New to the Prius!

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Spaced_Rat, Jun 19, 2018.

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  1. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    So I just picked up a "new" 2001 Prius with 65K miles on it. It currently has the triangle of death and the red check car light. I did hook up my scanner and got a P3030. After pouring over copious amounts of reading here at Pirus chat, I went ahead and ordered Techstream and cable, not trusting my scanner. I did read the sticky on who should buy one and I am pretty confident I am good to go, or at the least I have a daily driver. Here is quick list of things I intend to work on/check after I replace the 12v aux battery. Right now it wont even start or go into ready mode:

    1. OOG mode

    2. Key Paired mode

    3. Oil level

    4. Water pump and fuse

    5. Code P3030 Lead broken.

    Good info here, thanks for all the good reading so far!

    Jarrett
     
    #1 Spaced_Rat, Jun 19, 2018
  2. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    My updated list today after a refuel, checking the AM2 and replacing the Aux battery did not bring it into ready mode.

    1. OOG mode - Good
    2. Key Paired mode - Good
    3. Oil level
    4. Water pump and fuse
    5. Code P3030 Lead broken
    6. Check battery interlock
    7. AM2 Fuse – Good
    8. Inverter cooler pump
    9. No idea on status of traction battery...
     
    #2 Spaced_Rat, Jun 20, 2018
  3. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    #3 Brian in Tucson, Jun 20, 2018
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  4. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    I was thinking about just putting the harness under the scope and repairing, but it does look like those harnesses are pretty cheap at around $120. Here is the one thing I cant wrap my head around. Would that code prevent the car from readying up and starting? Seems like some codes still allow the vehicle to start but this one is not making any attempt to move..

    How is Tucson these days? I lived there for 14 years, miss the amazing food.
     
    #4 Spaced_Rat, Jun 20, 2018
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  5. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Tucson is still hotter than. . . 106 today, 107 tomorrow. Still great places for food, too All it really needs is a lake that's close. I'm jealous of where you live!

    I can only speculate about why your car won't start. I think that the computer won't allow the IC to start because it's reading a bad HV battery. These cars have a lot of self defense built into the computer systems. Quite often fault codes cascade, one DTC causes others to set. Fix the primary one and the others resolve.

    My first Gen 1 had corrosion on the buss bars. Previous owner ( retired mechanic) had it towed home, cleaned the buss bars, got it running, and swapped it to me (for a Ram pickup.) The car wouldn't start with the bad buss bars. That's why I suggest cleaning or replacing the buss bars in addition to the new harness.
     
    #5 Brian in Tucson, Jun 21, 2018
  6. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    Sounds good. The Battery back comes out this weekend, so stay tuned....
     
    #6 Spaced_Rat, Jun 21, 2018
  7. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    This doesnt give me hope....
     

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    #7 Spaced_Rat, Jun 21, 2018
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  8. LEVE

    LEVE Member

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    Sense harness problems generally don't cause the car not to start, unless there's a multiplicity of breaks in the harness.

    I had the same problem on my Daughter's 2002 Prius. Three times in 4 years the HB Battery sense connector broke. I'd take a few hours to remove the battery, solder the connector (It usually breaks above the crimp) and reinstall the battery.

    Then, I decided she needed to spend a little money and we purchased the harness from a Toyota dealer. IMHO, it was money well spent. I figure it will take a couple more years for that harness to start showing it's age and have problems. So far, so good.
     
    #8 LEVE, Jun 22, 2018
  9. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    That's not good. Hold off on buying that new harness.

    Let's talk a little backstory. How many miles? It didn't start when you bought it? What kind of shape is the car in; rusty? paint? body? interior? How are the tires? How much did you pay? Can you afford to potentially put a couple of grand into it? & are you inclined to do so?

    I'm thinking that your HV battery is bad. Probably the PO ran the battery down and then let it sit. Not good. If it were mine, I'd probably put the grid charger on it. But that's about $400 to buy.

    You need to decide whether you want to cut your losses or fix it. Sorry.
     
    #9 Brian in Tucson, Jun 22, 2018
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  10. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    Brian,

    No worries! This particular car has 65,000 miles and is in excellent shape. I paid $900 and have about an extra $300 in it between the tow dolly rental, Techstream and a new Aux battery. I knew going in, that purchasing a new traction battery was a possibility and I have no problem doing so. Right now I am just trying to see if I can do it the cheap way while learning about the car.

    The plan is to corral some of my buddies, yank this pack, and start charging each cell individually (I read about clamping them). The only thing I cant sort out in my head is why the SOC is 54% if the pack is dead as a doorknob? I need to find this "plug to nowhere" and see if I can get a voltage reading.......
     
    #10 Spaced_Rat, Jun 22, 2018
  11. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    This. And, will this car need to be reliable transportation or just a project? If the former, you're going to need a new battery.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #11 fotomoto, Jun 22, 2018
  12. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    This is a project. Only end state requirement is to take me to work and back on a semi regular basis so I can park my diesel guzzling Duramax.
     
    #12 Spaced_Rat, Jun 22, 2018
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  13. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Well, it sounds like you'll end up with a very low mi. car for about $3 grand. My "bring a tow dolly" car had about 200,000 mi. on it, but I only paid $400. Mine had an almost new Toyota battery, but a lot more miles. Sounds like your's is a candidate for whatever you decide to do. They are incredibly nice little cars, btw. Post some pics when you get a chance.
     
    #13 Brian in Tucson, Jun 23, 2018
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  14. dabard051

    dabard051 Tinkerer-in-Charge

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    Check also the thread "Battery Fires at ECU Sense Plug" in this forum... while flat cells (dead HV pack) is possible (likely?), the OTHER end of the sense wires is beginning to show signs of decay in the fleet. If you can find a buddy with a GenI prius, a swap-the-HV-pack afternoon may help to determine whether your HV pack is the issue or not. Then it becomes a dollar decision, not a knowledge decision.

    Do keep us posted; we're rooting for you to find a winner with this car!
     
    #14 dabard051, Jun 24, 2018
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  15. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    The battery pack is out, and I have confirmed that each cell is depleted to around .5 vdc. I have been using my hobby chargers to recharge each cell, so far they are responding to recharge.

    All of the bars are corroded badly, so i am cleaning that mess all up as well. Been a pretty interesting project so far.
     
    #15 Spaced_Rat, Jun 24, 2018
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  16. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    Pics of the madness
     

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    #16 Spaced_Rat, Jun 24, 2018
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  17. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    And here is a pic of the car.
     

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    #17 Spaced_Rat, Jun 25, 2018
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  18. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    Charging is going slooooooooooowwwwwwwwww..... May have identified 3 bad modules so far.
     
    #18 Spaced_Rat, Jun 26, 2018
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  19. thatoneraccoon

    thatoneraccoon Active Member

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    Oh man I know right! Took me 2 weeks to do a 3 cycle recondition all the cells on my 2nd gen
    Your 1st gen looks amazing btw!
     
    #19 thatoneraccoon, Jun 28, 2018
  20. Spaced_Rat

    Spaced_Rat New Member

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    Update:

    Put the pack back in with known bad cells just to see if it might start. Well it will ready up and crank for a second but wont fire. Gives P3006 code (batteries are uneven) which I expected but I was hoping it would at least fire... Here is the latest battery status. Code 3030 is gone.....
     

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    #20 Spaced_Rat, Jun 29, 2018
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