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Brake actuator replacement - bleed

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by boa279, Jul 1, 2018.

  1. boa279

    boa279 New Member

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    Bought my first prius used about a year ago and have had issues with the brakes for about a month. I have a fluid bypass (barking) sound from the actuator when the pedal is held down and the booster runs far more often than it used to also indicating a bypass. Sometimes when the car door is opened the pump will run for 20-30 seconds. Eventually the leak limit was reached and I got the ABS, brake warning and slip indicator lights accompanied by the loss of regenerative braking. So, for a month I've been using my phone and bluetooth OBD adapter to reset the codes and everything operates normally for half a day before I had to do it again. Annoying for sure.

    Fast forward and I got a great ebay deal on an actuator and booster from a totaled 2015 with 23K miles for $98 shipped. Swapped the actuator in about 2 hours and now I'm to the bleed. I had read about techstream for the first time a few weeks ago and got an ebay cable with techstream which painfully only works with 32 bit windows because of a cable driver. After getting it installed it will open, clear codes and navigate the tree's but any active test crashes the program. I ordered a 64 bit version which is not here yet but that's when I stumbled on invalid mode. Then I read about invalid mode only being a thing for replacing fluid and not when parts are replaced. Can someone explain what the techstream software does that cannot be done mechanically?

    Also...I've read a lot about the price from dealerships and I can say for the actuator itself it took me less than 2 hours and it's the first time I've ever done it. HOWEVER, I didnt change the booster pump because Wth Toyota?!? Who designed that process and how were they punished?!? In order to change the booster which is completely visible when the actuator is out, you have to drop the entire front cross member sub assembly to get to 3 bolts that holds the bracket on. Were talking half shafts, tie rods, sway bar, steering linkage, engine covers ect. That's where the price comes from. That's hours and hours of work and a piss poor design for sure. It should take 15 minutes or less based on what you can see from the top.

    So at this point I've got a prius on jacks with all the wheels off, a replacement actuator installed and a need to bleed. Any help much appreciated...what should I do to get this thing back on the road?
     
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  2. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    I originally was thinking of ordering the 32-bit VCI cable too, but didn't do it in the end. There are a lot of virtualization software out there to make it compatible. You can load 32-bit windows (such as windows xp) in a VM and attempt to run the cable from a virtual desktop. A virtual machine (VM) is a complete computer simulator, but it runs within your computer. You give the VM software a OS image to run and assign it ram, disk space, etc. The VCI software won't be able to tell the difference.

    Introduction to Hyper-V on Windows 10 | Microsoft Docs
    Oracle VM VirtualBox | Oracle Technology Network | Oracle

    You would need to find a 32-bit copy of windows somewhere.

    I haven't tried this before, but you can try it if you wish. I originally planned to try this out at one point. Maybe this is too complicated.
     
    #2 Siward, Jul 3, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2018
  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    I "think" the laptop my son gave me had lozdoz 10 on it. I contacted the chinese guy I got techstream/cable from and he logged in and spent about 2 hours and installed it. What a ROYAL pain it was! LOSDOZ is still horrible! I wished they had a Mac version. Buttt...
    I also turned the wifi off afterwards. And there was nothing on the laptop but lozdoz. But I limited what/where he could go and do, just in case.
    It's worked for my on my Prius and my friends 2012 PriusV. She was greatfull to get rid of that idiototic continueous back up beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp beeeeeeeppppp
     
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Look up the PDF instructions for the recall replacement of the accumulator in the early gen 3s (the one where the accumulators needing replacement were recognized by the way the label faced). I don't have the doc no. at my fingertips just now, but it's been posted about on PriusChat before.

    It illustrates some clever tools and procedures that can be used to r&r the accumulator without going through all that.

    -Chap
     
  5. boa279

    boa279 New Member

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    I'll definitely do that. Thanks!
     
  6. boa279

    boa279 New Member

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    I cannot bleed my brakes. I've ordered two versions of techstream with mini-vci cables and neither do what I need to. My 64 bit version came in today and installed nicely, connects to the car but when do the bleed and get to the first active test, it disconnects from the car, reconnects and starts over. This is so frustrating. Has anyone had luck with these ebay techstreams or is there another way? I've bled the lines but the part where Im supposed to bleed the stroke simulator, I hear a click and a few seconds later it disconnects.
     
  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    What version of Techstream came with the mini vci?
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    This is an excerpt from the Repair Manual. As far as I can see, you just need to remove the wipers/motors/linkage, and the windshield cowl. Same as you'd need to do for spark plug replacement, for example.
     
