Check VSC System; Traction Control; ABS; Brake lights all on

[Mikerizer]

Make

Toyota

Model

Highlander

Year

2007

Miles

181,500

Engine

3.3 HYBRID

I picked this up cheap yesterday. 2007 Toyota Highlander 3.3 Hybrid, front wheel drive, 181,500 miles

It runs very well, AC works great, so I'm looking to fix it up for a daily driver.

The dash displays CHECK VSC SYSTEM, with the triangle light with exclamation mark in it illuminated.
Also, the traction control light is on (little car with the skid marks), ABS, BRAKE, and ( ! ) light on.
There is a constant, high-pitched alert sound...I listened to it on the 2 hour drive home yesterday.

The brakes work, but they're very hard...no power brake assist.

The check engine light is NOT on.
The battery cables were tight and cleaned, but I cleaned them up anyway.

The following codes WERE in the computer:

C1252 Brake Booster Pump Motor On Time Abnormally Long
C1256 Accumulator Low Pressure
C1300 Skid Control ECU Malfunction
C1391 Abnormal Leak Of ACC Press
B1421 Solar Sensor Circuit (Passenger Side)
B1400 Normal
B1211 Driver Door ECU Communication Stop
B1273 Sliding Roof ECU Communication Stop
B1150 Occupant Classification System Malfunction

I cleared all the codes, and the car operated normally...great brakes, etc. I've been working on cleaning it up. It seems to maybe have sat idle for awhile. There was a mouse nest in the blower housing...I cleaned all that very well, and replaced the blower motor / squirrel cage.

I do NOT see any evidence of chewed wires.

I've seen everything from brake actuator to loose gas cap to O2 sensor.

Please help me diagnose and repair this! THANKS BAT!

 

[Mikerizer]

***CONTINUED

I forgot to say, after the car sat in the garage this morning while I cleaned it up and changed the oil, all the lights and the warning noise came back on, and the brakes are hard again. BUT THE SCAN TOOL SAYS NO CODES ARE SET AT THIS TIME.

 

[nickb2]

gm mike

first off congrats on your toyota, they did not make a ton of these. I think I have seen maybe only 4 or 5 in my career. They are a sweet ride, but first gen hybrids are tuff to diagnose.

I would focus on the skid control unit codes first. C1252, can you find a better scanner, as with hybrids of back then they have a dealer code also that shows more, such as C1252slash52 or 53 etc

this helps pinpoint if you should focus on stuck on abs motor relays, or the unit itself. there are 2 of them for redundancy purposes.

I hope I wrote that alright. I mean it is for back up purposes in case.

so sadly, when you have a c1300 code, it is a no brainer, the skid ecu is fried and needs to be replaced.

You will also need a scanner that can reinitialize the linear solenoid valve. I hope I dont sound condescending, but your inova thing is not going to do that.



This is going to be an interesting thread Mike, thx for that, this site needed a challenge or two. You certainly bought slash brought one.

winks to mike

 

[Mikerizer]

Thanks for the reply! Do you think Techstream software would help, rather than buying a more expensive scanner? I have a laptop and an OBD II cable that will connect to the laptop.

I see a skid ecu on ebay for about $250.

Just for kicks and giggles, I'm leaving the battery unhooked for 24 hours, to see if a relearn might do something. I found out by accident on a 2006 Grand Caravan, that it reset the BCM and the cruise control started working again.

 

[nickb2]

I have a laptop and an OBD II cable that will connect to the laptop.

That depends on what cable you have. If it a mongoose or similar, yes it will work.

So, can you plz tell me exactly what cable you have and what protocal it supports I may help further, the techstream software is awesome btw. Paired with a appropriate dongle, you have close to a pro tool.

https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/tslproinstalltinfo.pdf

 

[nickb2]

this dongle is about 500ish, but in my opinion, worth every penny. If and I repeat, if, you plan on keeping the truck. If not, dont waste money and go more global. If you get my drift.

So again, repeating myself, plz tell which dongle slash cable you have, I will help further, but you cant go wrong with the j2534 protocal,

MongoosePro Toyota 2

drewtech.com

 

[nickb2]

BTW I have never really endorsed any products here, just point and shoot to what works really, basically. My drew tech things work real good, support is sometimes iffy, but they are indeed the founders of the j protocal, and the old interface I have still works like a charm. Mine is a universal one. My next kit will be this one, boss is already in the know, but yeah steep price compared to the 500$ dongle.

I have the car daq 1 version, this newer version will have to be upgradeable as we are now in full EV mode up here.

CarDAQ-Plus 3

drewtech.com

so it was a bit more expensive, but I got connectivity to all, but if you want it strictly for toyota, yeah that tool is awesome for the price.

So, mike, I think you know me by now, 500$ is easy when you compare it to what it MAY save you down the road wit this rare hybrid.


I have j toolbox on this laptop as I type here and it works fine. If in doubt contact their support line, jimmy was of great help last year on one particular situ, but maybe he switched jobs. But I do like the fact that it is a hardware and software developed here in north america. Keeping it local if you get drift,

So I guess it just all depends on your budget and needs. Mind you, the dongle is probably china based, but rest assured, drew tech is USA dev.

this is one of the ones I have, the other is a clone, and my other is a autel, https://www.techshopmag.com/drew-technologies-cardaq-m-j2534/

so anyway, now I sound like I am tooting my horn and that was not the point, I am merely trying to point you in the right direction vs what are your needs and finances.

so if you dont mind, I will continue to give you advice as I know you follow directions well .

 

[nickb2]

for more info go here, if jimmy still works there, he was awesome and very smart.

TechShop - DrewTech

drewtech.com

 

[nickb2]

Just for kicks and giggles, I'm leaving the battery unhooked for 24 hours, to see if a relearn might do something. I found out by accident on a 2006 Grand Caravan, that it reset the BCM and the cruise control started working again.

I highly doubt this will work for this highlander but hey just for kicks why not try it, but when you see that 1300 code, your pretty much screwed, it is an internal error fault in the ecu itself, so when it self checks, that is priority, kind of like a bios when setting up a pc, check 1 check 2 etc.

so if that code pops up, even once, you know for pretty much sure it needs a new processing unit for that system.

I see a few work arounds here and there on you boob tube, and from my limited experience, always end with a unit and a reflash slash j2534 basic tool

 

[nickb2]

ok now I am officially plugging a company. ouch

 

[Mikerizer]

LOL...battery disconnect made no difference, but at least now I know and have it out of my mind.

My cable says MINI-VCI J2534 Standard OBDII Communication Interface. It came with a disc that has Techstream V10.30.029 on it.

 

[Mikerizer]

Is there a reliable way to bench test the relays in the attached pic?

 

[Mikerizer]

I found a Skid Control ECU with a perfect match on the part number, for $120 on ebay. It should be here on the 23rd.

 

[nickb2]

Is there a reliable way to bench test the relays in the attached pic?

bench testing a relay - Google Search

 

[Mikerizer]

bench testing a relay - Google Search

Thanks; I thought about trying that, but I didn't want to risk damaging the relay by jumping the wrong pins. I found a $20 tester on Amazon, and it should be here tomorrow: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QV2QM8Q?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details