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Help a newb with some diagnostics

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Prius_newb89, Oct 21, 2022.

  1. Prius_newb89

    Prius_newb89 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2022
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    Location:
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi all!! Not new to engines but definitely new to hybrids.

    I purchased my first ever prius today (08 132k miles) I bought the car private party (new 12v battery and fresh oil) that's all I know. When I checked it out, the CEL was on, seller said it was due to an aftermarket Cat which I verified with my OBD scanner P0420 (only code) and low tires pressure light (pressure was fine, probably a bad sensor). However, after purchase and driving about 25-30 miles I came to a pretty steep Colorado hill. The inafmous Red Triangle kicked on, along with the break system and VSC light. I wasn't far from home at this point so I soldiered on. When I got home I turned off the car, turned back on and the Break and VSC light were off, red triangle and CEL still on but no other codes other than 0420. I poked around this site a bit and surmised that a bad inverter pump can sometimes cause those lights??? Any thoughts or tips would ve very much appreciated. I'm very comfortable working on cars but admittedly in the dark when it comes to Hybrids and those big pricey batteries.
    On a side note is there some kind of system/display you can plug into the OBD port that will give you live diagnostics, particularly about the battery? Like I have the EDGE system for my duramax. I realized when I had those lights come on there wasn't a good way for me to monitor engine temperature, oil pressure, etc.... thanks a million!!
     
    #1 Prius_newb89, Oct 21, 2022
  2. MCCOHENS

    MCCOHENS Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2019
    189
    81
    0
    Location:
    Chalfont, PA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Surprised no one jumped in yet. I use torque, an app for my cell phone and a bluetooth OBD widget. Torque can be configured to read most of the basic parameters, several tutorials on utube. Also got the Dr Prius app, and while it has some neat features I am more comfortable with torque. But there are a ton of others out there. You need to look at inverter temp to see if the pump is working(also just look in the bottle for movement of fluid) and battery cell voltages to see if the HV battery is balanced. These are just basic things, in a month you will play with the stuff and be helping others. Good Luck
     
    #2 MCCOHENS, Oct 22, 2022
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,271
    15,068
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    An ongoing review of those and which ones work best for a Gen 2 like yours is in this thread:

    Gen2 OBD2 app review | PriusChat
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Oct 22, 2022
  4. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    923
    377
    1
    Location:
    Leawood, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Welcome to PC from a former Colorado Springs guy. I use the Carista OBD reader and DR. Prius paid version on an iphone SE. well worth it. You can run the real time test on the battery cells.
    I have 2 2008 Prius. the 0420 code can sometimes be corrected by adding a spacer between the O2 sensor and the bung where it threads into the cat.
    16 percent less O2 in the Springs meant different CAT operation and readings then those at sea level...FYI.
    See if you can find out how old the INvertor pump is from the PO. They last about 100k. I would ONLY use an OEM pump. $165 from Olathe Toyota Online....and remove the drivers headlight to change it. My wifes died on her commute home from Denver one day.lucky she was 4 miles from the house and we let the car rest and cool off. Her original pump died at 116K. mine I replaced at 117K early because I didn't want that headache to happen to me. yoo toobe is your friend. watch lots of videos and jump into repairs!
     
    #4 ColoradoCrow, Oct 22, 2022
    bisco likes this.
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