Red triangle and hybrid warning light, and Check engine light illuminated! Please help!

Congrats JDirtbiker!

No special procedures. Just hop in and drive.

 

That sounds right.
Orange plug pushed in (towards front of car)
Then flip the level to the upright position.

That's all that's needed in a Gen 1.

Make sure you remembered to plug in the fan, etc in the back.
Sometimes people forget.

You could unhook 12v battery for 30 seconds to totally clear all the codes.
and then try again.

 

Ok...just bought a 2002 Prius in nice shape two days ago. ..at a nice low price from a car dealer (small)
I noticed the car...and stopped to inquire and low price was due to bad battery. When asked what effect does it have on the car...he stated it drives normally but would get a little lower mpg.. (lie)
I took it for a short spin of maybe 5 miles and up a few hills and it seemed fine...Master display working fine...charging looked fine. but the red triangle on dash and check engine light was on.

I inquired more ...got same story...so I decided to buy having read a few forums about repairing Prius batteries

Bought it and drove rental (totaled my near immaculate Chevy 2001 Prizm...30 mpg around town...on Friday before) home to have wife bring me to pick up car.

drove car over large hill and down to interstate...entered interstate and drove about 5 miles at 65...then the motor revved and slowed down...all lights ..and brake light came on..

pulled over turned motor off...and an emergency guy pulled up behind me ... said I should tow it...but may be able to limp home.

Took to AutoZone and they pulled a code indicating a catalytic converter efficiency problem..then limped in 15 miles to home on back roads.

The Display went to an alert main and something (three boxes) with alert in one on right...never have gotten the main system display back

Next stopped twice on way back

each time battery fan at rear could be heard.

Car runs fine for maybe 10 miles then will rev (have to pull over) and fan is on.
Master display never came back...it either is off with little red triangle at upper right or has those three boxes.

Next day I drove 15 miles...backroads...to replace the Cat just to eliminate that possibility ($175 labor incl and meets Calif specs)

I suspect deteriorating battery and am prepared to remove and replace modules as I have been in electronics , car audio business etc most of my life and understand HV and LV...been in LIPO powered RC for 6 years now so have some really good chargers and testing equip....as well as a really sturdy , large dual bench to rebuild on.

Now my biggest concern is the display. Has anyone seen this happen . I have read many forums now and see no similar problem ...only those associated with intermittent displays and or bad solder joints. This scenario seemed to be one created by the computer thinking it was losing power and went into a limp mode and conserving power as if battery was going down. The car has always started perfectly...and no seeming low voltage issues evident.

Maybe there is a way to reset it which I have not seen to get display back...which happened after first rev and pull over on day one...but never again.

I will be ordering some gen 1 cells next week and plan to 'get by' for now that way...then later get a Dorman refurb...or maybe buy 2 gen 2 packs and upgrade to gen 2

Another question are there any new gen 1 or 2 modules available.... or can gen 3 be done same way?

money is tight having bought the car from insurance money but if it will get me by a few months while I build my business...I anticipate a great cash flow and should have no trouble buying a refurb or similar as this car is nearly immaculate inside and out and is a great candidate for repair....I have driven many later Prius (new circa 2009-2010) when I installed Neverlost for Hertz for 2 years...but like this little Prius much better as it has a great turning radius and looks sleeker than the newer ones (rides better also)

sadly ..the little Chevy Prizm was to be crucial in starting my buiz...so getting this Prius going is very important as I dont wish to be driving the 15 mpg truck to distant places I should be driving the Prius to.

Long winter out of work from rotator cuff and tendon repair depleted my funds..

