2005 Prius - Getting Triangle with !, CEL, VCS and the circle with !

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by manolommad, Feb 5, 2012.

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  1. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    Hello,

    I live in the Dallas area and yesterday (2/2/12) drove to the Mall (5 miles) and on the way home, I got the triangle with !, CEL, VSC and circle with ! icons on my dash. I went to a local shop and pulled the codes. He said error codes are P3000 and P0A80 and not sure if there is more. I've been reading a lot of information regarding those codes.

    Today (2/5/12), I tested the 12v batteries.Followed the steps on turn Ig-On - press and hold down info button and turn headlights on 3x. When I got to the Vehicle Signal Check - it gave me 12.2v, pressed the power button again and gave me 11.9v then turned on the car and gave me 14.0v.

    I unplugged the 12v battery for about 5 minutes and re-plugged it in and the icons disappeared and came back. The inverter coolant pump i think is working based on the steps i followed on how to check inverter coolant pump.

    After all the steps above, I drove the car for 12 miles (20 minutes) with a speed from the 40s to 50 mph and temp outside is 50 degrees. As soon as I start the car, the lights on the dash all showed up, the fan right next to the rear passenger stayed on throughout the duration of the drive, the cruise control won't turn on, the energy meeter stayed on full green for awhile then went to 8 purple bars.

    I am not sure what is wrong with the car and hope to get it fixed. The car has over 270K and I'm the only owner. I had performed the inverter coolant pump when it was announced and if I'm not mistaken, the 12v battery was replaced with a new one less than 2 years ago.

    I really appreciate everyone here. This is a great place to get to know the prius.
     
    #1 manolommad, Feb 5, 2012
  2. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    you need to clean your fan. if the main battery gets warm, it's worse than the 12v dying. false high charge state readings, and errors...

    i can't find the guide at the moment. to give you an idea of how dirty they get, i could find This link.

    on your 05, you have to unbolt the right rear inner siding. there is a bolt back by the end of the hatch, one behind the top of the seat (both mid car hight) and one behind the rear passenger seat cushion... below the vent... then it all kinda pulls out a little so you can get your hand on inner bolts that hold the fan up. it's kinda a pain in my opinion. i'll look again for that guide later if someone doesn't beat me to it. (if i can't find it and by miracle someone else can't find it, i'll take pics)
     
    #2 V8Cobrakid, Feb 5, 2012
  3. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    Thanks for your reply. I will check it out and will let you know the outcome. But my question is, will a dirty fan causes the P3000 and P0A80 codes to show? Also, the fan didn't turn on all the time before getting the error codes. Right after the codes and icons appear, the fan just stayed on everytime the car is on and the air coming out from the rear passenger fan is cold. And when I turn on the car, I get Air Conditioner Off or similar to tht message on the MFD.
     
    #3 manolommad, Feb 5, 2012
  4. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    air comes out of the rear vent? it's only supposed to be going in. the only way to tell what the outgoing temp is by feeling the outgoing vent that's near the 12v battery. if you feel anything at all...

    it could be something else though. i have an 04 and mine was very clogged and caused problems. (that was last year). for me, i'll always clean it every 3 years or so from now on. possibly yearly.
     
    #4 V8Cobrakid, Feb 5, 2012
  5. northwichita

    northwichita .

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    #5 northwichita, Feb 5, 2012
  6. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    #6 manolommad, Feb 5, 2012
  7. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    The fan will spool up to high when the battery ecu sets P0A80.

    You have a problem with your HV battery. P0A80 doesn't just happen and go away.

    If you have less than 100,000 miles, you are probably still under warranty for the battery. If not, it is time to explore replacement options. First, call around to all dealerships in the area and get a quote for HV battery only replacement (you don't need an HV or battery ECU and tell them so). Other options are ebay (Reinvolt, tedb8, ...), or junkyard, and having an independent shop install one. The battery removal and installation is comparable to installing a stereo, as the main bitch work is with trim, ducting, and wiring.

    There is a PriusChat guy in TX, PriusBaller, that has salvage parts, and might be just the person that you want to talk to. 2004-2009 TOYOTA PRIUS PARTS
     
    #7 seilerts, Feb 5, 2012
  8. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    You need to get to the dealer, this could be a bad battery, a clogged fan leading to the error code (but this seems a bit less likely in the cooler weather if it's an issue even on short drives--the battery shouldn't get that hot so quickly even if there was no vent at all).

    Have you had the inverter coolant pump service done? My early money is on that being the problem.

    I am concerned that the HV battery could be bad...any dramatic swings in the battery charge readings on the Energy screen?
     
