It finally happened. Red Triangle of Death.

I'm going to voice some general frustration here, because I feel like there's a tribal knowledge that just isn't well documented for newbs to the forum or Toyota service like me.


It seems like there isn't just an authoritative "So you want to do your own service & troubleshooting on a legacy Toyota Hybrid? Here's your definitive guide to getting started and participating in this community." There's the essay on who should and who shouldn't buy the car -- but unfortunately that isn't something you find until you've got a problem with the car you've already purchased, and then ... well, you're in my situation where reading that is either confirming or sobering, depending on your situation -- but then you need to go a step further and get the tools to take care of the problem.

My perception so far is that there isn't really anything explaining what tools you need, which tools are recommended as the best to use, or any sort of balanced 'here's the tradeoffs of picking each one', here's how you go about getting the info you'll need, and here's how you should format / post to the forum to skip all the infighting about what toolchain to pick, the risks of the software, etc.

At this point in this thread, I know I need the DTC codes. I know I need the tool to get at them.

I could go to autozone and have them read the codes off, I could take it to my repair shop of choice and have them do it, or I can get the tools I need to do it myself (which I'd prefer).

It seems that of the ways to get the data, the techstream solution is the best of breed (vs. ODBII tool / Scangauge ii) but what are the options for getting a techstream setup going? I found a seller on Amazon shipping a cable / software for ~$26 with Prime. I bought it. But, what software is that? I don't know. What else am I going to need once that cable gets here? I don't know. I know that I'll need techstream, but I can't tell if that comes with the bundle I purchased or not. I know I'm going to need a 32bit windows OS running (at least XP). I have no idea if it'll work on Windows 8. I assume that as a community it would be prudent to recommend the Toyota software, and if the TechStream 2-day access is only $55, that's about 60% of what I'll pay in diagnostic fees (applicable to repair costs) at my trusted shop of choice. But again, my perception as an uninitiated, not-a-professional-automotive-tech type, this seems a bit confusing.

I'm a software engineer by trade, a furniture maker & electronics tinkerer (I believe maker is the word people use for this now) by hobby, and a machine repair man when I need to be. I can do this. I'm sure of it. But I can't for the life of me find the README that'll get me bootstrapped on the toolchain.

How can I help solve this?

 

Absolutely. I don't want to give the impression that I'm ungrateful here. There's 53k of these that were sold in the states, and in the last year I've seen around 7 or 8 in my metro area go up for sale. Most of them with some issues, some without. I actually work at a small company (68 employees) and out of that population, there's two of us with these cars.

Thanks to all of you for the help.

The prime thing, meaning amazon prime, which just means you don't pay shipping if you're a prime subscriber, and they fulfill the orders at the amazon DCs.


So I spent some time poking around under the hood yesterday (still haven't put any miles on the thing -- I'm afraid to drive it anywhere for risk of hurting it more until I get the DTC codes) and notices there's _no_ disturbance / turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir even after the engine gets warmed up and starts the idle cut-off thing. I'm going to wait to pull the DTC codes, but I figured I'd ask here first -- would a failed inverter coolant pump cause this type of response in the dash lights?

 

MVCI Cable arrived this afternoon. I'm sitting in the car as I type this up.

DTC codes present...

Hybrid Control: (Current & Historical)
P3000-123

HV Battery: (Current & Historical)
P3009 (see screenshots attached for Freeze Frame & Live Data)

ABS: (Current)
C1214

Other observations worth noting...

A few weeks ago I made a _fast_ stop, ABS didn't kick in, and the ABS light came on. After about three more ignition cycles and 12 miles on the odometer, this seemed to resolve itself. I've tested it in parking lots and the ABS kicked on.

There is no turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir. The pump doesn't feel like it's doing anything to the touch, and occasionally I hear a small 'pop' sound when the engine is running from that corner of the compartment.

The 3009 was reported a few years back by a prior owner, no action was taken (that I'm aware of). This car has had an ECU and Inverter replaced in the past.

I'm no expert, but I don't see anything stick out like a sore thumb in the voltage or resistance data on the HV pack itself...



So where should I start?

 

The service history from Toyota said they did, but that it was intermittent and couldn't be reproduced. I took it to a dealership right after I bought it, because two days into owning it, the lights came on. They cleared the codes, and the freeze frame data, and left my normal mechanic with nothing to go on.

I've been growing concerned about the car over the last few weeks, as it seems that this thread 2001 prius brake problem. Pedal goes to floor. | PriusChat largely describes what's been going on with my brakes (pedal to the floor if I push slow). I'm not sure they ever worked right... long story, not worth repeating here.

I know the vehicle has had brake issues in the past. I think the prior owner did everything he could to avoid fixing things, rather than taking care of them properly. :-/

I'm concerned the 3009 is the MG2 stator, but I have no real evidence, and no megger...

 

Avi, thank you for the input. I've read nearly every post from luscious on the HV system over the last nine months. That's always been my biggest fear (and biggest unknown) with this car.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'battery charger recommended'...

 

What's the battery charger for? Are you suggesting putting a charger on the aux battery during the test?

 

Well, that makes a lot more sense. Ok, running that test now... All DTC's cleared, Key is 'ON', engine not 'Ready', charger in the trunk.

 

30 minutes... no extra lights on the dash...

Is it bad I was kinda hoping it would be the internal battery corrosion thing?

Started the engine (engine ready) and within seconds, it lit back up.

The brake system code is still clear (haven't moved the car), but I'm getting the P3000-123 and the P3009 leak detected code.

Another note worth asking: Is it possible the P3000-123 is from the coolant pump being shot?

 

It's a different page from what you're quoting in my manual, but it's really close.

Looks like I'll need a megger to fish this out? *sigh*

Sounds like this should become a donor vehicle..?