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Big problem- hybrid issue please help

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by Josh331, Oct 20, 2021.

  1. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    ----USA----
    So I was just driving and all the sudden I get the, check hybrid system pull the car over in a safe place immediately with the master alarm light. Thankfully I was still able to drive my car home which was about 3 miles away. It definitely sounded like it was lugging to get me there. I turned the car off and on a couple times in my driveway and the car sounded weaker and weaker. One major thing is the gas engine never turns off, it will just sit there idling and will never switch over to EV mode. It did this about a week ago for about a half an hour when I was running around town but once I turned the car off and on it went back to normal.
    Even out in the driveway right now it’ll show 5-6 battery bars but will just idle in engine mode.

    seems like a clear indication that it’s my hybrid battery right? I replaced the battery two years ago with this used one and it has about 160,000 miles on it, which seems pretty low however it came out of a 2012 and with batteries who knows. And please let me know what you think is going on Before I pay a shop to run a diagnostic.
     

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  2. Danny13pruisc3

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    probably have a bad module.. You should order a bluetooth or wifi OBD2 reader from amazon and download the dr prius ap and you can see what your battery is doing. If you need any modules I can send you some $32 shipped for each one. In the Dr prius ap every battery bock displayed is 2 modules.
     
  3. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    If you want to know more about what is happening with your C before you take it into the shop, you should get DrPrius app for Android phone and an ODB2 bluetooth adapter. Many of us here at PC use the app, it's especially good for traction pack diagnosis.
     
  4. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    ----USA----
    I don’t have an android will this be a problem with this dr Prius app? I just downloaded the app on my iPhone just fine.
    What’s the typical price of one of those obd2 readers Bc I’m seeing different amounts
     
    #4 Josh331, Oct 21, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2021
  5. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    2012 Prius c
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    ----USA----
    Something like this?
     

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  6. Danny13pruisc3

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    that should work. Sometimes these devices are cheap copies and don't work though.. i bought a few of them to keep in different cars/toolbox etc and found out while most of htem appear to work for general codes, only some of them work for the hybrid battery info.. and this is buying htem in a batch from the same person.. So hopefully you get a good one.
     
  7. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Be careful choosing the OBD2 adapter see priusapp.com and at the very top left above the Google Play App Store (I should check these things more often it appears) and Amazon links click on the "What OBD2 to buy" menu item.
    Jack used a panlong while testing the app he wrote.
    I just googled panlong OBD2 and todays price is 12.99 (+ ship, I think) at amazon and 16.00 something (with free shipping, I think) from ebay.

    Or if you want some more diagnostic software to go along with your OBD2 adapter look for a ODBLink LX
    When I noticed a screenshot another member here posted of the software that came with the ODBLink LX, I put it on my wishlist. - $60 give of take at ebay (fleebay) - 69 somtin at Amazon
    Hope this is more helpful than confusing.
     
    #7 vvillovv, Oct 21, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2021
    dig4dirt and Josh331 like this.
  8. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    ----USA----
    I went to Napa and used their reader and this is what showed, pretty broad right. A buddy of mine who works on Prius’s said one of his friends had a similar problem and it was an inverter converter issue… What do you guys think.
    Battery itself came out of a 2012 with around 90k. Went into my car 2 years ago and now the battery has 160k miles. I’m just trying to find out what the heck is the problem so I can fix it right away
     
  9. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Traction Battery or Inverter
    newpriusbatteries.com
     
  10. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    I’m driving on the freeway now to my buddies place who has an extra hybrid battery and parts to fix the inverter, we’ll see what the problem is but I just noticed I cannot use my cruise control, doesn’t even give me the option to. What does that indicate the problem is?
     
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  11. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    I have the panlong and dr prius app.

    Im sure the hybrid HV batt is at fault, but have you any idea the age/condition of the 12v accessory battery?
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe the inverter coolant pump
     
  13. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    If you could have showed us what showed from the napa reader we'd be able to make a few guesses, at what is going on.;)
     
  14. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Is the car a v?
     
  15. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    ----USA----
    It is a 2012 Prius C. We replace the inverter converter but didn’t really know if we fixed the problem considering we unplugged the battery which cleared the codes. Well, today It did the exact same thing and now the check hybrid system and master alarm are both on… It literally will just stay in gas engine mode, be sluggish when taking off from a stop, and when you let your foot off the gas it revs really high before dying back down.

    So it’s got to be the hybrid battery right… I would think so. Crazy because it only has around 160,000 miles, it itself came out of a 2012 Prius before it got put in my car two years ago. My buddy has a hybrid battery that came out of a 13 C with only 58,000 miles so we’ll give that a whirl. You guys think the battery for sure now that it’s not the inverter?
     
  16. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Did you use techstream to install the inverter?

    That is a old battery.......................
     
  17. Josh331

    Josh331 Junior Member

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    No we just put in a different inverter, it was pretty easy.
     
  18. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    That's probably why it's not working.
     
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