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2011 Toyota Prius check hybrid system

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Kenan, Jun 30, 2020.

  1. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    I literally just bought this car and on my home the triangle of death came on but I was able to get home only a few miles. I had a gen 2 before and was familiar with what might be going on. The HV battery fan was running fast and I could hear it but the battery seemed to be charging and discharging normally as I drove. I got home and hooked up Techstream to read the codes. It has 2 P0A08 codes, one is permanent and says replace hybrid battery pack and the other was a new code and said DC/DC converter status circuit. I cleared the codes then drove around the block. After about 7 or 8 minutes the triangle reappeared so i went back to the garage and checked the codes. I cannot get the replace hybrid battery pack code to clear, it says it is permanent. I then took the entire hv battery out and tested all the voltages they were all within .03 volts of one another the average was 8.12 which is high isnt it? I cleaned the bus bars and retightened all connections then put the battery back in and went for a drive. Same thing happened and the code reappeared. So at this point im not sure if the battery is bad but that code is permanent somehow. I measured the aux battery while the car was on and it was at 12.7v.

    One thing i know that isnt on that should be is the inverter pump. I placed the car in acc mode and listened for the pump and heard nothing. I checked the res tank and there is no turbulence. I checked most of the fuses and didnt find any blown. Is there a specific fuse for the inverter pump. At this point I dont know whether its the inverter itself or the inverter pump or both.

    I included 2 pics, the first is the hv codes and the second is the battery pack monitored in TIS with a/c on full blast for a minute.

    Any suggestions towards trouble shooting are greatly appreciated.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    UPDATE:

    I went back out to the car and started it in the ready position then checked the inverter pump and it is indeed flowing. I then checked the aux battery and noticed the terminal that comes from the car to the positive was very loose like barely on. I tightened it down then went for a drive thinking maybe please maybe that fixed it. I didnt make it 3 or 4 minutes when the code came back. it is a p0a08-264 code. I also realized the battery pack replace code isnt going away because it keeps throwing the 264 code so that mystery is solved. I pulled up the summary for the 264 code and i was pretty useless at interpreting it. I saw some cells were white while others were blue and some were a slight orangish yellow. In the freeze frame for the code i could see the aux battery was at 14.1 when the code triggered and did not dip. I can't really interpret this data but I do have it saved if anyone with TIS can take a look that would be great.

    I also checked for recalls on the VIN and there are two outstanding recalls for the inverter so I have an inquiry into a dealer about this.

    The trouble seems to be this dc/dc converter status circuit. its not saying circuit low or high. I may just go get a new battery but I'd really like to avoid throwing $100s at this car that I just bought when the battery seems to be fine.

    Can anyone else think of something else to look at or try?
     
  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Use techstream to test the inverter pump...
     
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  4. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Click on the snowflake icon and it'll give more details on the next steps for the P0A08 code;).

    How many miles on your Prius?

    Any history of issues disclosed by the seller?

    Good luck and keep us posted(y).
     
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  5. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    The inverter pump does work.


    The snowflake icon does not give a worded summary its just a bunch of data I can't interpret really. What should I be looking for?

    There is 190k miles on it. The seller did not disclose any repairs. It is obvious this was an issue before I bought it.
     
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  6. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Post a pic of the screen shot from the snow flake screen;).

    That has freeze frame data that'll help with next steps:).

    We can help with interpretation(y).
     
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  7. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    Here are photos of the snowflake data lol
     

    Attached Files:

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  8. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    The permanent code will go away once you drive it repaired over 2,000 miles.

    Next available day go to dealer and get the recalls done. Dont pay for diagnostic you will waste $138
    You will be talked into spending more money. Just do the recalls.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  9. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    Its currently at autonation toyota tempe. They are doing the recalls tomorrow so we will see what they say about the codes.
     
  10. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    So at the top of the screen there is an INF (information) code number after the P0A08 which is 264;).

    This now pinpoints more clearly what the next troubleshooting steps are. Search around here looking for that and if you don't find it, a $20 two day subscription to techinfo.toyota.com can help you with the next troubleshooting steps :).

    Or you might get lucky and @Mendel Leisk or @SFO have some of that info:whistle:.

    Good luck and keep us posted(y).
     
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  11. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Maybe the OP would find this post helpful : 2010 repair manual in .pdf | PriusChat
     
    #11 SFO, Jul 1, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
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  12. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    The dealer did not do much of anything other than pull the code and tell me the battery is bad because it is a p0a08 code. I'm not convinced it the battery. I called the dealer who says a new hybrid battery was put in 2 weeks ago and the sub code 264 has to do with the inverter not the battery.
     
  13. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    Can anyone interpret that freeze frame data j posted and tell me what was wrong that made the car throw the code.
     
  14. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    If you recently had a "new hybrid battery" installed at a toyota dealership it is covered by a three (3) year warranty, parts and labor.

    There are two DTCs that were stored and retrieved, one is P0A80 (hv battery) and the other is P0A08 (inverter).

    Have you had a chance to walk through the work up for DTC P0A08 in the repair manual (posted above) ?
     
    #14 SFO, Jul 1, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
  15. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    I am looking at the manual but can't find the page or pages for the specfic DTC P0A08-264
     
  16. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    I have looked at the repair manual now and will do some more reading on it but from what I can see P0A08-264 has nothing to do with the hybrid battery so why is the dealer saying that is the issue? How can I convince them to take a closer look at the inverter.
     
  17. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    You can print out the page from the manual that talks about that code and show it to them.
    Then charge them $200 for the time you put into diagnostic work. :)
     
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  18. Kenan

    Kenan Junior Member

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    I called the dealer back, they say the work to the car is now complete. I asked them why if the code is specifically for the inverter are they saying it is a bad battery. The service advisor said he talked to the tech who is supposedly "best in the business" and he said that since it is a p0a08 code the battery needs to be replace no if ands or buts. He said they cannot determine if the inverter is bad if the battery is bad. I asked what made them think the battery is bad and he said the code and I again said that code is about the dc/dc converter status not the battery. I basically got no where with them.
     
  19. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Look closely at my above reply, and then again at the image you've posted above : https://attachments.priuschat.com/attachment-files/2020/06/189728_codes.jpg

    You have two (2) DTCs (codes) stored, one (ends in 80) points towards the HV battery, and the other (ends in 08) points towards the inverter.
     
    #19 SFO, Jul 1, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
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  20. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Did you run the hybrid battery test with Techstream? Did it pass?
    If the inverter if bad, I can understand not being able to test the battery. It won't charge, and will
    eventually be depleted. And since they got the code for the inverter being bad, it would seem
    "smart" to replace that, clear the codes, then run the battery test.... And if it shows it is bad, they it
    very well may be.
    I didn't see if you got anywhere with the inverter being recalled...
     
    #20 ASRDogman, Jul 1, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020