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Another P0A08 thread with a twist

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Raygon, Sep 2, 2022.

  1. Raygon

    Raygon Junior Member

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    need input/advise, quick rundown of issue;

    2011with ~160K, car recently acquire the P0401 along with a bunch of misfire codes so I did a complete EGR and intake manifold clean up along with Toyota OEM sparks and Denso coils.

    All the codes cleared and car was running like new then all of a sudden the Yellow Triangle with check the Hybrid system appeared P0A08, and the car immediately shut off while I was driving. I cleared the code but it keeps coming back. Replaced the 12v battery, because, I went to three of the big auto stores and all the test on the 12v came back it failing. I suspect this wasn't the case for the battery failing the test as all three test came back with 12.3 and 12.4v but bite the bullet and bought a new one just in case. The P0A08 still pops up but the car does not shut off. I bought an OBD2 reader and downloaded Dr Prius app but couldn't establish a connection. Ask a friend with an Android to download the Hybrid Assistant app and check the hybrid pack got the following report (pic attached).

    suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated..

    P.S. I read somewhere that there is a software update for the DC/DC converter that will not let car shut off while driving if the check hybrid system pops up. Also I believe there was a code, but I erased it, that had something to do with the DC/DC converter...

    Thank you!
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Raygon, Sep 2, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2022
  2. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Not a twist, misfire and bad hv. Looks like a project. Get yer money back.
     
    #2 Grit, Sep 2, 2022
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Have you had you inverter factory recall addressed if it applies to you car? How is your 12v? Fully charged up and healthy? Also see this, even though it's for Gen 2: Error Code P0A08 (and others?) - Safe to drive? | PriusChat
     
    #3 PriusCamper, Sep 3, 2022
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  4. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Erasing a code without doing a repair: pcm no longer shows when THEY cleared the codes last. They may have cleared em to do a quick flip but now all the pcm shows is when YOU cleared em, and no codes. Clearing codes w/o doing a repair is like mopping up rising flood waters. What's more is they can say you tampered with the car. You shot yourself in the foot on this one.
     
    #4 douglasjre, Sep 3, 2022
  5. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Seller scammed buyer by clearing codes. Buyer did not check if all monitors were online before purchasing. Few drive cycles later...
     
    #5 Grit, Sep 3, 2022
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You're probably thinking of recall J0V. That was about one particular way the car's boost converter IPM could fail (that's a different thing from the DC/DC converter), and if it failed in that exact way at just the exact wrong time, the car could shut down instead of going into the intended limp-home mode. So J0V updated the firmware to avoid that particular shutdown in that particular failure case. It has no bearing on battery codes, DC/DC codes, etc.

    Being a recall, it should have been done already; you should be able to check.

    Edit: the failure covered by J0V was of the IPM (which includes the boost converter, and the IGBTs for both transaxle MGs, but is separate from the DC/DC converter). The J0V defect report referred to the way the boost converter was controlled, but did not say the transistor that failed must be specifically there; it could be elsewhere in the IPM.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Sep 3, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2022
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  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Actually, repeatedly clearing the same code in order to get more diagnostic information on the circumstances that triggers the code is something I do often. And when it comes to diagnosing weird things like bad hybrid battery modules you'd be surprised how weird it can get with several codes cleared in a day and then several weeks with no codes. Electrons are weird!
     
    #7 PriusCamper, Sep 3, 2022
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