 

1. Get Mini VCI so that you can retrieve the DTC yourself and have a clue about what is wrong with your car.
2. Take a sharp photo of the multifunction display (MFD) and post so that we can see what your concern is.
3. I think it would be a mistake to install replacement Classic traction battery modules as they are ~14 years old. It would be better to buy 38 G3 battery modules if you are actually depending upon the Prius for your business income stream. Yes, that will cost much more but do not expect to have a reliable vehicle if you are going to take shortcuts on the traction battery repair.
4. You can buy a new traction battery from Toyota dealers, of course - for ~$2,500. There may be new clone battery modules available from China but their quality level is unknown.

 

Do I need the 16 or 22 pin version...and I noticed the china ones had a software cd...do I need that as all the ones in the states dont show a cd disk...is it downloadable from somewhere like Toyota?

ebay --- /sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Mini+VCI&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=7

My 'game plan' was to buy a couple gen 1 cells to just make the computer happy...as it evidently was sorta happy the first day I drove it...then if it seems right...maybe sell my old Stratacaster and just spring for a Dorman reman....or would it be better to buy gen 3 straight up and rebuild it with those. Dorman gives a 3 year warranty...something I can rely on during the busiiness build.


I should be able to get pics Wednesday

 

16 pin.

The third time you and the drummer pull the battery, the Dorman will make a lot of sense. <GRINS>

Bob Wilson

 

Actually I was referencing the self-build by non-technical folks. We've seen a history of patching in a few modules and six months later, having to do it again. As for Dorman, my Rex Taylor built pack from 2009 is working just fine.

Bob Wilson

 

Ah... sorry for the confusion. There have been a couple of accounts of multiple replacements on this site.

Steve

 

Bob,

It was your due diligence on Taylor's ReInVolt rebuilding process that convinced me to get a rebuilt HV battery for my 2004 Prius from them in 2011. Thanks to your efforts, my Prius is still alive and happy.

JeffD

 

Thanks Bob...and others..
And after reading a lot of the forums agree 100%. My game plan is simply buy a couple modules to see it I can make the computer happy (and get the display back) without slinging $1700 at it without know if that is in fact the problem. After all it was working when I bought it...and I only drove it less than 20 miles before it puked ...so should not be in too bad of shape.

I'm working on some cash flow projects that should give me the Dorman reman option inside 30 days. I already seen the logic of the later option. ..

Should be an interesting project ..and will get me ready for any future trouble the reman may give (hands on replacement). I think the cute little Prius will make a real Road Warrior...won't carry many of my RC video planes/drones though... I usually haul 10 or more ...or did so preeviously in the Chevy Prizm I totalled... probably wont get more than 5-6 in the little Prius..but hey...40-50 mpg .

 

I'm in Huntsville AL. Where are you?

Bob Wilson

 

Hi Bob...
I'm in Maryville Tn...(south of Knoxville). I drove to Huntsville for a day or two of training a couple years ago as an outside retention specialist for Wow Cable.

Stopped in at the absolutely first class RC plane field there...and took a lot of pics at the Space centers... (really cool)

 

That is close enough for a day-trip, ~4-5 hours. Let me know when you're planning to start the work and I'll see if I can come up and help 'turn a wrench.'

Bob Wilson

 

Hi Bob

'preciate the offer...

Have a real good bench to work on the battery...and may open it up first and do simple checks...if it looks beyond my capability ...may give ya a holler.

Going to order the 16 pin mini VCI....but dont think anyone answered if I need a program on my laptop (if so which one) to read the mini VCI.
See some Hong Kong Mini VCI's that have cd disk...but ones here in states dont. Can I download the ap somewhere?

would like to get the Mini VCI first and then pull the battery...then order my modules

 

You've got the right plan. But you'll need Windows XP and the CD because there is a 'driver' to install. It may be possible to download the software but I have used the CD.

Bob Wilson

 

Uh oh.... may already be in trouble then...
Methinks there is an old xp tower around here somewhere....maybe....that still works. Since the only mini VCIs I see that have a disk is across the pond, I guess I had better get that ordered right away . Eastern shipments are typically 2 weeks...so will be a while before I can get those readings

 

Heres the display pic...along with upper dash pic