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ABS warning light and alarm

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by maverick4u, Jun 3, 2023.

  1. maverick4u

    maverick4u Junior Member

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    This is for a 2003 Prius. The ABS warning light comes on intermittently- say about once every 3 days. Today it came on while pulling into the driveway and the brakes became very spongy and weak. The brake pedal practically went to the floor. Ran the Techstream diagnostics on it and got ABS trouble codes C1202, C1251, and C1259. ( See attachment)

    The brake fluid was low so I added more-is it possible it could have just been that? If not, any idea how much it would cost to fix this. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to spend any more money on this relic. IMG_20230603_180935.jpg

    G90 PRO ?
     
    #1 maverick4u, Jun 3, 2023
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it could be, but then the question is, where did the fluid go?

    a new actuator is generally around $2,500. on a gen 2. shop around if it comes to it, and look into salvage
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 3, 2023
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    C1202 is definitely the low fluid level.

    C1251 is an interesting one. It's about the amount of electrical current the brake pressure pump draws. Either it stays above 28 amps for longer than a second, or it changes by less than 7 amps during a run. I'm not sure if that could be secondary to really low fluid, or be a matter of pump damage consequent to really low fluid, or just another thing that happened. There are around three pages of troubleshooting steps for that code in the repair manual.

    Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat

    C1259 just means the car's HV ECU is also reporting one or more trouble codes. Those should be read also. (Sometimes that takes a better scan tool, if the one being used is showing the brake codes but not the HV ECU ones.)
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Jun 4, 2023
  4. maverick4u

    maverick4u Junior Member

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    Thanks. Sounds like it would be an expensive fishing expedition if I took it to the dealer. Might have to institute my SWAG system to fix it. (Scientific Wild A** Guess) Either that or junk it
     
    #4 maverick4u, Jun 5, 2023
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The SWAG system is often one of the only ways to spend more time and money than a dealer would slurp up.

    If you'd rather spend less, following the troubleshooting steps in the repair manual will often be a good approach.
     
    #5 ChapmanF, Jun 5, 2023
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