Hey guys, So my experience continues with my new prius. I got this prius in non-running condition. Replaced the hybrid battery and it now runs. I and doing a radiator replacement this weekend. I've been driving it around with mostly distilled water (after patching radiator with epoxy) getting parts and whatnot. Seems to run well. Twice now I have had the ABS, VSC, and (!) Lights all come on solid while driving. Not sure if related, but I have noticed a "chirp" ---usually just one chirp while slowing down--- Sounds like the horn honked for a very small fraction of a second and not at every stop(a passenger didn't notice it until I brought it up). I assumed I needed a new caliper, pad, or rotor. The car had been sitting for 8 months and..well...brakes get rusty and can squeek. I haven't tested the 12v. The previous owner was fixing up the car and said he bought a new one....i suppose this could mean a "new to him used one". I will be testing the 12v soon. I hope it's not a brake actuator.....I don't hear noises anything like the youtube videos of brake actuator issues. I hear a long whirring after I shutdown the car, but I think that's normal. Besides the chirp described above (which seems intermittent and not on every or even every other braking) the Brakes sound and feel relatively normal. I get no engine or hybrid battery codes on Dr.Prius app or any codes from Torque (full ver.). ??? When I turn off the car and turn it back on the lights are gone. One person (see post link below) said they had some front end damage (like my car) and the inverter pushed back and loosened a connector on the ABS.......not sure which one he was referring to(I wonder if it was the actual brake line, a power connectpr???), but I'll take a look...get my endoscope out and see what's up back there. ABS/VSC/Brake lights on | PriusChat Some people say ABS wheel speed sensor? Any thoughts or suggestions? I am going to start at the battery, but I don't know what next. Also, THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
With the particular dash lights you're talking about, I would be most interested in getting the brake codes. If you don't have a scanner able to read them, you can always blink them out with a Tc-to-CG jumper. I would look at what the brake ECU is trying to tell you before even beginning to make guesses as to the cause. -Chap
Ok, after some reading I guess my Bluetooth adapter may be shit (even tho Dr. Prius guy liked it on his page). Should I buy a dedicated code reader that can do abs etc. , get a mini vci on Amazon from DiagKing, or get a better adapter like something by OBDlink?
Techstream with your choice of J2534 dongle makes lots of things easy. But while you're dongle-shopping, you don't have to be in the dark about your brake trouble codes. A simple jumper wire will let you read them out on blinking dash lights. -Chap
Where is the best place to get decent techstream software? I see the sellers on eBay warn about having the antivirus see a virus. I'm in IT security as a career. While I have trusted some open source software that does the same thing, in this case I'll probably load up a fresh install of Windows on a hard drive and throw that into my laptop.
amazon usually, i think. it only works with older windows versions, so most people use an old laptop not connected to the net.
I decided to get the new 2.0.4 firmware version from Amazon. Was kinda spendy but according to another forum the 1.4.x versions are not really that, and they can't support "live tests". I will do a write up of my experience when I get it running!
