2005 Prius won't start after replacing a bad cell in main battery pack.

The transmission warning is almost always a 12V problem. Double-check all connections at the 12V battery. Monitor the voltage of the 12V when you push the power button to make sure that it does not drop below 11V. Measure the resistance from the negative battery post to a point on the body to make sure that you have less than 1 Ohm. Having to push the power button twice after a re-connect is normal. Sparks occur at reconnect due to various capacitors scattered throughout the car/ECUs.

 

1. Make sure the orange traction battery interlock switch was slid to lock it into place, after pivoting the lever 90 degrees.

2. When the car is IG-OFF and all doors and hatch are closed, the quiescent battery current draw should be around 20 mA or so (0.02 A.) If you have a digital multimeter I suggest you measure the current to see if it is much greater. If so then you'll need to figure out why. Perhaps a relay is stuck.

3. Has the 2005 had any other recent problems (such as being in an accident) besides logging the check engine light with the code P0A80 and P3016?

 

the indication from the 12v battery is that they are weak. Since the voltage recovers under no load, the cell impedance is high. This indicates that the battery is old or not fully charged. However I don't think that is why you are not "ready" Did you check that the interlock switch on the traction battery is closed?

 

This is actually not how you check to see if the interlock is properly installed. The 90 degree rotation of the handle will complete the battery circuit. But there is a sensor inside the handle that must make contact. It is not having the handle pushed all the way down that causes this sensor to have an open circuit and throw the code -- and cause the main relay to remain open. Please compare yours to the picture below to make sure that the handle is in fact correctly in its place.

 

Good guys deserve help from this Forum.:cheer2:

 

I'm a newbie - but I have been reading all the "new" posts on this forum and I am VERY impressed by the knowledge that is shared -- kudos to all that DO share their experience/knowledge on here. I'm very glad to have found this site.

 

Thanks!! You rock. I spent all nite trying to get my car started. I was ready to junk it and call it a lemon.


FYI you have to slide the plug into the battery and onces it in, then you have to slide it downward so that the other sensor can connect!


That easy, no sleep last nite!

My car had a bad vibration problem so the motor mounts were changed. The inverter had to be removed.

 

Which of the motor mounts was bad?

 

Wel, I changed all three one by one starting from right to left. The problem was still going on. After I changed the final mount it was running perfect. I mean, the car was running so bad that I wanted to junk it! But it now runs like a new car very smooth.

 

So was it the mount on the motor side (passenger) or the transaxle side (driver)?

 

Seilerts
Saved a marriage! My wife was hunting me after "wasting" $1200 on a new battery and not being able to figure out why it wouldn't start. Same issue. Needed to push safety switch down.

 

I've just read this thread b/c I posted my own about a similar problem. Seilerts is amazing. Loved to see his and others help work out. Good, smart folks here.

Here is my thread about my "stuck in park or neutral" problem...

Why Won't My Prius Go Into (Drive) | PriusChat

 

hey Seilert, im having the same problem with my 2005 with 179km. i change some bad cell and it will not start. I tried the orange plug for 2 days now , and all i hear is the crank noise from the battery relay. ive been 5 days with out my car, and it still not start. And the 12v Battery is reading 12.5v so ita good

 

I'm guessing you have double checked that the orange plug is both locked in and slid up/down into the on position. The contactors are powered from the 12v battery so that says that part of the system is ok, so the next thing to check is if the fuse in the orange plug is ok and measure the voltage between the 2 contactors on both sides when the system is in the on/start position. This is to check that the contactors are actually engaging properly. If you don't have the correct traction battery voltage or no voltage, there is either a cell link missing or incorrectly positioned or the orange plug is not fully in the lock position, or the fuse is blown. As mentioned previously, there is a safety switch that needs to be engaged when the orange plug is slide up/down to complete the battery connection sequence. There is a small plug that goes to that safety switch, just check that it is plugged in as well.

T1 Terry