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2010 prius "check hybrid system" message received today. :(

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by H00s13r, Sep 15, 2022.

  1. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The original lasted 12 years! I bought it from Toyota.
    Then you KNOW it will fit correctly withough modification.
    You will want to charge it for several hours at 4 amps or less.
    When I put mine in, it wasn't enought to start the car. But I had brought my
    charger with me. It started at 3.5 amps for 3 hours, then started going down.
    I had to go somewhere so I wasn't able to fully charge it. I took the charger off and put it away,
    and closed up the back. It was about 15-20 minutes, but the car started.

    When I got back home I put it on the charger for 10 hours. Haven't had a problem since.
    I have a usb port that shows voltage. With the old battery it would start at 14.1 volts, then drop
    to 13.8 and pretty much stayed there. But with the new battery it will start at 14.0-14.1 volts, then
    drop down to 13.5 and eventually go to 13.1 volts.

     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    The Toyota battery is the gold standard but you might pay twice the price in some markets. There have been reports of poor availability but I think you need to call and ask for price and availability. The battery has smaller terminals than some that are about the same size and it has a vent port for a special tube in the car. With that said, auto supplies have aftermarkets that fit with vents. I use one and saved money.

    There is no need to buy a bluetooth adapter that has to be unlocked.
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Think so. With iPhone app purchase at least, the purchase is registered, and if you migrate to a new phone all previous apps are still registered.
     
  4. H00s13r

    H00s13r Member

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    so when I buy a new replacement battery I have to charge it before use? If so can I just use a trickle charger/battery tender? I have one I use for my lawn mower during the winter. I don't have any other means to charge a battery.
     
  5. H00s13r

    H00s13r Member

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    Good to know. I was going to check my local dealer parts department and then look online. I have found other toyota dealers that sell online with prices usually much better than my local dealer parts department.
     
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  6. H00s13r

    H00s13r Member

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    Ok. Thanks
     
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  7. H00s13r

    H00s13r Member

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    So I had to move the prius yesterday out of my garage as I needed the space to work on something in the garage and the "check hybrid system" message is now gone. The prius is back to normal now. When I moved it back into the garage later yesterday evening it was still the same-no longer that message and yellow triangle of death. So now what? Do I just drive it and see what happens? I still plan on getting the replacment battery and checking the hybrid fan, but should I do anyting else? I will probably still get the BT OBD2 scanner and try out the dr prius app.
     
  8. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    You could easily have a temperature related issue which you want to know about quickly if it exists. Your 12v battery is on life support at 12 years old, do yourself a favor and proactively replace it before it strands you away from home. A bluetooth adapter for a free scanner app is $30. Buy it and figure out how to use it before you need it is also being proactive. Link in my post above. The battery is waiting at your local dealer or auto supply.
     
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    This "could" be 12v battery related. You should have a meter can check the battery.
    But, it needs replacing. A week 12v battery causes all sorts of issues.
    Toyota MAY have a charged one on hand. But they don't normally charge them, they just
    sit on the shelve. You could ask them to charge it, but will the do it correctly and not go above
    4 amps? Who knows?
    But your trickle charger will work for over night. Check the voltage before charging it and after.


     
  10. ttou68

    ttou68 Active Member

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    Auto part store offer battery check and should include load testing..
    Replacement is needed if failed or close to failure...

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  11. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    Check hybrid system often means your airflow in the HV battery is restricted. Dirty vent or filter, cleaning the vent fix most of this message. I will not change anything without a proper diagnosis. It is like shooting in the dark and draining your wallet.
    1. Clean the vent on the HV battery
    2. get any capable OBD2 scanner like Veepeak or Panloong with Dr. Prius Apps (free version). Check if all HV battery is within range and the internal resistances are homogenous. Don't buy a Pro version of Dr. Prius that is mostly a gimmick. There is no way to check battery life expetancy or battery capacity. NiMH batteries often drop or fail abruptly, not slow degradation like Li-ion.
    3. No need to worry about a 12V battery if you always can start the car without issue. Some last more than 10 years.

    If it is not broken, don't fix it or waste time and money for nothing.
     
  12. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Bad advice on a 12 year old 12v battery.
     
  13. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    The 12V battery does nothing besides starting the car. There is no correlation with the check hybrid system. There is indeed some error warning when the battery is dropped below 10V when starting the car but no issue if it can go to Ready mode.
     
  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    It can draw excessive current trying to charge and will certainly strand the op soon.
     
  15. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    We can simply buy a jump starter with a Li-battery pack from reputable brands. Prius only need 60Amp for starting the car. we rarely have unintended drain battery issues in modern cars these days. In Prius 3rd gen, the body lights turned off after about 30 minutes but accidentally turning on parking lights may drain the battery quickly. I always have a jump starter (only cable or battery pack) in all of my cars because things happen.
     
  16. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The 12 volt battery doesn't start the car. It supplies power to the computer.
    Then tells the main computer if everything is operating correctly or not. If it is, the hybrid
    system is turned on and the car is "ready". If not, it won't start and you'll get warning.

    Again, if the 12v battery is weak, you could possibly get warning lights.
     
  17. H00s13r

    H00s13r Member

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    Thanks guys for all your continued help. I decided that 12yrs and 3months is probably long enough for an original battery, so I went ahead and replaced the original battery with a new true start from my local dealer. I have ordered a BT obd2 scanner from amazon. Once it shows up I will try it out with the dr prius app and see what I can find out about the status of my hybrid battery pack. I also plan on checking the hybrid fan again this weekend to ensure that it is not dirty. I have driven the car a few times locally for errands, and so far it has been okay. Once I get the BT scanner and have had a chance to play around with it I will let you guys know what I find out.
    Thanks again!
     
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  18. DirkAshburn

    DirkAshburn Member

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    Keep an eye on your MPG after replacing that battery. I'm curious if it drops like others have 7-12mpg.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mine didn't, most don't
     
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  20. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    The 12V battery effects nothing but placebo effects. DCtoDC converter manage the 12V battery and all 12V lines once the car in READY state. The MPG depends mainly on HV battery, MG2, MG1, inverter, and engine performance. As long as those components are good, MPG will stay the same.