Just bought an 06 Prius with 124k. Drove it for 500 miles and got the dreaded red triangle, CEL and VSC lights. Battery seemed to be functioning fine as I drove 50 miles home, and the hybrid battery seemed fine....It would charge all the way up and didn't seem to deplete too quickly. The 12v battery checked good when I got home and I downloaded a PA080 code for "replace hybrid battery pack". I reset the light and have driven it a few hundred miles and the only thing u notice is the engine engages and disengages a little rough, but it's my first Prius might be normal. I was thinking of cleaning it the fan, then checking individual cell voltage and replacing any low cells. What do you think?
Yep. If you're in a tight financial situation, then spending the elbow grease and $30 at a time to replace modules may be the way to go. Just know that every replacement and balance will take a day of down time and is a temporary fix. But I've seen people drive a car with a blown headgasket for a year before it just wouldn't go anymore. And by "seen", I mean I did it in my old Subaru, just carried about 10 2L pop bottles full of water in the trunk and drove with the windows full down and heater fully on, even in the summer. It can be done, but it isn't pleasant and is definitely going to do more damage in the long run. A new battery is the best option.
I got the car for $3300. I'm sure they reset the lights and pulled a quick one on me. I have another car, I got the Prius as a reliable and efficient car to burn thru miles on. I checked the 12v with the OBD. I have a multimeter also, but didn't put it on the battery since the test was straightforward. I noticed yesterday there was a point where the hybrid battery didn't seem to be charging....I parked it with 2 bars then I started it up and it was almost full. Seemed like it doesn't accurately read the charge.
Straightforward does not equal accurate. The more you say, the more I think you got suckered and have a big lemon. It may have multiple problems, that might cost you ANOTHER $3300 to get anywhere close to reliable. BUT......you really need a better test on the 12 V battery, starting with using your meter to check the resting voltage. A weak 12 V can make it LOOK like a lot of other things are bad......when they really are not. Loose or corroded connections on the main battery cables can give similar false readings.
That's another sign the pack is going out. The only solution for that is a new pack. Playing wack-a-mole with the original pack modules is cheap but no guarantee for reliability.
Outside chance it could be brake actuator issue which is covered to Dec_2017. Take it to good/big Toyota dealer for checks. If hybrid battery is bad, consider a call to Toyota USA to ask for goodwill warranty assistance on batt replacement. NJ is CARB state so assuming car is orig sold in NJ you are not too far from warranty period.
I know when I hit the brakes, there is a spooling sound coming from under the steering wheel area. Is that a symptom of the brake actuator?
That sounds to me like regenerative braking. You can get almost exactly the same sound by accelerating gradually enough that the engine doesn't start. Brake actuator is more of a buzzing kind of sound from the passenger side of the engine bay.
...not sure about the symptoms Brake Actuator Assem - Warranty Enhancement | PriusChat The thing is you want to try to find a helpful dealer service, which is usually the bigger ones with some clout with Toyota PS- I used to hang out in Cherry Hill all the time (South Jesrey alum)
Now my traction battery is all over. It won't charge when braking sometimes, then other times it seems like it charges rapidly when the engine turns on or during braking. When I get a day off work I'm gonna run my multimeter on the 12v and each of the traction battery cells. Coupled with the PA080 code I would think I have a bad hybrid battery. Thanks for the help!
Unfortunately the HV battery is a sore spot for hybrids. They don't last for the life of the car despite what many think the life of a car should be. Properly maintained and with a little luck most late model cars should last for 15 years and 200K miles if driven regularly on the highway. But considering you didn't really pay too much for it, you might get another 100K miles out of it with a new HV pack from a Toyota dealership assuming there aren't any other serious issues with it. You can always swap out modules also but you've thrown reliability out the window then. The seller got away with a fast one but it's buyer beware and that will never change.
