Easy to understand help for supposedly bad traction battery

FYI, the Prius is not made to provide a jump start for another car.......that can mess up a lot of things. But I think you lucked out by not having done any damage.

You can just charge up your 12v battery, no need to buy another one. That's not the cause of all your error codes. Your main concern would be the HV battery. But a new one will give you another 8-10 years.....

 

not always. check the 12v health, or just replace it if you can't be bothered. you won't know until you know.

 

I know. This was an extenuating situation and I gave him considerable hell for it. Perhaps I'll give him more.

I don't have a portable charger, so I can ask the dealership to charge it tomorrow since the appointment is already set. No telling whether it would rectify any of the other errors, but it at least eliminates one possibility.

 

rl.

 

it looks bad, but worth the shot at goodwill. is tn a carb state?

 

You can get it charged at Napa for free. I don't think you need to do anything to the 12v, it'll charge itself when you drive.....definitely not the reason for your codes

 

Saverte, disconnect the negative lead from your 12 volt battery at the rear body panel. This will effectively reset your ECU's. Then drive the vehicle again and see what codes reappear. This would rule in or out if any of the other codes were previously stored and not cleared once the offending issue was resolved. I would expect your DTC P0A80 code to reappear quickly once the vehicle is back under power after resetting the ECU's. The other DTC's well you'll have to see. IMO this would provide you with the most current and comprehensive disposition of your car's current state of health.

Jaeco, let's see what the dealer retrieves as far as codes go. As has been discussed on PC countless times if an independent garage doesn't have the proper code reader, the codes that are retrieved may be incorrect and other logged codes may not get retrieved to begin with. I have two readers myself, one that retrieve some codes with a high degree of confidence and the other that can retrieve all codes with the highest degree of confidence. As far as the P3000 DTC is concerned there should be a three digit sub code associated with that primary code. Again if a compatible reader is not used the sub code might not be retrieved or retrieved incorrectly. The sub code further and more precisely directs one to the plausible issue.

 

Bad battery

Then ask him why he's not replacing it under warranty...

Because he is full of the lyings!

 

Jaeco,
The bottom line is you need to get your battery fixed. I recommend a new one from the dealer.

 

My dealership trip ended up with them charging my 12V, which was low, and just running a basic diagnostic. That yielded only a few of the codes from before: P0031, P1121, and P0A80... then as the technician moved the car into a spot outside the shop area, the MWL went off. Apparently he turned it on and it was gone. The MIL stayed on so I asked him to check the codes one more time and he only had P0031 and P1121. Took it to AutoZone, same thing. O'Reilly, same thing.

Searching these forums, the phenomenon of MWL turning off suddenly seems at least not uncommon. Not that I think it was a fluke, I'm sure the HV will die sooner rather than later, but until that day or the day the warning reoccurs, there's no real resolution.

 

Check engine light is related to P1121, the 3 way valve. That's a $75 part but the dealer will want $400-$500 to fix the problem.

 

Yeah, those are both relatively easy to fix. I have a friend willing to do it if I buy parts and beer. Dealer wanted $350.

Nonetheless, I still don't know if the HV issue is solved or just masked. Putting any amount into it if failure is imminent just seems a little pointless.

 

The battery failure is there, it'll come up again sooner than when your friend can finish the beer. Since the Prius is not that popular there, maybe you'll have an easy time looking for a HV battery from a wrecked Prius.

 

Why not just install the new battery and keep driving? If it last 1 more year, you've already gotten your money back. A new car will cost you $300 a month, $3600 plus higher insurance and registration

 

are you near steve at autobeyours?

 

I'm a bit north from him, but not more than a couple hours, I think.

 

might be worth a call. i've heard he's helpful, and easy to talk to.