I never experienced a car with potential major brake issue, until prius.

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by pumpanddump, Sep 1, 2018.

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  1. pumpanddump

    pumpanddump Junior Member

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    Parked the 2004 prius after driving about 20 miles around town all day. Come back out to the car... on start up.... Brake lights all on the dashboard, ABS, and that (_!_) one... and not going away.

    Confirm the e-brake is disengaged... check brake fluid and its not near max nor minimum.. just right in the middle. warm piss color. Dot3, right?

    Limp over to a AutoZone for them to read the codes... and I just have this feeling that they didnt really do it. She said its no throwing any codes... but the device she had.. I do not know... didnt look like for Toyota.
    The brake pads and rotors were checked... all good.

    I asked if I could drive it home.. and they said that its just the ABS... like for driving in rain or snow... you can still stop the car. Cautiously, drove it home.

    Now I do remember the car would brake crazy hard and bite down everytime it rained. I was warned from the Toyota mechanic that it could be the brake Actuator... he also claimed its making a sucking sound that doesnt sound right... that was about 2 months ago.

    Well, to bring the car back to him... its 20+ miles and hills to the mechanic.... can I drive it in... or am I gonna die? I never had the uneasy feeling of having potentially busted BRAKES on a car before.
    I got AAA 100 miles.


    This all happened at nearly exactly 190,000 miles on my 2004 prius. I am second owner.... actually my wife drives it more than I do.
     
    #1 pumpanddump, Sep 1, 2018
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It would be best to inhale ... exhale ... and collect the trouble codes from the brake system. It's easy to do with Techstream, unless you don't have that set up and don't want to drive somewhere that does because you're worried about the brakes. In that case it's easier to use the jumper-wire/count-light-blinks method. It doesn't give as much information, but it will be enough to start with, and you can do it really anywhere. I always have something I can use as a jumper wire in the glove box, so if a brake light ever comes on I don't have to go even past the next driveway before finding out why.

    -Chap
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Sep 2, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2018
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Limp over to dealership, spend the $50~100?
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Sep 2, 2018
  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    I think the title of your thread does a dis-service to Prius.

    ANY car that is 14 years old and has 190,000 miles would be prone to all kinds of various "potential major" issues.
     
    #4 sam spade 2, Sep 2, 2018
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    prius brake actuator may be the trump card of brake expenses.
     
    #5 bisco, Sep 2, 2018
  6. Al Bundy

    Al Bundy Member

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    yes 14 year old cars are money pits, thats common sense..
    if its your brake actuator its a $3000 repair
    if its a wire going to a wheel sensor it 50 cents..
    with the age and miles sell it as is for a $1000 and let someone else deal with it..
    next your HV battery will die or the instrument cluster will go out..

    these are not magical machines that never die, its just a car..
     
    #6 Al Bundy, Sep 2, 2018
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  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I've honestly never price-compared it to the ABS actuator in any other car. Now I'm not sure what I'd find.

    The different reshufflings between generations don't help to make easy comparisons. Gen 1 has a nice separate actuator that's just an ABS actuator. Gen 2 went and built the pump and accumulator into it, so you'd have to price compare it to others that are combined that way. Gen 3 took the pump and accumulator back out, but combined it with the master cylinder and the ECU. It apparently gets whatever brake system parts are still on the table when the music stops playing.

    -Chap
     
    #7 ChapmanF, Sep 2, 2018
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't either. it just seems extensive and expensive, but i am not on any other car forums to know how reliability and price compare.
    i have owned a lot of older cars that never had an issue, and replaced master cylinders that were relatively cheap.
     
    #8 bisco, Sep 2, 2018
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  9. Al Bundy

    Al Bundy Member

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    back in the early days of ABS i had a Lincoln Mark 8 and the abs pump was 2400.. there's no reason for them to be that expensive today.. its all made in china.. just a motor and some solenoids, the computer does not fail the mechanics do .. now that the free repair is over you cant find an actuator in a junk yard, if you do its 400 as is
     
    #9 Al Bundy, Sep 2, 2018
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