DTC with OBDII Scanner

Besides the master warning triangle light, have any other warning lights appeared on the dashboard or MFD?

Maybe your car hasn't logged any DTC, if no other lights appear.

 

OK, then some DTC exist. If your code reader won't retrieve the DTC, you'll probably need to visit your Toyota dealer for assistance. It is likely that the hybrid vehicle ECU or traction battery ECU have logged those codes.

Looking at the MFD, although three warning icons appear, one of those icons will typically be highlighted more than the others. Which one is highlighted?

 

I am not aware of a way for you to retrieve traction battery ECU DTC.

Since you say that the car has no driveability symptoms my immediate guess is that your car has logged DTC P3009 which is a high voltage ground fault error.

It wouldn't hurt for you to replace the 12V battery if you plan to keep the car, but I doubt that will help this particular issue.

 

Look over the Classic Prius and ScanGaugeII thread, where vincent1449p has codes for reading battery ECU values using a scangauge. If you know what you're doing with your ELM interface you should be able to use it to make the same queries.

What you see in the XGauge tables in that thread will probably be easier to read and make sense of in the NHW11 database over at obdchat.sourceforge.net, except that so far that database only has PID-based queries and not the ones for DTCs; you'll have to refer to the XGauges in the scangauge thread for those for now.

-Chap

 

Time to get your car to Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists in SF. They can handle these problems for a lot less than the prices your dealer quoted.

 

It sounds like your car needs a traction battery replacement, although I am surprised that you have not noticed any driveability symptoms, such as the gasoline engine running whenever you press the accelerator pedal, no matter how gently - and impaired mpg.

I would forget the engine valve adjustment, and instead have the iridium spark plugs replaced, and the throttle body interior and throttle plate cleaned. That may take care of the P3190 and P0302 codes.

 

I thought one year was the standard warranty on replacement packs, be they OEM or rebuilt. Check with the dealer, but I doubt that they'll offer anything better.

Luscious could install an OEM pack if you insist. But I think you'd be getting an older technology unit with less potential life in it than a properly rebuilt unit with Gen2 modules.

Before deciding on any replacement, consider that there may be corrosion issues that could be corrected. A dealer will typically just replace the unit, while a place like Luscious or Art's Automotive will do a deeper diagnosis. Maybe you can get another year's worth of service out of the current pack if it's cleaned up.

So my call would be to have Luscious diagnose your battery. If it turns out that it really needs replacement, have them replace it with a rebuilt unit constructed from Gen2 modules.

As for the dealer wanting to shim the valves, I've never heard of that being done on a Prius. Sounds like excess maintenance to me. Definitely worth a second opinion on whether it's necessary or not. The money would be better spent on a major tuneup, including full fluid and belt replacements.