PRIUS WON'T START, VSC, BRAKE AND RED TRIANGLE LIGHTS ARE ON

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jack1989, Aug 7, 2015.

  1. jack1989

    jack1989 New Member

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    I have 2004 Toyota Prius 110k miles on it. New auxilary battery on it. VSC, Brake and Red triangle lights are on. The car wont start. System comes on, but ready light doesn't not appear.
    If I discoonect the battery for a minute and connect it back, I am able to start and drive it. After a minute VSC, brake light comes on. I still can drive the car and it drives perfect. As soon as I shut it off, I won't be able to restart it again. I have to disconnect the battery for a minute to get it started.
    Inverter pump seems to be working fine
    I got the codes with the paper clip VSC 43, Brake 36. After resetting the codes, I drove the car and now it throws VSC 51 code.
    Check engine light is not on. When i checked with OBD scanner, it does not show any codes. When we checked with shop's scanner, there was a code smth "LOST COMMUNICATION WITH HYBRID..."

    Even the 12V battery is 4 month old, I decided to test it, since the lights were left on couple times making the battery dead. On ACC mode(by pushing the power button once), battery reads 12.1V

    Any help would be appreciated!!!
    Thank you
     
    #1 jack1989, Aug 7, 2015
  2. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    #2 strawbrad, Aug 7, 2015
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  3. jack1989

    jack1989 New Member

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    Thanks for your reply!
    I went through the thread that you sent me the link of. After watching the video(link below) how to isolate HV and transaxle leak, I did same procedure. Surprisingly, lights never came back on. I drove it little bit and restarted again without any issues.
    I'm gonna leave it overnight and see if restarts again tomorrow morning.



    Secondly, there is a corrosion on hybrid battery. I was thinking that hybrid battery's leaking. But I found out that there are cracks on the roof rails and top of the trunk. Water has been leaking from there down to the hybrid battery
    I'm hundred percent sure water is leaking onto the hybrid battery, but not sure if the corrosion is because of the water leak or hybrid battery leak. Pictures attached below

    Thank you for your help again
     

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    #3 jack1989, Aug 7, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow! i've never seen anything like it.:eek:
     
    #4 bisco, Aug 7, 2015
  5. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Be careful not to confuse HV leaks and fluid leaks. HV leaks are voltage getting to where it should not be. Fluid leaks could be rain water or battery electrolyte getting to where they should not be. A fluid leak can cause a HV leak. Electrolyte leaks are generally so small you can not see them, just the rusty results. Your pictures look like the result of rain water. The battery cover design sheds water well. Entry points could be the three holes on top for the carpet cover clips, or the ends of the case. It would not take much rain water to cause an intermittent HV leak. Most batteries look like the inside of a vacuum cleaner. The dust and dirt is enough to make water conductive.

    You still need to confirm all this with a proper code reading. That can not be done with out a warning light reappearing. So, get a Mini VCI cable and keep driving. If you really want to be proactive fix the weather stripping. Read up on battery safety. Take the battery apart, wash the modules -spotless!-, wire bush and paint all the rusty bits.

    Brad
     
    #5 strawbrad, Aug 7, 2015
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  6. jack1989

    jack1989 New Member

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    Here is the update:
    When I disconnected the battery yesterday to restart the car, I saw the yellow tape (pictures attached) on the wire that goes into the hybrid battery. I touched it, played, and shakes little bit and connect the battery(12V) back, and restarted the car( it was yesterday), lights never came back on. I left it overnight like I said, and started this morning without any issues. I drove around the block and the car restartes again. That's weird!!!
    I was wondering if yellow tape should be there? Or somebody played with it recently, since I bought car couple weeks ago
     

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    #6 jack1989, Aug 8, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you need to be more careful about electrocuting yourself. how long have you owned this car?
     
    #7 bisco, Aug 8, 2015
  8. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    yellow tape is probably factory. check for cracks in the roof seams and seal them up with silicone. you need to keep the water out first. then you will need to deal with the rust.
     
    #8 69shovlhed, Aug 8, 2015
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