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High pitch noise, no brake fluid, loss of power after 12v battery replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Codycline, Jan 29, 2023.

  1. Codycline

    Codycline New Member

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    I changed the 12v battery in my wife's car the other day because it kept dying. Immediately all the abs lights came on. From what I read I thought this was normal and that it meant the light just needed to be reset so she drove it across town for an errand. It lost power twice on the freeway but did not die in 100 miles. When she got home it had lost all brake pressure and she could barely brake. I looked at the battery closer and noticed that the cca's were 410 and the original battery was 310. I then swapped the battery with a new one from autozone with 340cca. Immediately the car starts making a loud ringing noise and the red triangle comes on. I hooked up the code reader to find a barrage of codes and erased them which turned off the noise. Anytime I hit the brakes or open the door it starts making noise again. Checked the brake fluid it was bone dry. Checked the fuses and they were all good. I believe her brake actuator went out but I figured I'd get a second opinion before I pony up for a new one.
     

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  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    But but but where is the brake fluid going it's just empty? There has to be a big stain on one of the four wheels or on one of the two pieces of the hydraulic brake fluid pieces of equipment under the hood You should see a huge puddle somewhere or a big stain and why because something broke a week a hose something when your pump goes bad it just stops pumping The fluid sits in the reservoir generally and just doesn't get pumped to squeeze the brakes etc hear the fluid is all vanished there's a need to find out why If something broke it would run out and then get pumped out as you stepped on the brakes more and more that electric pump will propel that fluid out of the line that broke or whatever is damaged as far as leaking goes. When the pump goes out leaks don't magically happen the fluid sitting there clear as all get out staring at you and your pump is running all the time and breaks may or may not be working a little bit or at all but the fluid doesn't generally run out and go anywhere.
     
  3. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    It "sounds" like the noise is probably the pump in the ABS actuator assembly. The pump would likely make unusual noises if the system was very low on brake fluid (eventually this can damage the pump).

    The fluid level would be low if there was a leak somewhere in the brake hydraulic system. Maybe a damaged line or hose. Wheel cylinder or caliper . Look under the car for fluid leaks.

    If you have a severe fault like this with the braking system, do not drive the car at all until you have it fixed. Get it towed if needed.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. Codycline

    Codycline New Member

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    Oh that makes total sense! I believe there was some fluid on the inside side of the driver side rear tire. I'll check when I get home in a couple hours. So I will repair the leak, bleed the system with techstream, clear the codes and then see if the codes for the actuator come back. Thanks a lot guys I was under the impression that the fluid loss was a symptom of the actuator going bad. I'll update you this evening.
     
  5. Codycline

    Codycline New Member

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    Tracked the leak down to a wheel cylinder that failed. Been trying to get techstream going so I can bleed the whole system. Had some technical difficulties getting the software setup. My dad had the Chinese bootleg version so I had to use an old laptop and reformat with winxp. Of course I have to pull pictures off for my wife so I'm waiting on 2700 pictures to transfer. Will update tomorrow.
     
  6. Codycline

    Codycline New Member

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    Well I replaced the actuator and did the bleed with techstream. All the codes went away. I got 100 ft before another slew of codes came in. I spilled a little bit of coolant on the internal left side of the inverter because i was having a heck of a time with the service plug and inverter cover allignment. I believe that killed it because I got code p0a78-386 then checked connections and hooked a voltmeter to the I9 connection which gave me .4 volts and dropping with the ignition on. I'm heading to the junkyard for a new inverter now. What's weird is that the hybrid battery now shows 80% after a I disconnect but when I start it, it goes down to one bar after a about 30 seconds. The new inverter is only $70 so I figure I'll try that. 20230207_234511.jpg 20230208_002927.jpg 20230208_002823.jpg
     
  7. Codycline

    Codycline New Member

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    After replacing the inverter I seemed to have fixed all my problems. No codes and I took it for a short test drive However I noticed that the coolant pressure was low when I went to do a bleed on that system. So low in fact that the pump wasn't pushing the coolant all the way back into the reservoir. I believe that may have contributed to the part failing and i will be replacing the inverter pump and flushing before taking it back on the road.