2009 Prius - ABS Actuator Out / HV Battery harm?

If you went to this mechanic with just a check engine light, it should only be emission related parts that fail. Not the ABS actuator. I would highly suggest you take the car to another mechanic that won't be ripping you off.

Damn when you live in HI even mechanics will treat you like a tourist, easy target on your back

 

Welcome to PriusChat!!

Quite possible that the mechanics OBD2 code reader wasn't hybrid compatible.

Maybe the code (DTC) that was retrieved wasn't "current", have you ever noticed the ABS light on the dash before?

It might pull down the 12v when the vehicle is off. Do you hear the ABS pump running all the time?

The new OEM pump new costs about 1100+, and a new battery is 1600 to 2100 (NiMh vs Lithium), there are other options for less that can be delivered to Hawaii. Both HV batteries would require installation. Do you have a DIY attitude and some basic tools for such?

You might want to invest a couple of coconuts on a OBD2 bluetooth adapter to use with an App like Dr Prius or Hybrid Assistant, that way you can properly scan this hybrid vehicle without relying on others or additional expense. Before purchasing a OBD2 bluetooth adapter, read up here : Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus

If you want the same level of diagnostics that the dealerships use and charge for, then you will need a mini-vci cable ($20) and techstream installed on a windows device.


FYI : you're moderated until you've posted 5 times.

 

The bigger problem is that the mechanic is so far out of his.

There is no "ABS actuator out" code. The mechanic should have told you, first and foremost, what actual code(s) he read. Bonus if he told you the fortune cookie(s) also that go with the code(s). I'm usually on here explaining why the fortune cookies are next to useless information, but compared to some made up "ABS actuator out" that isn't even the real fortune cookie for any existing code, well, even the nearly-useless fortune cookies are more useful than that.

There are some codes that the brake ECU can set only because it is aware of issues in other areas of the car. So it really matters to know what codes were read.

 

tech stream, or at least dr prius

 

Brake system codes can be retrieved using no scan tool at all, just a short piece of wire and a little counting of dash light blinks.

This turns out to be handy again and again and again, both for people who are caught with brake warning lights and no scan tool in reach, and for people who have a scan tool that isn't giving them the codes.

Are you noticing frequent cycling of your brake pump?

I haven't heard many stories about it continuing to run forever while the car is off; typically the brake system goes to sleep a couple minutes after the car is powered off, and wakes up when the driver's door is opened. If it is never going to sleep (a) I'd think you'd notice that, and (b) it would probably indicate more than one thing wrong.

 

Hope the prius shop didn't charge you for that code scan. Seems odd that the dealership didn't have someone around that could plug in a cable to do a quick OBD2 scan, and then charge you 100+ (or does Servco charge 200?) for 5 mins of work.

Sounds like the 'prius shop' person might be confusing your vehicle with another that has a brake issue, or thinks there is a wallet in the wide open position. Given what little we know about the business/owner/technician, you might want avoid this shop going forward, even if the local stealership recommends them. They are either looking for a quick buck, or a discounted 2009 to add to their fleet/showroom.

Is the check engine light still on?

Do all of the warning lights briefly flash or appear when you first start the vehicle?

Unlikely that a dealer (especially Servco Toyota in Hawaii) would do the labor for only few hundred, but if they do please let us know. Still can't believe they sent you packing to an independent shop either.

Did you use the link mentioned above (and now below) to read up on the different OBD2 adapters, and which not to buy?

Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus

Besides the iphone, do you also have a ios/winblows laptop available?

Calling BS on the mechanic. Only the inverter and the AC would be using the HV battery, and never when the car is off.

 

it is the buzzing sound you hear when opening the drivers door to get in. then it continues at some pushes of the brake pedal to replenish, but less audible because the car is running

 

I think it sounds a little bit like a toy rattlesnake rattling for a second or two. (Does anybody make a toy rattlesnake? Kind of disturbing....)

If you're at all unsure what sound that is, you can just sit still in the car and push the brake pedal a few times, until you hear it. Then you'll think "oh, ok, that sound."

 

Since you have an iOS device, you will need an emulator. Here is one example : Oracle VM VirtualBox

Yes, as does the engine, and both together as well.

 

when the lights come on, it is a system check. if they all go out, you're good

 

The repair manual shows codes for the brake system with the five character code you would see on a scan tool, a slash, and the corresponding two digit code that gets blinked on the dash when the Tc and CG pins are jumpered together at the diagnostic connector.

This is the frustrating thing about a forum site as opposed to something more like a wiki. (There is in fact a wiki on this site, but it gets very little love for whatever reason.) On a wiki you can explain something once and people find it. On a forum you explain the same thing eighty seven gazillion times.

This is one thing I think has been covered enough on PriusChat that if you made a search phrase out of some of the stuff in the first sentence above, you'd find a bunch of posts explaining it, some fairly completely. I hope this doesn't come across as personal, it's more me ... this topic in particular just feels like one I've burned out on writing repeated explanations of.

Kind of a shame too, as it is such a useful thing to know about, given it works wherever you are if you get caught with warning lights and no scan tool handy, and it seems to stay such a well kept secret, and people still post questions and get two pages of replies telling them if they don't have X software and Y hardware to scan with, they can't find out the codes.

The limitation is not all the ECUs in the car can do the blink trick. The brake ECU is one of the ones that can, and that's handy, because brake warning lights seem to be among the more common ones to get.