Can you use your vxdiag to program TPMS? The site I was looking at said it won’t do that.
     
  13. Mileage_Mofo

    Mileage_Mofo New Member

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    Sorry for the delay, I've had to attend to family matter.

    I'm looking at this MiniVCI wire, J2534 V8.10.021. I thought I had ordered a version 13 but I must have made a mistake. Is V8 sufficient to read all the codes in my gen 2?
     
  14. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Yes, it will be. You can move to newer versions later, if you wish, after the fact. Just get your V8 working first and then decide if you want more. I used V8 for a long while and I have only upgraded to V9. It works well for me.