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2001 brake issues after long storage period

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Tom Anderson, Aug 13, 2018.

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  1. Tom Anderson

    Tom Anderson New Member

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    I have one of the very first Prius' sold in the US, but we also have an '06 and a '12 Prius V, so the older one has been sitting in the garage for the past 5 years, waiting for my youngest to be ready to drive. I've started it up every few months, rolled it back and forth so the wheels didn't go flat, etc. Well, the day has finally come for it to return to the road, but when I took it out for a very short drive in the neighborhood, the Brake and ABS lights came on and the pedal goes all the way to the floor and it does stop but very poorly. I'm thinking perhaps the fluid has gone bad over the years, and will probably try to bleed the old fluid out while refilling the reservoir using a video from RaceCarAndChill on YouTube, but wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas or suggestions on how to resolve the issue.

    There is no indication of any fluid leak, either where it sat in the garage all those years or in the driveway now. The fluid level is fine, but I'm thinking it looks a little gray, but I haven't actually pulled any out of the system so maybe it's just the reservoir making it look that way. My simple OBDII gives me no codes. To the best of my knowledge, the lights hadn't come on before this time, though I did take it around the block every year or so just to keep things moving.

    It's a great car that was always super reliable, but obviously not something we can take back on the road till this gets fixed, and we don't want to sink a ton of $$$ into it either, so I appreciate any and all ideas. (sorry, it won't let me post the video link because I'm a newbie here)
     
    #1 Tom Anderson, Aug 13, 2018
  2. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Have you taken a look at the brake pads/shoes to see if they are worn?
     
    #2 Dxta, Aug 13, 2018
  3. Tom Anderson

    Tom Anderson New Member

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    Pads and shoes look fine to me. I haven't pulled the wheels or anything yet, but they're definitely thicker than my '06's, which has about 50k on that set of pads and just passed inspection.
     
    #3 Tom Anderson, Aug 13, 2018
  4. Tom Anderson

    Tom Anderson New Member

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    The shoes and pads look fine to me. They are definitely thicker than those on my '06, which has 50k on the last set and just passed inspection last month.
     
    #4 Tom Anderson, Aug 13, 2018
  5. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Are you also getting a warning tone? My best guess would be that you have a bad booster pump or a bad master cylinder. Does function come back if you pump the brakes?

    Welcome to Prius Chat.
     
    #5 Brian in Tucson, Aug 14, 2018
  6. Tom Anderson

    Tom Anderson New Member

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    The tone came on briefly but then went away on it's own; the lights are still there. Pumping them had a small but temporary effect, which I guess would line up with the master cylinder/booster theory.

    Do you think it would do any harm (other than potentially wasting fluids) to try to bleed new fluid through the system before looking at the components?
     
    #6 Tom Anderson, Aug 15, 2018
  7. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Won't do any harm, probably won't do any good, either.
     
    #7 Brian in Tucson, Aug 16, 2018
  8. Tom Anderson

    Tom Anderson New Member

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    Yeah, Brian, I get that...
     
    #8 Tom Anderson, Aug 17, 2018
  9. Eric Baker

    Eric Baker Junior Member

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    I had the same issue when I bought my 2001 after is sat for around 2-years. The pedal would go almost to the floor and would not stop very well at all. I flushed the brake lines with fresh fluid.

    I used a hand vacuum pump to bleed the brakes at the wheels in to a small resevoir. I started with the wheel farthest from the brake master cylinder and with the ignition in the ON position had someone press down on the pedal while bleeding the fluid. The Prius brake system was kind enough to almost flush itself as it pumps the fluid right out under power. Tighten the bleed screw, let up on the pedal, repeat maybe 4-5 times per wheel while making sure to keep the fluid level up in engine compartment.

    After making sure nice clean fluid was being pushed out of each caliper the issue was completely fixed. Brakes are very solid now. It's worth a shot anyway as fluid is pretty cheap and is hygroscopic absorbing water causing havoc in the brake system.
     
    #9 Eric Baker, Aug 17, 2018
    Mendel Leisk and Brian in Tucson like this.
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