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Getting P0AA6 code along with Red Triangle, !, and VSC . Found pool of water in spare tire area (pic

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Jesse Goldman, Jul 25, 2021.

  1. Jesse Goldman

    Jesse Goldman Junior Member

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    Location:
    Springfield MA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    So I've been getting P0AA6 code on and off for the last few weeks. It started after hosing my car down and it has been recurring it seems whenever it rains, which leads me to believe water is somehow causing it. Today I opened the trunk up to take a look at the hybrid battery and I found pool of water where the spare tire is. Also read about other Prius owners having a similar water leak problem. It's been raining a lot here so it makes sense that there's a huge puddle down there now. There actually doesnt seem to be any water on the hybrid battery or 12v battery surprisingly and they seem pretty dry. But the hybrid battery looks pretty rusted as you can see from the pictures. It's an 07 Prius and I don't believe the hybrid battery was ever changed. I actually took it to the dealership a few weeks ago when it started and they said it was the transaxle that needed replacement, however they only gave me one subcode (526) so I'm not sure if you can say for sure that the issue is the transaxle from just that one code? Maybe they tested the transmission in other ways and decided it was bad, I'm not sure. Anyways I wanted to get a second opinion from another Toyota dealership but the code hasn't popped up again until today (I clear the code and then it pops up again within a few days usually). I just ordered a miniVCI cable to try and diagnose it myself with a techstream trial or something. But now I'm wondering how all of this water got in and if it could be causing the codes.
    P.S Sorry if I sound like an idiot; this is my first car and I'm just beginning to learn about all this shit.
    Also for some background, I bought this car from my friend who had it sitting in his driveway for a year without being started much or at all. He just changed the 12v to get it running again. But water could have been getting in for the past few months and creating rust, I'm not sure. In the meantime while i'm waiting for my miniVCI cable I also have an appointment with the other Toyota dealership later this week and I'm thinking of taking it to the Hybrid specialist that's about a 30 min drive from me as well, but they only do Hybrid battery work so not sure if theyll be able to do much if it is'nt a battery issue.

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    #1 Jesse Goldman, Jul 25, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2021
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Change the battery and see how things go
     
    #2 JC91006, Jul 25, 2021
  3. Jesse Goldman

    Jesse Goldman Junior Member

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    Five
    Thats some expensive troubleshooting haha, but will definitely try that if i can narrow it down to the hybrid battery in the near future
     
    #3 Jesse Goldman, Jul 25, 2021
  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Once you get techstream, look at hybrid live screen. One of the displayed values will be 'Shortwave Highest Value". That is a measurement of the insulation/isolation resistance between the HV system and the car chassis. It spans 0 through 5 volts. Most cars are 4.99 volts. Anything less means you have something going on. Once it gets around 3.2(?) volts, it will trigger the P0AA6 code.
     
    #4 TMR-JWAP, Jul 25, 2021
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  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I've always liked the way that got translated. To most English speakers, 'shortwave' is a part of the radio spectrum where the wavelengths aren't very long.

    Of course what got translated as 'shortwave' here is a wave, generated by the battery ECU, for the purpose of detecting shorts.
     
    #5 ChapmanF, Jul 25, 2021
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  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I mean start there, you will probably find more items to replace.
     
    #6 JC91006, Jul 25, 2021
  7. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Starting reading from post #49; Water leak...into spare tire area etc | Page 3 | PriusChat

    Also view the image at post #121 as I've seen this on both sides (may not apply if you don't have standing water in either side cubby).
     
    #7 SFO, Jul 25, 2021
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  8. Travis Decker

    Travis Decker Active Member

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    shortwave highest value is the ticket

    ignition on not READY what is it (SMRs open)

    Ready in neutral what is it?

    Ready in gear what is it?

    then you narrow down the short. anything less than 3.2v sets the P0AA6.

    direct metal connection from the HV system to chassis ground will be zero volts ( dead short )
     
    #8 Travis Decker, Jul 26, 2021
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