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Opinions needed before brake actuator repair.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by BootyKaiser, May 28, 2023.

  1. BootyKaiser

    BootyKaiser New Member

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    2009 Prius
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    Hey everyone, I was browsing around the forum for the past week to handle an issue I have with my 2009 Prius. It started around a month and a half ago when I parked and turned off my car but about 6 minutes later I had to seriously rush out to get something, I started my car and immediately put it on drive and flooring it and that's when I noticed my BRAKE, ABS, VSC and (!) lights were on. I thought it was just the way I started my car so I didn't pay much attention to it for a while, until 2 weeks ago it started that long beep when I open the door or start the car and the brakes didn't push in for a second. Also I mainly use the car to drive to work which is 60 miles away from me.

    My car drives fine besides having a much lower MPG ( 44 to now 38 ), regenerative braking doesn't work when hitting the brakes but B shift works, the energy monitor screen shows the electric motor charging the battery but not really, it also shows the electric motor is trying turn on to help drive the car along with the engine but immediately shuts off and the cycle will happen until I drive at a certain mph where only the motor is on to drive the car. I started to seriously dig deeper into the issue because it feels like it might be getting worse, same with the rattling too, since I bought the car there was this rattling cycle that happens for a couple of seconds and stop for a couple of seconds, but now it randomly rattles much longer for about 10 seconds and off for a couple, plus when I press on the brakes I hear a clunky sort of pumping air sound from it.

    From looking at the forums I've managed to get the blink codes for the issues:
    ABS- 42
    VSC- 45
    (!) - 41 / 52 / 57 / 69

    I don't have Techstream, just bluedriver so no codes are showing up.

    I've looked into YouTube videos on how to replace the brake actuator and I am confident in doing it on my own on a free day, but if there's a reliable shop around I can take it there for repairs if I don't find the time to do so. Right now I do want other's advice and opinions on the matter and if possible if I just need to replace a relay or connection before replacing the brake actuator.

    I can also provide videos if needed, thank you all!
     
    #1 BootyKaiser, May 28, 2023
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat!!
    Which part of Florida are you near, as the state is fairly large.

    FYI : you're moderated until you've posted 5 times.
     
    #2 SFO, May 28, 2023
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    So did you manage that by finding this page?

    Blink (a/k/a Flash) Codes – How to. | PriusChat

    Besides how to get the codes, it also has the meanings of some of them. The ABS 42 and VSC 45 just mean "hey, pay attention to the ECB codes". The codes on the ((!)) (ECB) light are telling you:

    41 = C1241 = something is off about the electrical power reaching the brake system. Sometimes it's as simple as low voltage at the car's 12 volt battery; sometimes it's something else, like a wiring problem from there to the brake system.

    52 = C1252 = brake booster pump motor running abnormally long. That pump is what makes the rattle sound you're hearing.

    57 = C1256 = low pressure in the brake fluid accumulator. That means in the race between the pump raising the pressure and brake usage or internal leaks dropping the pressure, the pump isn't winning.

    69 = C1391 = suspected leaking of fluid from the accumulator. Usually it's an internal leak, where the fluid escapes and runs back to the reservoir, not an external leak, where you'd look for brake fluid outside the car.

    So the 52, 57, 69, and all the sounds you are hearing are telling you one story in chorus: the brake system actuator was dead in this car when you bought it, and that's probably the reason the seller sold it.

    Sometimes (sometimes...) when there's also a C1241, you might trace the problem back to the power supply, and the pump just not getting enough power to run. But that isn't your situation; you've got a pump that does run, and frequently, and you've got all the noises and specific codes to show for it.

    In normal operation, the pump raises the pressure, and the pressure stays raised enough for you to use the brakes a few times. Every few times you use the brakes you hear the pump quickly run again. If it pumps up and you don't touch the brakes, the pressure stays raised a long time: you pretty much never hear the pump run with nobody touching the brake, though the pressure does very slowly bleed off. If you're loitering in the car reading a novel you might hear the pump, and if you parked overnight, you usually hear it in the morning when you get in the car.

    So when the car that was sold to you already had the pressure bleeding off when the pump stops "for a couple of seconds", the actuator was already long past dead.

    I'm sorry to be the bearer of that news. You can find a lot of posts here about replacing the brake actuator.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, May 28, 2023
    JC91006 and mr_guy_mann like this.
  4. BootyKaiser

    BootyKaiser New Member

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    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
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    North of Central Florida around the Volusia county area

    Shit and I did mention the noise to them but they said they didn't know about hybrids

    Also yeah I found the codes after looking around for a while and really hoped it was just an electrical issue, but luckily I haven't had the need to use my car this week so really my two options are dropping it off at a dealer and replacing it for 2.7k or spending 1.3k + techstream and brake fluid and doing it myself
     
    #4 BootyKaiser, May 31, 2023
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2023
  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    #5 SFO, May 31, 2023
  6. BootyKaiser

    BootyKaiser New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
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    Hey SFO I decided to go with the closest toyota dealership near me aand the cost to repair is about $2900, $1900 for the part and $700 for labor, the rest is taxes.
     
    #6 BootyKaiser, Jun 3, 2023
    SFO likes this.
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