I posted before about routinely getting codes: P3000 P3009 B2799 The last one seems to be irrelevant. I tested and it looks like I can get those codes with the car in the ON position with ready mode off. I've read that this means the cause is HV battery corrosion. I don't have the knowledge or expertise to remove the battery and certainly lack the knowledge to disassemble and clean it. So my question is, who in my area (New York City area and surroundings) can clean it? My next question is, can I just keep driving it like this? Whether the car gets the code while driving or while simply in ON mode with the ICE off, the car always keeps driving. I can also restart the car with no driveability issues even if it already has the code stored in the computer (I can also reset with Techstream, but this does not seem necessary). One other thing I should mention. If it is possible to clean the corrosion without completely taking out the battery, but by simply taking off the back seat and a cover, I may be able to do it myself.
After you unplug the Safety Interlock it is possible to take off the battery cover and unplug the connectors and remove the harnesses from each side of the battery assembly. It won't be fun, but do-able. Remember that this battery had about 280 volts all at your disposal.... so you'd best know what your doing or have someone help you that does.
I think I missed this back in October. One important caution to anyone who might be reading this: Yes, there is an orange safety plug, and in normal conditions, pulling this plug makes the battery pretty safe to work on. It breaks the middle of the only designed electrical path through the battery. With that path broken, the hazards are pretty well contained as long as no other path exists. The thing is, if you have P3009 in ON-without-READY, another path exists - by definition the code is telling you that. You don't know what the path is, how many modules it spans, etc., until you get there; you can't see it with the cover on, and the cover may be part of the path. Check those gloves for leaks and be careful out there. -Chap Also, I would recommend not leaving a P3009 like this unrepaired for long. You do get the code as soon as even only one module terminal has formed a path to the case, and only one by itself should not start a fire. The thing is, if one has reached the case already, the next one might before too long.
I thought it was safe to drive with those codes assuming no symptoms with the only possible danger existing if you're working on the HV battery. Are you saying it's not? What can happen?
It is not safe. DTC P3009 means that your car has a high voltage ground fault. The Classic control logic allows the car to be driven with that code logged. The 2G control logic was changed so that the car will refuse to start (and the DTC was changed to P0AA6. With 2G, P3009 applies only to a ground fault in the air conditioner compressor which is powered via a three-phase AC motor, not belt-driven). Your AC house wiring has ground fault circuit interrupters, which trip if the GFCI device notices that an appliance has a ground fault. Similarly, if any Prius component exposed to high voltage shows a ground fault (which means that either side of the high voltage is leaking to ground) then the DTC is logged. Suppose your wife's or daughter's hair dryer or curling iron developed a ground fault and your home did not have working GFCI. If she held the appliance while touching ground (like a sink faucet) she would get zapped. Similarly, if you continue to drive the car in that condition and another ground fault develops, a high voltage short condition may develop which could cause a fire or other damage. So you need to figure out which component has the ground fault, and take remedial action. A traction battery module leaking electrolyte or a failing traction battery ECU are two of the possibilities regarding a high voltage fault. The P3009 code should have a three-digit subcode which will further narrow down the likely fault area. Use Mini VCI to retrieve that subcode.
Make sure you determine the root cause of the P3009 failure. On Gen1's, it's usually toasted motor windings in MG2 (inside transaxle). Tranny repair/replacement is a lot more work than battery repair. If you can find a knowledge independent shop with Gen1 experience they'll be able to determine what exactly is going on.
The P3000 code had a 123 subcode. I saw no subcode next to the 3009. Where do I click to check in Techstream? 2001/2002/2003 Prius P3009 High Voltage Leak Detected According to that, given that the code comes on based on temperature change/humidity even when READY is off, I'd say it was leaking electrolyte. Either way, battery will likely need to be replaced. Should I even bother paying for an official diagnosis?
If you want to buy a battery and hope it solves all your problems go ahead and do so, but what if you also need transaxle? is it worth putting that much money into a 12-14 year old car?
The fact that this P3009 gets detected in ON outside of READY suggests that there is at least a ground fault in the battery. It doesn't rule out having another ground fault someplace else, like the transaxle - that would be a sort of unfortunate coincidence, but codes alone won't be able to confirm or exclude it until the known battery fault has been fixed. On the other hand, a megger could be used on the motor windings to check if they're ok, if one wanted to rule out the expensive coincidence before deciding what to do about the battery. -Chap
