Got AC serviced, Red Exclamation Triangle after pickup, need advice, troubleshooting/ideas??

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by joe-with-prius, Jun 16, 2023.

  1. joe-with-prius

    joe-with-prius New Member

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    I recently had the AC for my 2004 Prius serviced as it had slowly stopped putting out cold air. The repair shop recharged the AC. They said they used refrigerant for hybrid vehicles.

    After we picked up the car, about 2 miles from the shop, the car showed the red exclamation, check engine light and VSC lights. We returned the car to the repair shop and they ran the error codes. They said it was related to the battery. They reset the codes and test drove the car and said they didn't think there was an issue but could be something with the battery. The errors didn't come back during their test. When we picked up the car again the same thing happened about 2 miles down the road (red exclamation...).

    We are currently trying to figure out what is wrong. I asked them for the diagnostic information (codes) and also what type of refrigerant they used. I've attached that information to this post. I read something online that said the Prius requires specific lubricant that doesn't conduct electricity. Was this the wrong type?

    I was hoping that someone may have advice on what may be causing this. If this is the wrong refrigerant and it could cause the battery codes or if the two are not-related and this is just a coincidence.

    Thanks for your help/advice with this!

    ---

    Refrigerant Used:
    • AC Pro r134a Hybrid Vehicle Refrigerant Oil
    Error Codes:
    • P0A80 (Replace Hybrid/EV pack)
    • P3000 (Battery Control System)
    • B1421(Solar Sensor Circuit Passenger Side)
    Screenshot 2023-06-16 at 2.27.00 PM.png Screenshot 2023-06-16 at 2.26.33 PM.png Screenshot 2023-06-16 at 2.26.21 PM.png
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 joe-with-prius, Jun 16, 2023
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    So basically I don't think getting your air conditioner fixed is really related other than they ran the air I'm sure without the car running a little bit so when you got the car right in the car you may have been seeing magenta colored bars instead of blue or green. And now when you drive the car forget about the light for a minute if you're watching the consumption meter or the energy monitor energy monitor I think where you're looking at the battery are you going from green to blue to magenta and back to green abnormally rapidly? If so I bet if you open up your battery where it sits in the car you'll probably find a lot of corrosion If you look with the doctor Prius app you may see some cells or modules that are lower than others things like that? Someone's going to have to take a look I'm pretty sure. The plug that plugs in the hybrid batteries ECU needs be checked for corroded pins etc Good luck.
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Jun 17, 2023
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    they probably ran the hybrid battery down with the a/c on and the car in neutral. damaged a cell or two, and now you're in for a new battery.
    but it is bound to happen after 20 years. if you like the car and intend to keep it, get a new oem for another 10-20 years
     
    #3 bisco, Jun 17, 2023
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  4. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    In general, there's really nothing a shop can "do" that can cause a P0A80. I could see them leaving the car in "ready" mode during testing- the HV battery would go down to 1-2 bars before the engine will charge it some.

    If you don't do that normally, that might "trigger" a code in a battery that's already on the edge of failure, but it wouldn't have been the cause.

    You would need to have some diagnostics performed in order to confirm that the battery itself is bad vs a problem with the ecu or wiring.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 mr_guy_mann, Jun 17, 2023
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  5. joe-with-prius

    joe-with-prius New Member

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    Thanks for all of the feedback/advice, this really helps a lot in considering the future of the car and what to do next.
     
    #5 joe-with-prius, Jun 19, 2023
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