C1253 after change ABS pump

1. Check ABS-1 and ABS-2 fuses.
2. There is one wire to check continuity between the skid control ECU and the brake actuator. Then check that two pins for the brake actuator wiring harness are connected to body ground.

3. There are additional resistance checks that can be made, see techinfo.toyota.com to get the entire troubleshooting list. It seems that you have some sort of wiring harness issue since you've already swapped the likely components that would cause this DTC.
4. If all of the wiring harness checks show the wiring is good then the skid control ECU may need to be replaced.

 

For DTC C1253, there are eight (8) "detailed codes" or INFs (aka sub-code, info code, secondary code). You may need an OBD2 device (many use a mini-vci cable and techstream) that can provide you with the needed INF to help narrow down the issue, knowing the INF can help with diagnosing the problem in a timely fashion, without wasting labor time or money on unneeded parts.

Here is the workup for DTC C1253 : https://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/Repair%20Manual/04pruisr/05/21avn/cic12525.pdf

 

Run a "Health Check", and if a subcode (INF) is present there will be a small snow flake, flower, or cloud symbol in the middle of the screen, just to the left of the DTC in question. Click on it.



There are other areas in techstream that will also report INFs :



Be sure to report back here with the fix to the problem.

 

Looks at the first entry at the very top of the first image, "Detailed Freeze DTC" which has a value of 138.

 

Best if you continue through the workup for DTC C1253, step by step until something stands out.

After all of that swapping, did you perform the initialization of linear solenoid valve and calibration? (link below)

https://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/Repair%20Manual/04pruisr/05/21avn/ciinitia.pdf

 

Reviewing the description for C1253 w/ INF 138, and the old freeze frame data you've posted, it shows your MTT value as 0v.

According to the workup below, that DTC/INF combination is stored when "MTT input is 3.5 V or less for at least 1 sec. (0.2 sec. during initial check) when main relay 1 monitor (BS1) is 9.5 V or more and motor relay 2 is on."

How far along, or where are you currently stuck in the step by step workup for DTC C1253 ?

Which codes (DTCs) are you currently retrieving with techstream?

 

I know I have a Highlander but really the systems for most ABS on just about every car made are really quite simple actually. There are 4 main parts: ABS motor, accumulator (pressure reservoir), solenoid valve body (hydraulic) and the solenoid actuators (electrical). There are other systems that feed in too like various speed sensors but those are the main ABS assembly components anyway.

I just got done fixing a C1253 code (ABS Pump Motor Relay) on my Highlander too. For this repair I strongly suggest you make sure you have a mini VCI setup and the Techstream software installed so you can view and clear all computer codes in the vehicle (not just basic OBD ones). I like to take a screenshot of the initial codes I see when doing an initial vehicle health check, then clear all the codes, turn off the car, turn it back on and then do another health check. This will ensure the codes are current and not just ones that have been stored over time.

Here's how to run the system health check in Techstream:

It took me a little while with a multimeter to figure out exactly what was going on with my situation and finally pinpoint the failure. I also searched online and found a ton of folks just playing parts replacement without actually finding the issue first. Under normal circumstances this might be fine but ABS systems are probably the 3rd most expensive component on the vehicle (behind the traction battery and the inverter). So in my book I'm not going to put thousands into anything unless I'm sure that will fix the problem.

A C1253 code for Toyota means that there is a problem somewhere in the ABS motor control circuit. The ABS motor needs some pretty hefty amps so it will be one of the larger relays in the fuse block under the hood. For any testing on this at all you will need a multimeter, so get yourself a good one asap. Skip this step and prepare to open your wallet and play parts replacemnt. Make sure it has at least DC volts, ohms (resistance), continuity (beeps when connected) and diode check.......amps and Hz (frequency) are bonus.

Something like this is what you'll need:

The first thing you should be doing is testing your battery. With the engine off, if you see less than 12V then you have an issue there and you need to address that first (replace the battery, they are cheap by comparison). If all looks good there then pull out all the ABS relays (you can tell which are ABS by looking at the fuse box covers). To test them you need to apply voltage to the coil side and then use the multimeter in resistance mode to make sure the other contacts have closed. If you are unsure which are the coil and which contacts are the switch side, simply use the multimeter on resistance to locate the solenoid contacts (switch contacts should have infinite resistance, indicating open circuit when unpowered). If you show no resistance between any of the contacts then the relay is likely bad. Don't assume just because you apply power and the relay clicks that it works, be sure to take the extra 2 seconds to actually verify it with the multimeter on the switch side. The video below shows how to test them easily.

