anyone with P3006 experience?

Hey, one of my Prii just threw a P3006 and a P0304, but I'm only using TorquePro to scan and am not sure if there are other codes. The two codes don't seem logically connected, but maybe they are? Maybe #4 started misfiring and drug the battery down? Or maybe the battery got weak and made #4 misfire? Anyone know if either is possible?

I felt both of them at the same time. I started the car and noticed that the battery meter was down to one bar. And as I drove off, I could feel the engine bog for a second. I was able to get the battery meter topped off within a few blocks of driving, but it was back to one bar the next time I drove.

It's done that over the last two days, but the battery meter always topped off. This morning, the meter never topped, and then, even as I was driving, it went back to one bar. The triangle and exclamation car then appeared. I made about 4 miles home, at each light it really struggled to get going, but then drove. Seems like the display should have shown the engines charging the battery full-time as I drove, but they weren't. Even with one bar, the battery was trying to power the car. But, made it home.

So, I'm reading threads here to see what others have done. I haven't see one with this exact combination of codes - most have other codes. Again, mine might and TorquePro just isn't getting them.

What are the chances that I simply have a bad injector or coil on #4? From reading, it appears the 3006 gets thrown fairly easily from just a small difference in module voltage. Others here have cleared their 3006 and driven for months without seeing it again. Could a bad injector and misfires bump the battery enough to throw the 3006? Does anything I've described about the behavior of the battery meter suggest whether there is any or no life expectancy in the battery, as in can I expect to drive it a few more months before it completely fails. BTW, I have no clue how old this battery is. I've still got six of these cars, all of them bought used, and have swapped batteries around several times.

To confirm, my understanding is that the 3006 code is about the balance between modules, and not about any grounding or connectivity issues with wiring or the battery harness or communications, correct? That sounds dumb to say, I guess those things could cause a voltage imbalance, but they'd throw other codes, correct?

Finally, does anyone have TorquePro experience with these cars? What are the codes it typically misses? I got the Toyota sw and cable, just not the old OS to install it on, and I'm not a techie to figure it out.

 

I went out and cleared the codes and after idling in the driveway long enough for the ICE to shut down, only the 3006 came back. And it didn't misfire while idling, although I know there was no load on the engine. It sounded and acted perfectly fine when it started and until it warmed up and I shut it down. I'm concluding that the 0304 isn't related to the 3006.

TorquePro said both codes before, and the 3006 now, are "pending." But, even though the 3006 came back on in TP, the triangle and CEL didn't trigger this time. So, I'm assuming for now that it was the 0304 code that triggered the CELs before? The HV battery may still have a few months left. It could be that driving it now, after fixing the #4 misfire, allows the modules to balance back out. IDK. (I'm assuming #4 still has a problem, even though the pending code didn't come back).

So, I'm about to start reading threads again, to confirm this 3006 means I need a new battery. Always a big decision on these cars. This one has been my daily driver for a few years, even as I drove the others to keep them charged. This is the one I carried my dog in, my constant companion, so I kept the hair out of the other cars. It's been reliable as heck. Broken serpentine belt the only repair.

But my dog died 2 months, 6 hours, and 52 minutes ago, so I don't need a hairy car anymore; I don't need anything any more. I also have several nicer Prii than this one. But, this one is still nice when I clean the hair out. Just all those damn memories; I'm always seeing Brody in my rearview mirror. No doubt someone could get $2000 worth of miles out of it to be worth buying the battery. I've tried to give my other ones away to relatives, and no one wants them Crazy. Cheap reliable transport that drive as well as new cars.

 

Well, looking at the diagnostic procedures for 3006, I need to be able to monitor the battery's Vmax and Vmin data while giving it pedal with the wheels chocked. I see those PIDs in the Torque Toyota/Prius bundle I've added, but it's not reading the data. Also since adding a bunch more PIDs to the TP display, I've started getting an adapter error. It connects but only reads some PIDs, and not many that are useful. Mostly fuel economy stuff.

I'm guessing those only work on later model Prii? The procedures describe two scenarios involving that min/max data that would require the battery ECU be replaced, and a third scenario, although I couldn't quite tell what it was, that would require the battery pack to be replaced. Anyone else able to pull that min/max data without Techstream?

Also, any way to test a battery, just at a simple pass/fail level, while it's out of the car. I.e., buying a used battery, can I tell if it's still holding a charge without going to the trouble of installing?

 

Thanks, Bruce. Lot of good info. Couple of other things I noticed...

TP doesn't read much, but it did read the PID for intake air temp, and it was showing 113F. That was odd, so I switched to another of my cars, and it was reading 98F, which was real close to the actual outside air. This was with KOEO, and after the car had been driven an hour earlier. IIRC, the coolant temp had dropped to 135F by the time I was checking this. It would seem that I either have a bad IAT sensor, bad connector/wiring to that sensor, or something is warming my intake air temp up.

That last possibility also comes up because the battery fan also came out after I turned the car off and ran for several minutes. Maybe that's normal and I've just not noticed it before. Maybe it's because it's hot as heck outside. Or maybe it's because the battery is getting hot?

I'll check my coolant level in the morning. Does any of this suggest a specific problem?

 

I forgot about that app. I have it already. IIRC (it's been months ago), I couldn't get it to do anything - it was like a demo app. I'll try it again.

I've got to buy an HV battery anyway for one of my other Prii, actually two others probably. So maybe most of the cells in this one are good at it can be refurbed? I've not followed the market news on these. I see people still selling used Gen1 cells - can any of those be good anymore? Did anyone ever start making new ones? Looks like companies are still selling refurbs, I assume using Gen2 cells. Even those are getting old now. Hard to know about the warranties, only as good as the company.

I used to see used batteries at LKQ for around $600 with a 30-day warranty, but when I checked today, they only list a new refurb with a 3-year warranty at $2300.

Dayum, I might be back to doing what got me all these Prii in the first place - buying them at auctions in unknown condition. Every one I get is too good to scavenge and throw away, lol, so I've kept them all and gone looking for another.