2006 Red Triangle Light, Check Engine, and Hybrid Cooling Intake Vent

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by gene12943, May 3, 2017.

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  1. gene12943

    gene12943 Junior Member

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    Hello! We're new to the forum. We recently purchased a 2006 Prius. We have approximately 215,000 miles on it. The red triangle light came on with the check engine light - but also, the hybrid battery intake cooling vent also came on at the same time (the one on the passenger side in the rear seat). We had cleaned out the fan before.

    While monitoring the display, we saw the vehicle was charging and discharging erratically - taking a long time to start charging, then charging quickly up to the green level. Then, it only discharged to the top blue level and held there without any more discharge despite going up a 5 mile hill. As we drove down the hill, the car charged up to the top green, then easily discharged once we reached the flats and drove the final 3 miles to our home. We checked the voltage charge on the battery and it started at 220 volts - it was taking a charge while idling. The intake fan is still running strong.

    We live in an area where the temperatures are still cool (50s / 60s) outside.

    We had the warning lights come on and the code indicated the hybrid battery around 1000 miles ago. We checked the voltage of each individual cell and only one was slightly less than normal. The light stayed off until now.

    We can provide additional information if needed. We tried searching for this in the forum, but please direct us if the topic is already covered! Thank you for any input!
     
    #1 gene12943, May 3, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    sounds like a bad hybrid battery. you need to take it to toyota to get the codes read. or if you diy, get mini vci to read them yourself.
     
    #2 bisco, May 3, 2017
  3. gene12943

    gene12943 Junior Member

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    Thank you! We're excited to be part of the Prius community! Just a quick addition - we did get a code for the hybrid battery the last time the warning light came on. But, we tested the cells and they all seemed okay. We just tested them again and most of them were 8.26 volts. A few were 8.24 volts. One was 8.16 volts. Is this lowest one the cause of the warning light and hybrid battery code? Or, is there more going on (than a simple volt reading) that we need to learn?

    Thanks again!
     
    #3 gene12943, May 3, 2017
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, you need the mini vci to test the cells while driving. alternatively, there is a method for putting a load on them to test them manually. not sure how to do it, but you can find it in the battery rebuild threads here, if someone doesn't chime in.
     
    #4 bisco, May 3, 2017
  5. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Resting voltage is sometimes helpful, but not the be all, end all for diagnostics.



    If you own a high mileage, aging Prius you need dome dirt if diagnostic tool that will allow you to see data live, in real time. Or at least record it for later export.

    What tool are you using now to get data?
     
    #5 ericbecky, May 3, 2017
  6. gene12943

    gene12943 Junior Member

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    Thank you Eric and Bisco! We were just using a simple volt meter so understand there's much more now - thank you for the video link. We decided we'll probably go in the direction of replacing the whole battery, not individual cells -- but hopefully with a refurbished battery as the car is older.

    Just a few more questions then:
    1. To clarify, it's the cooling fan that comes on immediately when the car is started up (even after sitting all night). Is this most likely related to the failing battery?
    2. Where can we find information about reputable suppliers of refurbished hybrid batteries for the Gen 2 Prius?

    Thanks again!
     
    #6 gene12943, May 4, 2017
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    1) yes

    2) reputable is in the eye of the beholder. you can get a dorman battery from an auto parts store. they come with a 3 year warranty, and cost $1,400. you would need to install, or find someone to do it. the warranty does not cover labor.
    the thing with rebuilds is, there's no way to make sure they won't fail. any of the old cells can fail at any time.
    that has to be balanced with the the price of a new battery, which can be anywhere from $2,000. on up.

    you may want to consider starting a new thread with the title: 'looking for reputable battery rebuilders in ny area'. i know there is one in houston, maybe indiana and tampa i think. and, of course, eric in madison above. there may be one in your region, but be careful, there are a lot of scammers out there.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #7 bisco, May 4, 2017
  8. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Not exactly near you, but TMR-JWAP | PriusChat also puts together reconditioned batteries and has been known to do travel and swap (not sure if this would be out of his range).
     
    #8 SFO, May 4, 2017
  9. Miller1

    Miller1 Junior Member

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    Our 2006 prius is doing about the same thing. “Check engine” light is on, engine never seems to shut off, and fan seems to be running almost all the time. Sound like the battery?
     
    #9 Miller1, Nov 23, 2017
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Yes that sounds like a battery problem
     
    #10 JC91006, Nov 23, 2017
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What about the guy here selling cylindrical replacement cells? I'd post a link but my mind's a blank.
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Nov 23, 2017
  12. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    You are referring to @2k1Toaster. I am posting from my phone so I cannot easily link to one of the threads. The kit is for DIY and is $1600 including shipping for continental US.

    I do not know where Indio is located.
     
    #12 Prodigyplace, Nov 23, 2017
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    #13 Mendel Leisk, Nov 23, 2017
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  14. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    #14 SFO, Nov 24, 2017
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  15. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    You are already asking for assistance. Not identifying your state or non-US country, expecting us to search for it too is just plain rude IMHO.
     
    #15 Prodigyplace, Nov 25, 2017
  16. KellyinPas

    KellyinPas New Member

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    Hi:

    I'm new to the site so please let me know if I've missed a step. I thought I was having a battery issue with my 08 Prius yesterday because there were about 5 warning lights that went off. Some of the lights that came on were the same as those mentioned above: red triangle with the exclamation point, check engine light, hybrid system light . . . I happened to drive right by a dealership so I turned around and left it there overnight and they said it is the inverter coolant pump (and that caused the hybrid system light to go on) AND the water pump. Anyone else have those lights come on when the battery did not have to be replaced?

    Thank you,
    Kelly in Pasadena, CA    ​
     
    #16 KellyinPas, Jan 15, 2018
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  17. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    Welcome.
    Those lights usually indicate there are trouble codes that can be read with diagnostic software to direct to determining the problem. The lights themselves are not usually definitive of a specific problem.
    The dealer uses Toyota Techstream software which is the best software for reading the trouble codes and any other detailed data.

    Sorry I cannot be of more assistance. There are other more experienced than I.
     
    #17 Prodigyplace, Jan 15, 2018
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    He says the dealership checked it, came up with some answers.
     
    #18 Mendel Leisk, Jan 15, 2018
  19. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    True, but the question was did anybody have those exact lights come on & not have a battery problem.
    I do not feel qualified to answer that.
     
    #19 Prodigyplace, Jan 15, 2018
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  20. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Your problem is the inverter pump causing the lights, not the regular water pump. You can get that fixed together for a reasonable price at a regular mechanic shop. Toyota probably quoted you almost $1000, which is crazy to replace $120 worth of parts
     
    #20 JC91006, Jan 15, 2018
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