  9. boa279

    boa279 New Member

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    v13.00.022
     
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  10. boa279

    boa279 New Member

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    I think I was a little unclear..I changed the brake booster/master cylinder in less than 2 hours...its the brake booster pump that requires all the extra.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  11. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I have version 10.30.028.

    You could try downloading a different version and see if it works better.

    I had 12.xx.124 awhile back and it didn’t have some of the menus and options, so I swapped back.

    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah I see now: ugh.
     

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  13. boa279

    boa279 New Member

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    So i contacted the seller who provided a download for 13.10.19 and I'm much closer but still can't get through the bleed menus without disconnecting. However, now I can use the active tests which I've never been able to before. I think I should be able to bleed using the active tests (I imagine the walk through bleed windows simply start different active tests in a more convenient format) but I can't see what the walk through says without it disconnecting. Can someone tell me what comes after the stroke simulator bleed part of the walk through? Any help much appreciated!
     
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  14. gigi123

    gigi123 Junior Member

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    Bringing this back... I CAN'T bleed the brakes on 2013 Prius V after brake booster replacement. I have a techstream with an aftermarket cable that seems to be working OK. But when I try to do it it tells me conditions are not met. Check and try again. I think all conditions are met (park brake on, transmission in P, Ign On Ready Off) so I am puzzled. Can someone shed some light what I am missing?
     
  15. viciousthinker

    viciousthinker Junior Member

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    hi there... i am literally at the exact same spot as you right now friend... 2012 with 200k on it, actuator died totally and car started emitting high-pitches beep at all times and displaying Brake, ABS, VSC TRAC lights, along w/ a rock-hard pedal and little travel... the pump who’s telltale buzz had been getting more and more frequent over time was finally silent.

    i also have a 2010 “parts car” that blew its HG long ago, that had a perfectly good actuator in it and a bad accumulator, as some 2010’s were known to have... long story short, transplanted accumulator from 2010 to 2012, refilled brake fluid, attempted bleed procedure through Techstream, make it to ‘Simulate stroke procedure’ and crash... and Techstream will continue crashing/disconnecting until l ‘reset memory’ and restart car.

    stuck w/ C1202, C1345 and cannot get the codes to clear or run through the TS procedures to relearn the functions... my actuator parts are not matching numbers, does this boil down to needing the skid ECU reprogrammed to match my VIN? can i do this myself if i purchase a “professional” 2-day login for TIS? i noticed the TIS membership breakdown specifically states the $20 version doesn’t give access to calibration data... can any confirm this is my next step?
     
  16. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    What dongle are you using with Techstream?

    My first attempted brake bleed on my 2010 was an ordeal. I was using a Mini VCI, and it flaked out during five bleed attempts in a row, almost always on the nearly last step, when it empties and refills the accumulator six times. I finally did complete the process on the last attempt, with my knuckles kind of white because I knew I had just put nearly forty full empty/fill cycles on a six-year-old accumulator.

    The next time I had a brake bleed to do, I had a different dongle (same car, same laptop, same Techstream, just a different dongle) and it went without a hitch (only I hadn't hooked up a charger to help hold the car battery up during the process, and during those last few accumulator empties/fills I was kind of urging the battery along—"come on! you can do it! just one more to go!"—and the lights were pretty dim when all was done).
     
  17. hotelprisoner

    hotelprisoner Member

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    I used to have the same problem. Last time I needed to do the bleed I had the 12v battery on a charger and it was fully charged when I started the procedure and it sailed through to the end without any glitches.
     
  18. gigi123

    gigi123 Junior Member

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    I am using a cheap dongle. I connected a charger to the 12V battery. I even measured the V on 12V batt (before connecting the charger) and it was OK (12 V plus with engine OFF and Ign ON). Some cars won't allow certain work if they don't sense voltage higher than 12V but I am not sure Prius is the same. To be on the safe side, I had a charger connected. Still no change.
    The problem is I don't get to the accumulator bleed. It kicks me out right away. It tells me conditions are not met.
    If I try to use a generic scanner it acts like it's doing something but at the end of the process nothing happens/happened.
     
  19. hotelprisoner

    hotelprisoner Member

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    Have you tried doing it with the car in Ready-On? I can’t recall if it prevents you or not. For one of these tests I chocked the car, parking brake-off and then ran it. It’s hard to hear the pump noise with the engine running but if you’ve done this before you get a feel for the timing of it all.
     
  20. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Did you get this problem resolved and get it working?


     
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