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Red Triangle, VSC, ( ! ), P0446, P2601

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by k1ngn0thing, Jun 2, 2022.

  1. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Probably not by much... But resetting all the system settings and starting it up with a clean re-boot is worth a shot.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    That symptom often happens if the engine is near 2 quarts low on oil, but I suspect is not a problem because the error codes would be different, but worth mentioning just to make sure all bases are covered.
     
  3. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    And presumably, by now, the oil has been topped up. If not, it needs to be topped up ASAP, regardless of anything else that is going on.
     
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  4. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    brake lights come on so I don't think it's that switch. I was probably only able to start it up because I cleared the ECU by DCing the 12v. oil was topped up immediately. taking it to a shop in a few days which can read toyota specific codes.
     
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  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Have tried repeating this process, and was the vehicle able to start again?
     
  6. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    I'm waiting until Tuesday so in the event I can only get it to work one more time, I won't have to call AAA to get it to the shop.
     
  7. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    the battery trick did work again
     
  8. WayneCiabaszewski

    WayneCiabaszewski New Member

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    Do you know what error codes would come up in that situation. I'm having problems with my 07 I got a hybrid battery from greenbean about a month ago everything was fine for a while then the tod came in with all the other lights had it scanned said p0a80 replace hybrid battery so I cleared it and it kept coming back on everything was working up to pay I had plenty of power then finally after clearing it maybe 3 or 4 times I was taking a corner an the car died.(luckily it was only 4 houses away so I coasted home) Called greenbean they came next day replaced hybrid battery he said it was dead then after he put new one in he cleared codes and it would start then die and also 2 new codes came up p3190 and p0a0f. Which he said is poor engine performance and engine failed to start he also said not to try to start it or it would kill hybrid battery again.
    I had it towed to a shop Friday and they called me this morning and said they think it's the 12v battery. I also checked that within the last week and it said it was 13.7v. I know about cars an how to fix em and everything but this is my first prius/first hybrid...Anybody have the same issues or any ideas
     
  9. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Sounds like mechanic is hoping for an easy fix... Make it clear that the engine has a problem and no amount of spinning the motor with the hybrid battery is going to fix that. Green Been may also at some point refuse to honor the warranty if your mechanic keeps dumbly draining the pack down.
     
  10. WayneCiabaszewski

    WayneCiabaszewski New Member

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    Got the car back yesterday it seems to drive fine it seems like it has more power than before he charged almost 600 to replace the 12v if I knew that's all it was I would've done it myself I'm pissed. He said it was because the back hatch some idiots tried to saw off the latch because they couldn't get it open so if it is not slammed hard the door ajar light comes on the mechanic says that's what caused the 12v to die but I always make sure it's off so I don't know I will just have to wait and see what happens.
     
  11. WayneCiabaszewski

    WayneCiabaszewski New Member

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    Green bean said that its going to cost 375 if it happens again unless I can prove it wasn't myself that caused it I asked the mechanic for a letter stating what he did so I could have it for Green bean in case but he said no
     
  12. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    Started it up this morning after the battery trick and it was running noticeably rough with engine shaking. Drove it to the shop, fuel gauge at 4 bars, get to the shop, turn it off, find out they didn't mean this tuesday, go to leave, then it takes 4 tries to get it running again with the battery trick, MFD kept saying low fuel, and when I drove it home the gauge showed 1 flashing bar, and I know there's nearly half a tank in there as that's what it was at before the lights initially came on.
     
  13. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    It sure sounds like your HV battery has a potential ground leak - DTC P0AA6 (aka P3009).

    Does your "used" HV battery provider have a physical location to visit, and in turn have them honor whatever warranty you purchased?
     
  14. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    no physical location close enough, but I don't think this is an HV issue as the lights came on during a sharp turn on low oil, and I don't have any hybrid system codes.
     
  15. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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  16. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    Took a sharp right turn and the dash lit up (master warning light, (!), and VSC), topped up the oil, drove home, but since then it will only start if I clear the ECU by disconnecting the 12v, then doing the 5-brake-pump force start trick. One one occasion after starting with this method, the engine was running audibly rougher and felt noticeably shaky. Prior to the sharp right turn, I had been driving all day, 80+ miles with this low oil level, and probably at least another 150 in the days previous. After clearing the computer, the lights come back on within a minute, even if stationary.

    Codes were P0446 and P2601. P2601 had been there for a month+ before this incident and I suspect the P0446 is reflective of the lifespan of the third-party cat installed a year ago.
     
  17. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    So you had a P2601 for over a month.......sometimes caused by low coolant in the engine circuit (iirc)....
    and drove 200+ miles with low oil to the point you're getting alarms when going around a corner/curve.....

    Wish I had some good advice to help you. Hope you get it sorted out.

    What are you using to check codes? Are you certain it's Prius compatible for hybrid codes? If not, some codes may not be showing up. Sure sounds similar to what happens with a P0AA6
     
    #37 TMR-JWAP, Jun 16, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2022
  18. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    a bluetooth OBD reader, though I should probably take it to auto zone to double check.

    Engine coolant tank wasn't low so I was assuming the p2601 was the pump that moves warm coolant into the thermos tank to reduce emissions on startup.

    I'm reading one symptom of P0AA6 is that the battery won't charge, but it is charging. I took this reading of the HV, and it seems okay. [​IMG]
     
  19. k1ngn0thing

    k1ngn0thing Member

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    Just not sure why all of this would trigger on a sharp turn on low oil if it were a P0AA6
     
  20. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    I'm reading one symptom of P0AA6 is that the battery won't charge,

    That is false. A P0AA6 will allow you to continue to drive the car normally, until the car is turned off. Once the car is turned on again, it will not allow the car to be placed in ready mode. If you disconnect the 12v battery, the code will clear from memory and allow you to start the car again. If the code comes in again, then it will once again let you drive normally, until you turn the car off. And so on and so on, until the P0AA6 becomes so bad that it triggers as soon as you turn the car on the first time, and never lets you get to ready mode, even after disconnecting the 12v battery.

    The P0AA6 is the ONLY code that does this.
     
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