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Dead 12v battery then blank display

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by web1b, Mar 29, 2011.

  1. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    The battery went dead on my 2010 Prius and when I had AAA jump start the car the clock plus the display with odometer, mpg, hybrid battery graph etc, no longer light up. Everything else seems to work.
    Is there any easy way reset it other than taking to the dealer? (Could a fuse have blown etc.?)
     
    #1 web1b, Mar 29, 2011
  2. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    Have you first tried the dial that changes the luminosity of the displays?
     
    #2 sipnfuel, Mar 29, 2011
  3. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    I drove the car around for about an hour to make sure the 12v battery had plenty of time to recharge and the display stayed blank the whole time. I went back to the car and restarted the car a few minutes ago and the display magically came back on. Very strange.
     
    #3 web1b, Mar 29, 2011
  4. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    It could be that the 12V battery was sucking all the available power from the 12V bus.

    A lead acid battery's #1 advantage is the large amps they can provide (or draw).
     
    #4 sipnfuel, Mar 29, 2011
  5. direstraits71

    direstraits71 Member

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    Probably not magic, I think you just did a full computer reboot.
     
    #5 direstraits71, Mar 30, 2011
  6. pbbcpm6

    pbbcpm6 Junior Member

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    When i first saw your post I thought that AAA had a cross jump and blew fuse or possiable some electronics. I guess 12v battery supply power to gauge,clock etc,I'm curious did you leave the door light,headlight etc which cause the battery to go dead?
     
    #6 pbbcpm6, Mar 30, 2011
  7. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    The lights are supposed to turn off automatically if you leave them on.
    I read that the battery has little reserve power and cannot handle radio use for long with engine off. I had been listening to the radio for about 20 minutes about 4 hours earlier and everything was fine (battery didn't die while I was actively listening to the radio) , but when I came back to the car 4 hours later, everything was completely dead.
     
    #7 web1b, Mar 30, 2011
  8. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    No MPG reading on MFD trip computer.

    I thought is was back to normal, but I just noticed there is no average mpg display MPG on the screen any more. There is the odometer, the 2 trip odometers, and miles to empty, but not the mpg when I cycle through the trip screens. There is still a screen with the MPG bar graph, but not the mpg text display.
    Is there a setting to turn that back on?
     
    #8 web1b, Mar 31, 2011
  9. Netmaster

    Netmaster New Member

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    Happened to me twice after jumpstart. It comes back on the second Startup if the accessory battery have enough juice in it. I think it may be some sort of emergency shut down to prevent any kind of surge when the car is boosted. Thats my opinion, i am not an expert. But the screen does come back...

    What i would really like to know is why my battery died those two times.. :-(
     
    #9 Netmaster, Apr 1, 2011
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