I can't seem to post to the general tech forum so I'll post here since I have an xB.

Get in the car, switch to trip A, hold the button down, turn the key on, keep holding down and plug all seat belts while simultaneously standing on your head, count to 10, honk the horn twice.

Instead of doing all this, couldn't there be any easier way? What are the odds that some of the Prius can bus codes are the same for the Scion?

Am I going to monkey around on my brand spanking new '12 xB knowing I could brick it just to stop the annoying seat belt chimer and share with you guys? ***** yes I am!

So here's what I did. I went to Amazon and typed in B005NLQAHS. It's an Elm 327 bluetooth scanner for $20. I figured I could use one to read codes anyway so I bought it.

I found the Prius cheat sheet here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...VE&hl=en#gid=5

I downloaded ZTerm to my Mac, plugged the scanner into the xB under the dash, put the key in the ignition and turned it to run. I synced the scanner to my Mac using Bluetooth. I then opened ZTerm and connected to the scanner which shows up as CDT. The passcode is 1234. Connection set to 9600/N/8/1. Note I tested and the scanner also works using an Android phone. I just used the Mac to capture the output.

Below are the commands and response along with my notes prefixed with a *.

Direct Connect CDT
>LM327 v1.5
?

>ath1
OK
* Turn on all headers so I can see it

>atl1
OK
* Turn on linefeed so I can read it

>at sp 6
OK
* Set the protocol to ISO 15765-4 CAN 11/500

>at dp
ISO 15765-4 (CAN 11/500)
* Display the protocol (make sure it took it)

>at caf1
OK
* Set auto formatting on so I can read it

>at sh 7c0
OK
* Set header to 7c0, that's where I'm going to send the command to

>21a7
7C8 03 61 A7 C0
* me - What's your seat belt setting?
* xB - My seat belt setting is set to annoy you, C0.

>3ba700
7C8 03 7F 3B 78
7C8 02 7B A7
* me - don't annoy me anymore
* xB - processing

>21a7
7C8 03 61 A7 00
* me - did you get that?
* xB - yeah I turned it off, don't you see the 00?

>0160
?
* me - set my MPG to 60, _____
* xB - I'm not a Prius

OK that last one I made up but the seat belt no longer annoys me when I take it off 10 feet from my house. I haven't tried any other bus codes but I'm sure there are more that work.

 

Maybe I'm dumb, but why is it you need to disable the seatbelt alert? There are plenty of accidents occurring on the roads and on the average, personal injury is clearly lessened with seat belts.

 

That's a slippery slope you've taken a stand on Trevor.

Oddly enough, I'd still wear my seatbelt without some annoying alert from the car. I'd also remove my key, turn off the lights and shut the doors, alarms or not. Amazingly, if I ever did forget to turn my lights off, locked my keys in the car or forgot to shut the door I wouldn't sue Toyota because they didn't include an alarm to remind me. Would I like to disable all the idiot alarms on my car? YES, I would!

How do you feel about mandatory motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws in a supposedly free society? If the highest speed limit in the USA is 75mph, shouldn't all cars then be electronically limited to 75mph? Why not install speed transponders on all the roads and receivers in all cars so that no one can ever exceed the speed limit? Only emergency vehicles and the politburo would be exempt.

 

I think i'd rather shoot my car repeatedly until I finally, luckily, hit the little chime than go through all that trouble! But good on you for finding an alternative!

 

I TOTALLY agree; I really dislike all of the alarms, chimes, bells, interlocks and other intrusive automation that's built into my car. No, I take that back - I really HATE it!

I once asked a service manager how many of my xB's alarms I can have turned off, "legally." There are several, apparently, but I didn't get a definitive answer. He kept confusing my car with other Scion and Toyota models, past and present! Think of that; there is such a variety of factory defaults to be found out there that even the service reps can't keep them straight. Aarrgghh!

I'm going to re-read my owners' manual today; I'm sure it mentioned some "features" I can elect to disable...

Marc

(Politically, I'm a leftie, but I hate it when the government tries to molly-coddle me. Of course, as Mr. Fred points out, manufacturers have reason to be wary: the users of their products are liable to turn around and bite them at any time, with or without cause. M)

(Oh, and when I'm riding my '73 Triumph, I choose not to wear a helmet. M)

 

Hey Marc, IMO the main problem with all these "reminder" alarms mandated by our molly-coddling nanny state is the fact that they can't be easily turned off for those who don't want or need them. Being forced to go to the dealership where even they may not know how to defeat tham is BS. Instructions should be in the owner's manual. The ones I hate the most are the ign-on and door open alarms.

Since I have a OBD2 scan tool interface and software I really like the OP's idea of changing ECU parameters with simple command lines. Finding the commands will undoubtedly be the hard part. I can't really blame Toyota either. In our ridiculously litigious country I can envision someone winning a nice settlement because Toyota told them how to disable a safety device, alarm, whatever and something bad happened as a result. I'm actually a little surprised that Toyota tells owners how to disable the traction control and vehicle stability control. I expect to see that option go away within the next few years. It pains me to think how much money Toyota lost because so many US drivers can't differentiate between the brake and gas pedals. Once they lose a few million to imbeciles who wreck their cars after disabling the VSC, who can blame them?... It's sad.

