My airbag light is on but no fault code?

1. get a new catalytic converter
2. there is more than 1 airbag light, which one is on?
3. the steering wheel needs a new spiral cable (OEM one will be best)

 

You need a dealer level scan tool to analyze complex systems other than the power train. A cheap OBD code reader is not going to pick up Hybrid, ABS or SRS fault codes as it only reads power train fault codes stored on the main computer.

A bidirectional dealer scan tool such as Toyota Techstream communicates with all the different ECMs networked together on the CAN-Bus. There are about 17 different ECMs in a 2nd generation Prius. The airbag light that's on is more likely the SRS light as I bought my 09 Prius like that with the SRS light on. It was an easy fix as it turns out that the occupant airbag sensor in my front passenger seat was out of calibration. I connected the car with TechStream and opened up the calibration wizard. I then set the values to zero, re weighed the seat for the correct calibration, cleared the fault code and SRS light went out.

 

Airbag light and non-functioning steering controls point to bad spiral cable.

 

If you’re going to work on a Prius get Mini-VCI. Mini-VCI is cheap but requires a Windows laptop. You can do all the diagnosing and service work to Prius with it as it’s basically the same Techstream software that dealer uses.

 

Those cheap Chinese knock cables from eBay or Amazon that comes with a pirated copy of techstream will work fine but use at your own risk. The hardware is a replica of low quality cheap electronic components that can potentially damage the CAN-Bus as it's not approved by Toyota.

You can get the real thing from a company called Drew Technologies that makes Mongoose Pro J2534 OEM programming/diagnostic cables. The Toyota approved Mongoose Pro is known as TechStream Lite comes with a 1 year software license via https://techinfo.toyota.com The Mongoose Pro cable is rather affordable as its $500 bucks compared the full Tech Stream diagnostic kit that cost $5,799 that comes with a Panasonic Toughbook, Denso VIM and TechStream software. Nothing will beat a factory scan tool when it comes to diagnostics.

Techstream Lite
MongoosePro Toyota 2

Techstream 2.0 Full
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/ts/ts2.0_prodinfosheettinfo.pdf

Blue Driver is another scan tool I recommend which is popular among professional auto technicians. As scan tools have evolved Blue Driver is getting more closer to dealer level scanners. This OBD II Bluetooth adapter plugs right into the OBD port in your dash while you can use your android smartphone or iPhone as a Scan tool with the blue driver app. What I like about Blue Driver is it gives you repair guides that connects to a database. It cost only $99. I think it's better than Autel's code readers. BlueDriver

 

Techstream will theoretically work with any dongle that works on the J2534 standard. The coolness of the Drew MongoosePro is that Toyota actually tests it and says "yes, it's supported." But it's $495, and other, cheaper dongles work, as long as they are J2534. Some of the really cheap, counterfeit ones will mostly work, but may flake out during certain operations with Techstream. It doesn't seem to be very predictable which cheap ones will flake out, or which operations they'll flake out on.

Depending on your Prius generation, you can also check the Repair Manual for ways of retrieving the trouble codes without Techstream. All up through Gen 3, at least, let you pull brake/ABS/VSC/TRAC codes using a jumper wire and counting light blinks. Gen 1 let you read codes from many other of the car's computers that way too, including airbag codes. My notes for Gen 3 say it can also blink out airbag codes that way, so it is probably a safe bet that Gen 2 can as well.

The Gen 1 and Gen 3 procedure involves putting a jumper between the TC and CG terminals (other threads here will help find them). If the car is IG ON for a minute or so before the jumper is placed, the currently-active airbag codes blink out. If the jumper is in place when the car is turned IG ON, past, remembered airbag codes blink out.

In your case, if you have flaky steering wheel buttons, you almost certainly have a bad spiral cable, which takes a lot of the mystery out of the airbag codes.

-Chap

 

Yeah the Mongoose Pro TechStream Lite is actually sold by Toyota to dealerships and aftermarket. They are the only Toyota OEM cables that exist besides compatible approved pass through interferences offered by drew tech, Bosch, SnapOn etc. There's a reason why it's 500 bucks compared to cheap Chinese junk that's very unstable with stolen drivers still in ahpha stage. It wouldn't matter of the dongle as they are all Chinese designed hardware, thats why they are all sold so cheap because passthrough hardware is generally not cheap. There's a reason why I said use at your own risk as China doesn't seem to have copyright laws. Autel is in fact getting sued right now as the software on their MaxiSys is reversed engineered.

 

TechStream requires a J2534 type cable. Sounds like you have just a standard generic OBD cable.

 

If you're talking professional dealer level, sorry to say there isn't a one universal cable for that. The only universal hardware out there are pass-through vehicle communication modules. They generally aren't cheap as you are looking at $1,600 sold by SnapOn, Drew Tech etc. Not only that, you need the dealer OEM diagnostic software for each auto manufacturer. OEM Scan Tool Center - National Automotive Service Task Force

I recommend blue driver as the cheapest OBDII scan tool if you plan on working on different types of cars. SnapOn and Autel Maxisys dealer scanners are going to run a couple grand. I don't encourage people to use pirated software but use at your own risk as you can just buy VX-Diag. VXDiag VCX NANO for TOYOTA TIS Techstream V12.10.019 Compatible with SAE J2534

 

That's a pretty fair assessment of a lot of the J2534 dongle market, but it notably ignores the Tactrix Openport 2.0, hardware designed and assembled in San Francisco (I think their PC board fabrication is done somewhere else on the west coast, might have read that in their FAQ), and sold on their web site for $169.

However, there are counterfeiters of their stuff too, so if you find an Openport somewhere that isn't the Tactrix web site and at a "great price", then the words about counterfeit junk once again apply.

Sounds like an earlier version of Tactrix's product. (Either that, or a counterfeit of the earlier version of Tactrix's product.) I've found the 2.0 version to be quite solid with Techstream and my Gen 3 Prius, but I have no experience to report with the 1.3 version.

-Chap