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Reviving my 2001 PRIUS

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by chaotic, Aug 20, 2012.

  1. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    let me start by saying that I truly enjoy looking at this forum and seeing how much info there is..
    I am at a breaking point at this point and I hope you can all help...
    so here is a little history..

    I was in true need of a car back in 2007 because I could not afford driving my FX4 crew cab... that beast gets me a whooping 11 mpg.. and driving 160 miles a day ... just for work and for pleasure... as a single dad... i needed to save money where ever ...
    I found this dealer maintained car owned by this sweet old lady... she had 2 cars and didn't want it anymore.. soo i grabbed it.. lucky for me it had one of those cool carpool stickers back then ... i fell in love with my grandma car.. and so i named it .. "grandma" car... its was at like 70k and drove it for 2 years.. with absolutely no problems.. then it happened... in DEC 09.. the master light came on... at approximately at 133k .. yep.. the dealership in Temecula, California quoted me some 4k to get the battery replaced... then the sad days... came ... they said that the battery needed replaced and that my ECU stated my vehicle was a 2003...I parked the car and did a NONOP for 2 years and slowly started to save up... well i was looking around recently and I found a battery for 1k installed.... so of course i jumped on it.. oh to hear that Prius turn on.. it was awesome.. like a champ...
    ...so i thought...
    the master light came on after a little while..
    add fuel... it was completely empty.. so i added 2-3 gallons.. while he checked the engine coolant...
    he removed the coolant cap and stated that the pump for the inverter is in good shape ...
    I let him know that I would change the transaxle fluid, engine oil and coolant fluid....
    he diagnosed it and stated that it had an HV leak... AWESOME!!
    I changed the engine oil and filter and then noticed that the rear tire had a leak.. but somehow my spare was missing.?? okay.. after a nice soap bottle test on the tire.. it has a tiny leak on the rim... bad seal.. awesome.. okay. i can get some tires later.. they are a few years old anyways..
    so I keep airing it up to test drive the car to keep the charge in the battery... well now I hear this amazing chattering noise.. and it goes away... abs /brake comes on.. and then goes away... i drive it everyday at least 5-10 minutes away.. the abs/ brakes only comes on the days I have to air up the tire...so I'm thinking I am just going to replace all 4 tires... now i have seen those great Facebook pictures on the brake module.. but I think I am in denial... should I follow through...
    tires...
    module...
    and HV leak...
    its either going to be sold for parts? or im gonna push through and fix this.. i dont need this car.. i want this car... i have a few others... but i am starting to feel overwhelmed.. is it worth it?

    im willing to fix it myself with a little help.. I just got the toyota scan tool.. and starting to pull codes... so im stuck here..
     
  2. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    A flat tire could cause your ABS light to come on. You HV leak would most likely be your battery ($1000 seems to good to be true). Posting the codes will help us help you.
     
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    There comes a time when a car has reached the end of its useful life but this is driven by the owner's requirements:
    • payload - a family grows and a small car no longer meets the needs or a new home owner needs to transport house 'stuff.'
    • reliability - unplanned repairs impact a fixed budget in a way that is not acceptable
    • performance - the existing vehicle performance has been eclipsed by newer vehicles
    Only the owner can decide when the car has reached the end of its design life (or an accident takes it away.) You've had a chance to understand what the sedan style, Prius can do, and how well a used Prius has worked out. So you have options:
    1. Used NHW11 - what you already have. The model years are 2001-03.
    2. Used NHW20 - the next generation 1.5L Prius hatchback has significant improvements over the NHW11. Model years are 2004-09.
    3. Used ZVW30 - the current generation 1.8L Prius hatchback further important improvements over the NHW20. Model years are 2010-2011.
    4. New ZVW30 - the 2012 Prius has the first upgrades to the ZVW30 and is likely to have fixed a number of small, early problems. Model years 2012-current.
    5. New Prius v - the station wagon sized, Prius, with similar EPA mileage rating of the NHW11 but huge increase in payload. Model years 2012-current.
    6. New Prius c - the 1.5L Prius with identical payload to the NHW11 but significantly improved performance. Model years 2012-current.
    You know your financial position and vehicle requirements . . . I for one will one will not try to second-guess what works best for you. But you have one big advantage, you know the Prius is a real fuel saver and generally works. But your used, NHW11 having reached a decade of service, you have to decide when it is time to become someone else's project car or 'parts.'

    GOOD LUCK!
    Bob Wilson
     
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  4. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    I just pulled some codes...1st off its a 2001 prius.. but some reason when hooked up to tech stream it read as a 2003... well then i ran a health check and pulled codes
    i just had the battery replaced as told earlier...i would like to think its not the battery... maybe a leak somewhere in the wire.. how can i check this?
    P3000 - HV Battery Malfunction
    P3009 - High voltage electrical leakage.
    btw...i just replaced the tires and no more ABS warning... the car runs like a champ... i have all the data.. i just dont really understand it as well...

    I STILL CANT GET THE KEY OUT WITHOUT D/C the battery... augh... one problem at a time..
     
