I've gone down many rabbit holes and tried all of the tricks I can find and still... 2008 Prius, 200k. Dash displays Brake, ABS, VSC, the exclamation point, CEL. The TPMS light is on too, but I can fix that. Sometimes, I get the triangle too. Recently, I got the endless high-pitched noise and the car goes into neutral, brakes and steering go weird, and I shut-down, wait like an old-fashioned car overheating then start up again and drive for a few minutes. I have an inverter pump on order for the last issue. I disconnected the 12V for a while and reconnected after installing new coil packs. I found a bad wire on the driver's side front wheel speed sensor and replaced the sensor. I tightened up the flanges up front to close an exhaust leak. I tested the 12V battery and it's fine. Did the ODB jumper thing and after service mode, upon restart all of the above dash lights are back on. The CEL (P0037) comes back (no surprise) but at no time do the other lights go away. My inspection sticker is now overdue and this vehicle is my work car I HAVE to figure this out as it's impossible to pass inspection. Thanks, in advance, for your wisdom.
I have a generic reader and TS 18. Techstream reports that most ECUs are not available. I recently bought V18 in order to get a new cable in hopes that my other cable was bad. Because of the lack of access to most ECUs, I can't see live data.
It's quite a serious problem for Techstream to be unable to reach so many ECUs. (Serious doesn't have to mean hard to fix, necessarily; it could turn out to be nothing more than a dodgy wiring connection somewhere. But until fixed, it's pretty serious.) You may be able to get at least a few more of your trouble codes this way: Blink (a/k/a Flash) Codes – How to. | PriusChat
Thanks for that. I just got home and I'm going to see if I can access "Brakes" and try bleeding to see if I can at least clear the brake light from the dash. Then, I'll try to sort out that O2 sensor problem and maybe clear the CEL. Before the above, I'll install the new inverter coolant pump. Fingers crossed....
If you can access "Brakes", then before you try bleeding (or taking any other action), just get what the brake trouble codes are, and post them here. What they tell you may or may not be what you are guessing. If you cannot access "Brakes" that way, try getting the codes this way instead, and, again, post them here. Blink (a/k/a Flash) Codes – How to. | PriusChat
Fellow Prius owner here—I’ve got an ANCEL FX2000 myself. It’s been super handy for clearing codes before inspection and checking O2 sensor data, stuff like that. Works great for most things. But for a CAN communication glitch like yours, generic tools won't cut it. You’re probably better off hooking up with the factory Techstream and giving the wiring a full check, especially measuring the CAN bus resistance to see if it’s out of spec. (Here’s the one my friend recommended, if you're curious: Ancel FX2000: Engine ABS Transmission SRS System Diagnoses Evaporation Test - OBD2 Scanner | ANCEL
Thanks! I'll check that stuff out. I need a Prius for my job so I bought another one but I'm getting back to the "problem car". In the interim, I ran it out of gas and the Lithium "upgrade" failed. Everybody by now knows how that goes. One bad block, no replacements. Over two grand down the drain...
