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Newbie from SoCal

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Joey Lemire, May 15, 2020.

  1. Joey Lemire

    Joey Lemire New Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2020
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Hello Everyone,
    I recently purchased a 2008 Prius that has 119k miles, it sat for three years prior to me purchasing it.

    I am not computer literate do this should a hoot, my background has been in American cars and trucks, I drag raced Chevies and Mopars for many years.......now on a Very tight budget.
    I like this car although it has some electrical issues and I am not thrilled with the fuel mileage. I recently replaced the spark plugs, 12 volt battery, air filter and cabin filter plus removing the hybrid cooling fan for cleaning
    The car runs well so it's just electrical stuff...my worst subject, Lol....to figure out.
    I had a guy with a hand held code reader pull codes and he came up with C1241 & C1242......oh boy!.....here we go!

    Thank you for letting me join the forum, I hope to contribute as much as possible to help other's.

    Joey
     
    #1 Joey Lemire, May 15, 2020
  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,491
    14,100
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Welcome, Joey!

    As for those codes, I'd consider them suspect since most code readers can't talk to the dozen or so ECUs in a Prius. There are several options for reading the codes with a phone app and a bluetooth or wifi OBDII adapter. Carista is a competent turn key setup with app & adapter, but they make you rent to app. There are other options, with probably Torque Pro being the top of the line for phone apps, but it's Android only.

    The gold standard would be Techstream with a USB connector to the car and the software on a laptop. There are nearly unlimited threads on the forum about that. It's the system that dealers use and if you want the full blown completely legal version, you'll need deep pockets. There are very inexpensive setups available on Amazon and Ebay that use cracked older versions of Techstream. I think I spent about $25 on mine and run it on an old laptop with Windows XP.
     
    #2 jerrymildred, May 16, 2020
  3. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,674
    6,494
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Greetings and Welcome Aboard!

    Is your 12v (aux) battery in good shape?
     
    #3 ETC(SS), May 16, 2020
  4. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2015
    2,254
    2,234
    2
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hi Joey and Welcome! The Prius is quite a different car than what you are used to. You have come to the right place for information. I might add, back in the day, I drove a 69 Plymouth GTX 440 4-barrel, while my friend had a yes......wait for it.......72 Hemi Cuda!! Oh yes, the good ol' days of gas guzzling V8's.
     
    #4 Montgomery, May 16, 2020
  5. Randi

    Randi Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    71
    23
    0
    Location:
    Prescott Valley, AZ USA
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Welcome Joey!
     
    #5 Randi, May 17, 2020
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