Can I bleed the stroke simulator without starting Linear Valve Offset?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by jzs175, Apr 13, 2026 at 2:59 AM.

  1. jzs175

    jzs175 New Member

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    Hi everyone,
    I replaced only the brake booster pump and now I want to make sure there is no air left in the system. (sometimes I hear sounds near the brake pedal that seem like air in the system).

    In Techstream, the only place I found that bleeds this part is Utility - ABS actuator has been replaced. But after that, Techstream wants to run Linear Valve Offset.

    Can I press EXIT when Techstream asks to start the valve calibration, and will that end the procedure safely without storing a permanent fault or causing a problem later?

    SCR-20260413-jdzy-2.png

    If that is not safe, is there another working method to bleed the upper circuit / stroke simulator without forcing the calibration step?

    I suspect the calibration may not complete successfully (there are many reports about this on this forum), so I would like to avoid that step if possible.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    And this is a used actuator are you able to power the car it came from ,? In tech software it's always asking yes or next all you gotta do is say not yes or such . I'd have to power the Toyota software up to run through the nonsense to see what it exactly says but it's constantly asking to proceed or no or I personally haven't had any trouble running the linear valve offset on used actuators I've put in four or five all on my own cars one or two on customers cars I've never seen again .
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    You should be able to bleed all that without tech . Done it several times
     
  4. jzs175

    jzs175 New Member

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    Let me explain what happened in a bit more detail.
    I had an ABS accumulator pressure leak (the pump was running every ~15 seconds). I installed a used pump and accumulator, but kept my original actuator.

    After that, the system started to hold pressure, but in a strange way. The new accumulator can hold pressure for up to about 2 hours... but after some time the pressure starts dropping again and the pump starts cycling frequently again.

    If I run the Actuator Air Bleeding Pattern 2 active test, the accumulator starts holding pressure again for a while. That can last from 10 minutes to even 1 day, depending on driving style. So this active test helps, but only temporarily.
    So technically, the new accumulator itself can hold pressure.

    That is why I think the leak is somewhere in the actuator. I have a few possible theories:
    1. dirt in the system that keeps getting back to the valves
    2. a faulty valve inside the actuator
    3. air still trapped inside the actuator (I also hear a hissing sound near the brake pedal area)

    My main theory is air trapped somewhere in the upper part of the actuator.
    I think that if the valves were just dirty, or if a valve did not seal at all, the situation would not improve at all after the Actuator Air Bleeding Pattern 2 active test.

    That is why I want to bleed the system, including the stroke simulator at the upper point, but without the final valve calibration step. There is still a chance that the valve inside the actuator is faulty and may not pass calibration, and I do not want to turn the car into a brick :)
    In my place, it is very hard to find a used or new actuator for my Prius.

    That is why I want to start with bleeding the air first, without calibration.

    PS: To be honest, the shop that replaced the pump told me they fully bled the system, including the stroke simulator, but I opened the panel and there are no tool marks on the bleeder screw at all. It looks like they just installed it and ran a few “bleeding” tests, not the Utility procedure. So I want to understand the problem myself and identify the faulty part more clearly.
     
    #4 jzs175, Apr 13, 2026 at 2:11 PM
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2026 at 2:16 PM
  5. jzs175

    jzs175 New Member

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    I could start the Utility - ABS actuator has been replaced procedure and when it reaches the point where it asks for the valve offset calibration (which comes after bleeding the stroke simulator) just press Exit.

    However, I am not sure if this Utility requires the full procedure to be completed, or if exiting at that point could cause issues, or leave a fault in the system indicating that the valve calibration was not completed.
     
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Sorry gen3 need Toyoda software . Almost impossible without in gen3
     
  7. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Your statement is not true. There are many high-end scanners that can do the complete brake bleeding procedure. Just to name one other, the Autel AP200 can do it.

    FYI, the OP is already using Techstream.
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    What I meant to say was you will need software to bleed the Gen 3 where gen2 not so much . Yes there are many tools now that can bleed the brakes on ABS cars probably 40 or so . Even cheapo innova can do . in a gen2 I can do with no electronic tools at all . Car made that way in a gen3 even with pushing a pulling devices to move fluid not gonna happen . Try bleeding piaggios roll control box on a mp3 . If you can bleed that you can probably bleed anything that is a mofo.. I own two