ABS and red brake warning lights. Brake operation NOT normal

Have you had a chance yet to read other threads here where people have said the same thing, and learn how you can still retrieve the trouble codes even if some tool you have used told you there aren't any?

 

Generally the ABS pump accumulator is fubar. Need to do above tests .

 

I see. It turns out there are lots and lots of threads here that start out the same way, ABS and brake warning lights and some code reader said no codes.

If I were Danny or Tideland, I would probably add logic to the "post new thread" button to scan for those words and just link to the existing advice for that situation and not immediately create the new thread.

Many people, including shops, will have code readers that won't show all the codes in this car. To find out what your issue is, you can either obtain a reader that will (we have a review thread for that), or just use the Tc to CG jumper wire, count light blinks method, which doesn't require any reader at all. A quick search will find you lots of posts here on how to do that; here's one.

 

Okay so when you got the brake pedal not as hard and then it gets 75% is hard and you get 3/4 of your breaking and your head's throwing into the windshield do you hear the brake pumping all the time? When you turn the car off does the brake pump run seemingly a long time like it didn't before? If so usually this is happening because the accumulator which is the canister mounted next to the pump on this bracket of the device we're talking about whatever we want to call it the accumulator is not able to hold the pressure whether there's a valve that won't close or there's a leak in the accumulator but internally something's not holding pressure and so the pump is running a lot to try and make up for that. The easiest thing to do at this point is to do what Chapman's talking about because you can do it right there sitting there standing there whatever and you'll know right now the code reader at the shop we don't know anything about that except a lot of them don't work for these type of cars that being said you can count the blink codes right now just the fact that you have codes blinking means there's something stored in the computer that's probably relating to your lights and you'll at least want to get a couple of them and then from there help will be in abundance believe me. This exact scenario may not have been typed and text in this brake light threads . Everybody describes the problem a little bit different but the pump constantly running the brake pedal not being consistent are all pointing towards pressure problems in the brake system The pressure comes from the pump and is stored in the accumulator and used when the pedals pressed so all of these things are kind of intertwined unfortunately.

 

It's not that the test will help you find out if you have a code—you have the warning lights, so you do—but it will help you find out what code(s) you have.

 

Once you notice the rrr rrrr rrr of that pump especially when you shut the car off you'll be walking away from the car heading to the front door if there's any distance to your front door when you get to the front door you still hear the pump running It is very noticeable If you go to a Gen 2 that's in perfect condition when the person exits that car that pump will stop running almost as fast as the door closes of the car that is it's that fast when it's working properly If you've made it to your front door and it still running away it will not be long until lights will start coming on or something will happen an event will take place that will put on all of the ABS lights least that's what I've seen two or three times that it's happened I've tried to watch it carefully and see but it's all internal so there's no seeing anything it's mostly hearing and feeling.

 

I missed this question earlier, sorry. The brake system has both an actuator and an accumulator, but in Gen 2 they are built into the same single assembly so just one thing to buy and replace. So in the Gen 2 world people are pretty relaxed about what to call it.

In the other Prius generations, where they are split out into different assemblies, it's more important to be specific, so you know which thing to buy.

 

Your viewpoint and reaction are understandable. You don't learn much without asking questions, and no one is born knowing everything.

That said, it's just a wee bit trying to explain the "same" information 50 or 80 times (maybe there should be a new sticky thread?)

BUT, kudos to you, you did NOT dig up some thread that was 10 years old and ask "what did you do to fix it? I have the exact same problem" (even though most of the codes are different, and maybe the symptoms as well - it's still the SAME!)

Anyway, I have an intense dislike for many (budget) scantools- anything that specifically reports "no codes found". They can typically scan engine, possibly ABS, transmission, & airbag- on a "normal" car. They do not say what systems they were able to communicate with, and what they couldn't. That's pretty much worse than useless on a Prius.

A Gen2 Prius (2004-2009) has 15-16 different systems (ecu's). I only have confidence in a tool that reports, "scanned ECM- no codes, scanned ABS- yes codes, scanned SRS- no codes" and so on through ALL the systems.

On your car, 99% of the time, if there are warning lights ON, there are codes in some ecu somewhere.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

What I was going to post has already been covered, so I won't repeat it.

 

I have the brake and abs lights on and can hear something after the car is off (didn't realize it was the brake pump). The day those lights came on, there was also a bad smell around the rear of the car. Anyone know a reason for that? It's the holidays and I can't get the car to a mechanic any time soon. I'm not driving it. Today I was going to do a 10 minute drive, but when I put it in reverse with my foot on the brake it went and I had to push hard to make it stop. I didn't drive it for fear the brakes wouldn't work.

 

Now with a collection of scan tools including tech I'll just scan with a few of the good ones before having to get the tack out the laptop the cable and all that I have noticed that a few of my scan tools do quite well and tech hasn't had to come off the desk for quite some time. I will use it as a final scan quite a bit just to make absolutely certain that I've caught everything but I've noticed one of my cheaper scan tools is quite good and capable and I've not had to pull tech off the desk.

 

I would make sure that all of the wires that run down the struts and connect to the brake or connect to the hubs which monitor the brake wheel or the cut wheel or the sector wheel for the ABS to function in bad places these things can get severed deteriorate what have you and apparently they can wreak havoc on the system and cause it to produce similar failures apparently it's worth a look I guess.