CEL; P0441 and P0455

Oh boy.

First of all, I hope you and yours are staying healthy. Like many here I'm sure, I've been working from home for the past couple of weeks. As a result, since 3/13 my 2012 C4 has not been driven its usual 88 mile commute every day. I have taken it out a couple of times for a short errands during this time and when it's been a few days between jaunts, I at least start it up and let the engine run for several minutes. Last time I filled it with gas was the 12th and it's been about half full until I finally decided to fill it up today while I was out.

Well, when I first started it up to take it for errands today, the CEL was on. First time ever that I can recall. I had just done an oil change about 4k miles ago and the oil is still full (I checked). The car seems to be running fine. I ran a test with my OBD2 and it's showing P0455 and P0441 indicating a large evap leak. It would be nice if it were a simple matter of the gas cap, but I'm doubtful since as I said the tank was half full and the light never came on until today. For the heck of it, I removed and checked the gas cap and it was fine, so I resecured it.

At the rate I'm driving lately, I won't get a full drive cycle in for at least another week probably. And coincidentally, I have one more payment left on this thing and I was hoping to drive it forever (it has 144k miles on it). Assuming the CEL doesn't go out on its own, what's my next logical step short of bringing it to a dealer? I really don't want to have to do that since it's always the most costly option.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

 

It has 144k miles on it, but it's never had an issue starting. I've never replaced the 12v battery, but it still starts right up fine. A bad 12v wouldn't trigger those codes, would it? They're supposedly indicating a large evap leak.

 

Well, I had a battery on my 'to get' list before winter, but figured I could skate through the warmer months. Maybe I have to move it up. Bummer Pep Boys doesn't seem to have it any more.

What's the definition of "weak" when it comes to checking the existing battery? Could that give me a good indication of it going south?

 

Okay, so I'm sure not being used for a long daily commute has taken some toll. That and the fact that as far as I know it's the original 12v battery. I plugged my INNOVA 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor into the cigarette lighter, hit the On button on the car (without foot on brake) and it showed 11.72v. Started the car and it went up to 14.59v. I guess a new battery wouldn't hurt. But i wish I knew if it had anything to do with the CEL.

Since PepBoys no longer has the Bosch 51-440BAGM, I'm inclined to just buy an OEM from Toyota and install it myself. That's probably $200+, but an Optima or even that Bosch if I could get it was just under $200. Any other suggestions or battery options I should consider?

 

Thanks. I'm leaning toward OEM, too. At least I can be fairly certain it'll be pretty much plug-n-play. Other than the awkwardness of maneuvering in there, I can't imagine it would be too difficult. In fact, it looks pretty straightforward in this video.

 

Okay, I'm this close to placing an order with my local dealer for a new battery for $211.85. It's a different part number than what I had looked up online, but when I asked him about it he said:

The new battery number is because the replacement batteries are all Toyota True Starts. The replacement battery now carries a 7 year warranty. The first 2 years are free replacement, and the remainder is pro-rated.

Based on the numbers from my Innova tester of 11.69v (engine On but not started) and 14.58v (engine running), do you still think a new battery is in order? If I don't have to spend $200+ now, I'd rather not. On the other hand, I don't want any surprises down the road. BTW, the CEL is still on.

 

Is that something they'll do at AutoZone or wherever, even thought they don't even sell our battery? I assume they'll have to access the actual battery under the back seat, yes? Even so, I don't think that fits in with the whole "social distancing" thing we're all dealing with right now. Maybe I'll wait a bit.

 

Thanks for that info. I did search because I knew I had seen similar threads here about voltage, but I'll be darned if I could find them when I looked this time. That's why I asked again.

Anyway, I never got around to ordering the battery yesterday, but I did have take about a half-hour ride to run a couple of errands. CEL was still on for the duration. Had to get back to work at home. Then this afternoon after I was finished work, I went out to run another errand...and when I started it up I happened to notice no CEL. Maybe the thing just got used to that 90 mile per day commute and when it didn't get it for a couple of weeks, it decided to throw the codes.

Yeah, yeah, I realize I probably still need a new battery, but for now, I'm enjoying the fact that that light went away.

 

Okay, fair point. I'll get one sooner rather than later. If I may, a follow-up question (or 2). As I mentioned, I'm inclined to go with an OEM from the local Toyota dealer. At this point in the car's life, I'm looking for the easiest replacement. I've read the posts regarding adapting a mobility scooter battery, and I've read pros and cons about the Optima yellow top battery. Pep Boys no longer carries the Bosch, which I was originally considering as a replacement, so I think OEM will be my best bet.

This is my first Prius. In previous vehicles, if the battery needed replacing, I'd just get one of the shelf at the local AutoZone or wherever. I'm not sure how these Prius 12v batteries may be different. Is it safe to assume that if I pick up a battery from the local Toyota dealer it will be fully charged and ready to install or do I need to make sure and ask it to be charged up? If so, does that mean I should order it a day or s before I want to pick it up? Anything else I should be cautious about?

Thanks.

P.S. I guess Optima is off the list anyway. According to their own website: We’re sorry we don’t have an OPTIMA® battery that will fit your particular make and model vehicle.

Duracell from Batteries Plus is $215
Autocraft from Advance Auto is $200
AutoZone doesn't show any for Prius C four
TrueStart from Toyota is $212