Here in the USA I too would be labeled a leftie but in most of Europe, I think I'd be a conservative If not for my state's helmet laws I would wear a helmet most of the tiime but there are occasions when I would not. The key as far as I'm concerned is my right to make that choice. I know that our founding fathers were all wealthy land (and slave) owning aristocrats but still, where we are now is pretty far from what they envisioned for this "land of the free"...

Fred

 

Hospital interns call people like you "organ donors".

 

No, the correct term for people like me is "donor-cyclist."

I acknowledge the risk and, anyway, I lied - if I evaluate my itinerary as potentially dangerous, I DO wear a helmet.

I've been very sick for a while but I'm recovering and. as soon as I'm able, I'm taking out my cherished Tiger for a short ride (presuming I can still kick-start the beast).

And if I get squished on the highway, who cares if you taxpayers have to pay for futile "heroic messures"?: I'll be dead.

To return to the original posting, I've just resolved to obtain a scanner and dive into my ECU. I'm very familiar with computers, but what worries me is what the dealership will do when they discover I've been phucking around. I presume I can reset everything to the factory defaults without too much effort?

Anyway, Mr. Dog, you have my profound thanks for your concise and explicit instructions. I'm going to take your word and follow them exactly!

Marc

 

"politburo" ? I guess there's no such thing as the perfect solution, so why pretend otherwise? I'm personally a fan of seat belts and police enforcement of speed limits (I read about nasty and unnecessary "accidents" all the time , and not just here!), though I'm not so sure about air bags ! I feel strongly that skipping a helmet is suicidal and a simple illustration is the very day Delaware dropped the helmet requirement, the very first casualty was an H-D guy who killed himself a short distance from me (no helmet and lost control on a straight road given a little alcohol from a popular local house).

Unfortunately, many are only too eager to sue if they fail to apply the common sense that would normally protect us from unfortunate happenstance ! It seems near instinctive in this seemingly so diseased country . I guess freedom to kill one's self gets too involved to be simple, and the likelihood of legal suite makes it that much more untenable. Personally, I have limited concern if others choose to wipe themselves out, but I do have concern if others feel drawn into the same.

 

"Politburo" as in the elite governing class of another very similar nanny state. Personally I fully support your right to wear a helmet, seat belts and reluctantly, even your support of police enforcement of our ridiculously low speed limits, established for the lowest common denominator types. I'd much prefer to see police enforcement of other almost universally ignored driving laws such as slower traffic keeping right, yielding the passing lane, using turn signals, turning headlights on when raining, common courtesy, etc. We hear so much about "aggressive" driving but nothing is ever done about the root cause of it. It's not the speeder, it's the clown in the passing lane doing whatever speed he feels is appropriate and refusing to yield to anyone.

So what killed that HD rider? Drinking and driving or not wearing a helmet? I'm a big fan of sober driving, although legally permissable BAC levels have dipped to ridiculously low levels in recent years. It's one thing to legislate against an activity like drunk driving where innoccent persons are often victimized but quite another to legislate against an activity such as riding a motorcycle without a helmet or driving a car without seatbelts where there is zero risk to anyone other than the individual who made that decision.

As for the liability issues, IMO the problem is not with the person who places themselves at increased risk but rather with the legal system that allows them to circumvent their personal responsibility and successfully transfer that responsibility to someone else for not protecting them from themselves. Witness every known case of sudden unintended acceleration. If you floor the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal, you have only yourself to blame!

Unfortunately we live in a world full of morons who don't want to be told what to do yet blame all of their mistakes on someone else...

 

What caused the H-D accident? Clearly DUI! What caused the death, lack of a helmet from what I read! It's a real shame there's no recognized expectation of common sense in this country, but no question the lawyers love it ! My primary concern is just that some idiot doesn't hurt someone who was driving responsibly (likewise pedestrians, though much too frequently, they themselves are idiots), but I see that happening all the time . I'm definitely in favor of coming down on idiots so they can't hurt others, but true, one ends up balancing the idiots against those who operate their vehicles in a responsible manner. It's really a crock, but fact is, the roads include plenty of unthinking vehicle "operators" who not only kill and maim themselves, but are especially damaging to others !

 

I believe you've touched upon what I consider to be the acid test for big government protection law. If it protects the general population from reckless individual behavior (e.g., DUI, etc.), it's constitutionally valid and beneficial. If on the other hand it only protects the individual from themselves, then it's obtrusive and unconstitutional.

Ergo, while I believe that helmet and seat belt use are very good ideas, I do not support legislation that mandates their use.

 

Insofar as this whole site contains a lot of discussion about illicit mods, I'm surprised the topics of civic responsibility and personal liberty haven't arisen more often here at ScionLife.

In any case, I feel I must weigh in just once more!