    #8 efusco, Feb 5, 2012
  9. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    #9 manolommad, Feb 5, 2012
  10. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    I am planning to go to the dealer as soon as I can, I am just trying to see if I theres an alternative way to replaced other than the hv battery. I have read here that if the 12v battery is bad, it could throw the codes that I am having. As for the inverter coolant pump service, I did the recall 13 months ago as well as replaced the 12v battery. The energy indicator when i used the car earlier seemed not right. It would go down to 1 purple bar then go up and get the full green bars for a long time. Also, i turned the car on after 4 hours and the battery indicator doesnt have any bars showing for the first minute then got full green bars.

    I am hoping that you are incorrect about having bad hv battery but if not, is there someone you know that i can contact around north texas (Dallas/DFW) area? I would buy a rebuilt battery re-involt if i need to. Thank you all for all the help.
     
    #10 manolommad, Feb 5, 2012
  11. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    A bad 12V will NOT cause P0A80.

    270K is pretty good for the battery in a TX car.

    Again, contact PriusBaller to see if he has a good battery and can install it for you. http://priuschat.com/forums/mailuser/72533/
     
    #11 seilerts, Feb 5, 2012
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  12. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    How about the P3000 error? What could cause that code to show up?

    Ive been happy with my prius, I am the original owner. I accumulated most of the miles in Sunny Southern California then moved to the Dallas area a year ago. I am still hoping that the only problem is the 12v battery instead of the hv battery. Also, I read somewhere here at PC that maybe that 1 module is the only problem and that module can be replaced (Is this hard to do). If its the hv battery, where is the best place to get a replacement? Dealership or re-involt? Is it hard to remove and install the hv battery? Thank you
     
    #12 manolommad, Feb 5, 2012
  13. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    P3000 is the battery ECU telling the HV ECU that there is a problem.

    A dealership will most definitely not replace a single module. A dealership MAY install a Reinvolt battery. I suggest you call around for quotes and policies regarding installation of a Toyota, Reinvolt, or salvage battery. Please do report back with that information, as estimates tend to vary wildly. But, aside from the salvage route, you are looking at $2000+

    A battery with that kind of mileage is unlikely to have a single module bad, and 27 good ones that can be coerced back to 6.5 amp hours.
     
    #13 seilerts, Feb 6, 2012
  14. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    Thanks for your reply.

    Is it better to replace the whole battery pack? How about battery ECU for the P3000 code? Does that need to be replace as well? I am new to the Dallas area and don't know any shops that may do it. I hope Toyota dealership can do it if I get a reinvolt battery. How about the 12v battery?
     
    #14 manolommad, Feb 6, 2012
  15. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    #15 2009Prius, Feb 6, 2012
  16. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    He already checked the 12v, it was 11.9V at Ig-on. How many more times and ways can I say that this is not a 12V battery problem ?????:frusty:

    Also, I repeat, P3000 just means that the battery ECU has told the HV ECU that there is a problem with the battery and to limit its use. If anything, being able to pull P3000 and P0A80 means that the battery ECU is working properly and does not need to be fixed. But, if you get a junkyard pull, it is usually the assembly, including the battery. If you get a junkyard pull, look for one with less than 100,000 miles and 07 or newer.

    I have heard that people in the Dallas area have not had much success in finding an independent shop to do repairs, nor are the dealerships much better. For example, a dealership just charged a lady some major bucks to change the engine water pump and charge the HV battery on a car with a seized engine.
     
    #16 seilerts, Feb 6, 2012
  17. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    Its been tough finding an independent shop that works on prius. Are there any special tools or steps on removing and replacing an hv battery? Is it like a plug n play situation? I was talking to re-involt and they said that the error codes will need to be remove before installing a new hv battery.

    Thank you for all the help and inputs from everyone.
     
    #17 manolommad, Feb 6, 2012
  18. northwichita

    northwichita .

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    #18 northwichita, Feb 6, 2012
  19. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    #19 seilerts, Feb 6, 2012
  20. manolommad

    manolommad New Member

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    Thanks for your reply. I called Toyota of Richardson and they would install a re-involt battery for $650. But they want to check the car first to make sure what the problem is instead of just replacing the battery. I guess that isn't so bad, maybe the 12v battery needs replacing instead of the hv battery. I noticed that everytime i unlock the car, the dome lights are not very lit, they're a bit dimmer. Based on my first test of the 12v battery, it may need to be replaced. I dont know if that is right though. What do you think?
     
    #20 manolommad, Feb 6, 2012
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