  5. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Turn the ignition on, do not turn to ready, clear the codes. If the codes come back while the car is NOT ready the problem is in the battery.
     
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  6. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    turned the key to "ON"... no codes at all while in this mode ..
    checked:
    Engine and ECT: no codes
    Hybrid Control: no codes
    HV Battery: no codes
    Cruise control: skipped
    ABS/VSC/TRAC: needs to be running?? skipped
    and the rest skipped.. EMPS/IMMOBILISER/SRS AIRBAG
    i left it on for about 5-10 minutes.. just to make sure
     
  7. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Now see if the code appers after you ready the car. This would tell you the problem is not in the battery. Stators are known to cause P3006 codes. You will need an insulation tester to find the leak.
     
  8. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    crap... this is where it gets technical i guess... insulator tester...let me go figure that out...
     
  9. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    If you decide not to go further yourself I could diagnose it for you. The only problem is I am 100 miles away.
     
  10. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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  11. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Next step I would take is remove the high voltage cables from the inverter and insulation test them.
     
  12. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    today .. i fixed my a/c... went from no a/c... in murrieta... avg 100's.... to this afternoon a freezing 65 on the drive home!!!... an awesome feeling... some how on the 2 years on sitting there.. it must of escaped... hopefully there is no leak... but for now.... im enjoying the cold air... ill run an a/c leak detector tomorrow and sometime manana ill go buy an inexpensive insulator tester..
    there was also a noise on my suspension p/s... could not figure it out... and found out that the top bolt had somehow been coming off... torque that puppy down with some loctite... and BAM!! no more noise...
    the only wierd thing is that its taking longer and longer for the pretty triangle to pop on.. i seem to be clearing the codes when i d/c the batteries... but its taking longer and longer for it to come out and pop.. i think the longest is about 2 minutes out... i will start hopefully this weekend i need a few more tutorials on how to use an insulator tester.. any ideas???
     
  13. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Change the trans fluid first.
     
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  14. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I agree that it is good to change the transaxle fluid first. Buy a new gasket for the transaxle drain pan so that you can remove the pan and clean off the bottom of the pan and the magnet.

    If that doesn't help the P3009 code, then you will need to purchase a megger that allows you to choose a variety of voltages for testing. Use the 1,000V setting when doing the test. The links that you had cited in post #10 provide a good overview of how to test.
     
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  15. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Iv'e re-used several gaskets without a problem. They always stick to the pan nicely. I've actually never changed one, nor has one of the ones I re-used leaked.

    I was taught to test Prii at 500V
     
  16. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    I was also able to reuse my gasket with no problem/no leaks.
     
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Classic operates at ~300V, so I agree that 500V is a good testing voltage for the OP.

    The 2G inverter increases the traction battery voltage from the ~200V range, producing AC voltage at ~500V (HiHy is at ~650V) so if you are working on a 2G and want to use 2x the normal voltage as your test voltage, then 1,000V would be a good test voltage.
     
  18. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    wow great AWESOME info!!
    i will be changing the trans fluid this weekend... *fingers crossed* hopefully the fluid became conductive or find out that it was just a little corrossion easily cleaned while doing the fluid...

    i ordered those service manuals off ebay since I am gonna go foward and keep this puppy alive like frankenstein...

    .. like i said before my key was getting stuck and i went in and starting poking.. but i have friends who like me LOVE to jump in and find stuck out.. well my bud Allan took apart the streering covers off the bottom off.. mind you i have read the many "TAB BREAKING " stories on here.. so we were careful.. no tabs were harmed in this process.. well we checked out the shifter mechanism and found the plug to it.. he disconnected it and BAM... key came out.. so i got a little closer to that i need to wait till the diagram to that plug and wiring diagram and find out if its the solenoid or the enitre shifter is mechanism is broken.. but we are "GUESSING" the solenoid or something is not getting the signal from the shifter that its in PARk so it releases.. i know i have to re read some other post on the KEY ingnition STUCK.. ill prob link just to easily find it.. when i find it..

    Key won't come out of ignition on 2003 | PriusChat
     
  19. chaotic

    chaotic Junior Member

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    well transaxle fluid changed.. and the MASTER LIGHT.. still on...the gasket leaked on mine.. but i tighted over the specified torque and the leak went away... not too tight..just enough to seal ...

    on my drive home... i noticed that my a/c was once again ... not working... so i looked around and found a nice dirty spot on the radiator near the middle on the edge of the passanger side.. very visible.. so i have a leak on my radiator & condender... *sigh* the part is $240 through $300.00 price range ...so the good news is i have the service manuals now and i can easily replace this... i will probably do this this weekend and while i am at it.. change my coolant as well.. since i havent done that yet... it is also very difficult to find anyone with a megaohmmeter to do insulation tests on stuff... most of them run 300 bucks... for a simple test...
     
  20. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I admire your perseverance. You're getting one heck of an education in the school of 'hard knocks.'

    Bob Wilson