When I was in my thirties, I taught a number of lower-level college courses as an adjunct instructor: introduction to sociology, American government, urban social institutions, that sort of thing. In several, my students were mostly immigrants who needed the classwork in order to pass US citizenship tests. And you wouldn't believe the spectrum of attitudes this international crowd brought to the classroom! Anyway, one of the films I often showed was entitled "What You Are Is Where You Were When" (created by Morris Massey). It eloquently makes the case that individuals' attitudes and inclinations are very much a function of what they are exposed to in their formative years. Since then, after more graduate work and twenty-five years experience working as a social science researcher and statistician, I can guarantee you that there are a multitude of psychological and sociological interest inventories and survey instruments that can very reliably predict the dimensions (or "constructs") that summarize your particular world view.

I point this out because it seems to me any disagreement here is not ad hominem so much as it is fundamentally cultural.

When I read Mr. Fred's several contributions here, I am struck once again by the predictive power of our earliest years (and the cultural milleu that embrace them). My agreement with every one of Mr. Fred's sentiments is not a freakish coincidence. Rather, it is almost certainly that we - along with millions of other folk - have developed our senses of personal liberty (and of responsibility) at roughly the same time and under roughly the same circumstances. Attitudes and perceptions are SO much generational phenomena.

Many of you younger people can't remember the enactment of legislation mandating such things as seat belt interlocks (1974), or "federal" 85 mph speedometers (1979). But I surely do. (Being handy at such things, I "repaired" many dozens of cars during the time so that they'd run without first requiring that the driver - and the front passenger - be buckled up.)

In fact, now I think about it, I remember one state law - I believe it was Oregon's - that made it a ticketable offense not to have a dedicated "refuse bag" visible at the front of your vehicle at all times. The idea was to cut down on littering! Now, I happen to be a RABID environmentalist, so I leave it to you how I reacted to this. As if a bag will turn an a**hole into a ethical denizen of this planet...

These are just some of the thousands of stupidities that have been perpetrated upon me in my experience, and they have had a cumulative effect. I find I have zero tolerance for the kind of philosophy that justifies them. In fact, just thinking about things like headlights that are wired to remain on constantly "for safety's sake" makes my very blood boil. I've just seen too many proofs that the law is indeed an ___.

I have never seen a speed-limit that I've agreed with, and after 43 years I still habitually drive at least 10 miles an hour over the limit. That is, on surface streets. I drive very smoothly and I NEVER tail-gate, and I do not get in accidents; rather, my speed is governed by driving conditions or by the presence of police. But not signs. I remember that until I was in my late twenties, I actually believed that EVERYONE despised speed limits as much as I did. I was appalled when I finally discovered otherwise. (Never, during my nearly 40 years of religiously exercising my right to vote, has anyone ever ASKED ME my opinion about what traffic ordinances should obtain.)

My opinion has always been that if a driver can't pass a rigorous performance test, then his or her driver's license should be suspended or revoked.

Our roads are indeed filled to overflowing with incompetent morons, and the seemingly all-pervasive indifference I see expressed today in reaction to ever more restrictive (and mindless) legislation foretells a future that truly sickens me.

Marc

(PS: Many of you probably know of it, but there's a neat political "disposition" test entitled "Political Compass" (copyright © Pace News Limited 2001-2012) which I think has some merit. Try it. M)

(PPS: I score way down there in the very corner of the green. M)

http://www.politicalcompass.org/analysis2

 

Great post and very interesting "political compass" test. I think we have a lot in common. I scored solidly in the green, 1 square from the left but 6 squares from the liberitarian bottom.

Sorry it took so long to respond but I lost track of this thread since it hasn't been bumped recently. I feel especially guilty because I also did not respond to your last PM. I wanted to but my PM inbox filled up, I deleted it all to make room and lost your PM. I know you said that a reply wasn't necessary but I believe it deserved one. My bad.

 

Kind words, Mr. Fred. Thanks. You'd think I would have learned by now to avoid drooling rants. But no. (I'm like you I guess. :?)

I just received the cheap Elm scanner from Amazon that Mr. Dog told us all about. As soon as the weather warms, I'm going out to see if I can hose up my ECU.

Marc

 

I love a good long rant session now and then but my time is so often limited. I left for work today at 1pm, got home at 3am and need to get up by 12pm today for work... I only have time for really long rants on my days off and too often, not even then. Yes, I'm living the American dream... and to think we mock the silly French with their 35 hr work week.

I haven't had time to even look into Toyota ECU commands yet but will be following this thread with interest.

 

Hello,
I am attempting to do this.

I have my elm327 scanner hooked up.
Will zterm work with a Win7 pc or what is the equivalent equal.

What other features are available?
Ignition key buzzer? ( I park in my garage, always leave the key in....buzzer drives me nuts)
Unlock functions? setting lock/unlock to do ALL doors, not just driver?

thanks for this great information.
Kevin

UPDATE -
This works - SuperDog is my hero !

I downloaded putty (terminal emulator software) and configured it for serial, com3 and 38400 for my elm327 usb connection.
Also I found - http://www.scantool.net/scantool/dow...ive/utilities/ snterm - which seems easier cause it is a built in serial terminal emulator, sort of designed to interface with obd connections.

But I used Putty.
Just type in the above commands SO SIMPLE.

Now off to try the wife new Seinna van.

thanks Kevin

 

Sweet! I need to try this asap.