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ABS Actuator - How often is too often?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sea2summit, Sep 2, 2020.

  1. sea2summit

    sea2summit New Member

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    2008 Prius with 135k. I've noticed over the last 20k or so miles that the actuator pump buzzing is becoming more frequent.

    To be clear the buzzing doesn't continually run, nor does it run intermittently in a continuous cycle as other threads have mentioned with a fully failed part.

    I'd estimate that after pressing the brake pedal at startup it runs for around 3-4 seconds and stops. However it will run this same amount while driving after every 2-3 harder brake presses. Sometimes even after light presses. It's been a while but I don't remember it buzzing this frequently and I unfortunately do not have another prius to compare it to. My wife does have a CT200H (similar to the Gen3 platform) and I never hear the buzzing while driving at all.

    I used techstream to check all the various ECUs for any relevant codes, and none are present.

    My question is how often is too often for the unit to be activating? Compared to what I've seen written in other threads this seems to be a different presentation.
     
  2. sea2summit

    sea2summit New Member

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    Just got done cleaning and lubing the rear breaks....and this might just be placebo but it seem like actuator runs 1-2 seconds max now, but still happening after ever 3rd or so break press. Always happening after a hard breaking like coming to complete stop at a light.
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    What you're describing still sounds to me well within the range of normal.

    There's a really large range of normal. The accumulator stores enough pressurized fluid to give you twenty or more brake strokes if the power fails, but when the power hasn't failed, it tries to stay filled up near the top of that all the time. It's not as if it lets you go ten or fifteen strokes and then pumps it all back up again. Every, well, maybe few, maybe several, not very many, uses of the brake is when it will run.

    That's rough and vague and wide because it depends on how much fluid is used up every time you use the brakes. That depends on how hard you brake. It depends on the condition of the rear brake adjusters and how springy the front caliper rubber seals are. It depends on how flat the rotors are. It just depends ... on a lot of things.

    The rear brakes adjust click by click. You're using a little more fluid per brake stroke if the shoes are worn almost to the next click. A week from now, that click may happen, and then you might be thinking "gee, wasn't my brake pump running more often than this?"

    Only probably not, because people tend to obsess over the brake pump only in one direction. If you start thinking you're hearing it more often, then you start noticing it all the times you weren't noticing it before, and then it seems like you're hearing it waay more often. But I've never seen a "hmm, is my pump running often enough?" thread. ;)

    I wouldn't worry about what you're describing here. If it ever develops a problem, you will have one or more of: warning lights, an annoying high beeeep, or really, really obvious overactivity of the pump.
     
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    On my Gen2 cars, I notice the actuator come on after every 2 brake presses. I think it becomes a problem when it comes on CONTINUOUSLY without you pressing the brake.
     
    Prius RT likes this.
  5. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    This can be checked and monitored using techstream. Accumulator pressure is measured as a voltage. If I remember correctly, the pump runs until it reaches 4.8v. Once pressure drops to around 3.3v the pump starts. I may be off a bit on the voltages, it's been several weeks since I've looked at it.

    A good condition unit will have no leakage, but pressure will drop a bit every time the brakes are used. If you see voltage creeping down, with no brake usage, then the accumulator has some leakage. I don't have a hard set amount of time that qualifies as "bad", but at least you can quantify whether it's getting worse. I've seen some where the pump almost never turns off.
     
  6. chronon

    chronon Active Member

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    I'm hoping that after the ABS is blead properly with a scan tool ...
    that the motor on for every pedal actuation will disapear...
     
    #6 chronon, Feb 8, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2021
  7. Prius RT

    Prius RT Member

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    I have my abs pump running 80-90% of the time when I FULLY press the brakes.
    I also hear abs pump running sometimes when I release brakes.
    I most of the timesdo not hear abs pump running when I slowly & partially press brakes.
    My abs pump when it's running, makes the standard buzzer sound for 2-3 secs.
    Hopefully this isn't anything abnormal . This is a brand new ABS pump for my gen 2
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds fine to me
     
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  9. Prius RT

    Prius RT Member

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    Weird. Just today when I drove, the pump was running every 2nd or even 3rd time I fully press the brake. So maybe it's all good. Just gonna observe over the next 2-3 weeks.