If all your relays look good (make sure to test every one that is marked ABS, reference the fuse box cover or owners manual to make sure you got them all) you can move on to the next step. Once this is done (with the engine off) make sure you also have battery voltage at on the supply side of the relay contacts inside the fuse box (usually the larger contacts, smaller contacts would be the solenoid circuit). This is where I found my issue (turned out to be a corroded relay voltage supply wire on the underside of the fuse box). You test this by setting the meter to DC volts, put the negative probe (black) on the negative post of the battery then use the positive probe (red) to check the fuse box relay contacts for battery voltage. The voltage you see should be the same voltage you see across the battery posts, if you see less or none at all then you have found your issue. Mine showed 8V at one point and then when I wiggled the wires on the bottom of the fuse box it went to zero so I knew something was wrong. If you don't live in the rust belt then a shorted wire or a blown main fuse could also cause this problem. To fix my issue I simply removed the connector, stripped off a bit of the wire and both crimped/soldered the connection before sealing it all with heat shrink tubing. It was clear in my case the motor was not the issue (although I did test it anwyay just to be sure) but if you have blown a fusible link then you'll also want to verify why it blew. If you suspect a shorted wire then check the load side of the relay contact and it's resistance to ground. If you get a very low reading then you likely have a short (can be caused by a past accident) and you'll need to follow the harness to find it. If not then the motor may be the issue which you'll need to check next.

This shows you how to change the fusible link on a Prius if that ends up being your issue:

If you blew the fusible link (and you don't have a shorted wire) then often that issue is with the ABS motor. Testing on my Highlander was quite easy and straightforward since the ABS is not buried like it is on the Prius. Basically you will see 2 wires coming from the ABS motor and you'll need to simply apply 12V to those leads to check that you hear the motor working. I'm not sure on the Prius if the main ABS connector also contains the motor leads, you will need to verify this on an service manual connector diagram and then set up a way to test it by applying voltage to those leads only. If apply voltage to the leads and you don't hear anything then chances are the motor is toast and you'll need a new ABS system (you could try to replace the ABS motor on the Prius if you have some serious DIY skills but it's not suggested).

This shows you how to get to the ABS unit on a Prius (be very careful because traction battery voltage is deadly):

If you wanted to actually try and test your unit manually you can remove the motor and test it:

On the Prius the motor is the round silver cylinder, the black cylinder is the accumulator, silver block is the solenoid valve body and the black plastic part is the actuator. Even though the video isn't in English you can see the motor being removed and then you would apply 12V to the motor contacts and ensure it spins freely without any binding/heat/noise. If you find any issues with it, they are not serviceable and it needs to be replaced. You could possibly swap it with a junkyard part but again no guarantees on how long it will last.

If you are doing the same thing on a Highlander it will look like this:

To test the ABS motor on the Highlander the ABS all you do is locate the box with the yellow sticker on it, open the top, remove both connectors and then apply 12V to the 2 metal posts inside (green = negative, red = positive). If the motor is good you will hear it working. The round object with the yellow sticker on top is the accumulator and the silver block with brake lines behind all that is the solenoid valve body and the actuator module (black electrical part attached to the aluminum block). On the Highlander the ABS motor/accumulator can be replaced separate from the valve body assembly (Toyota does sell them separately) but on a Prius it is unfortunately one piece so you need to buy the whole assembly. The job on a Prius isn't fun because it's buried underneath the inverter so unless you don't mind playing parts replacement and possibly getting your hands dirty several times if something fails again it may make sense to pay up for a brand new part from Toyota. Don't forget to do the brake bleeding sequence in Techstream after you install the new ABS assembly. Once you have everything fixed you should be able to clear all the codes in Techstream and there should be no more annoying ABS dash lights anymore.

Anyway I thought this might help someone else figure out their issue and hopefully save them alot of money in the process as was my case (didn't cost me a penny to fix it considering I already had the mini VCI and multimeter).

 

I'll never be in this league, but this is one amazing thread.

 

I saw lots of threads like this when I was trying to figure out my issue but very few actually solved it other than just playing parts replacement. So I thought it would be good to show it can be done and it's not such a big mystery after all.

 

By any chance do you have a link of what vci cable you got for techstream? Im still debating if i should just get a cheap 64bit cable and separate software on ebay.
a lot of info you put up, i booked marked this thread incase my abs actuator ever fails on me completely .

 

The Techstream software is definitely available online, plenty of places to get that (here's version 14.30.023 which works well).

The cable is just a mini-VCI J2534 standard OBD connection interface. Again the drivers are standard for the cable too. Pretty sure I got mine off of Amazon a long time ago but they are still readily available. I would just ignore any of the software they ship the cable with because most of it is already seriously outdated (in general, there are some exceptions) or can sometimes be malicious (esp ones on ebay). Always make sure you are running a good AV software just in case. If it won't connect right away when you first try, then make sure you have your mini-VCI cable selected in Techstream as the input since the default is to use the Toyota setup instead and it will give you a connection error.

Something like this should work fine for the cable:
TOYOTA TIS Techstream MINI VCI J2534 interface - xcar360