2003 Prius Stuck between 2 coconut trees for 3 months now, Need some help!!

HI All you Prius Enthusiasts!!!

I am very grateful to have found this forum as i am the only Prius owner on this island!!
Ok i am in a real pickle, My Prius has been stuck for over 3 months now in between 2 coconut trees (i am not even joking!!) and am scratching my head as what to do next.
I am posting here but think i will also copy and post as new question.
Let me try to be brief(its going to be hard!lol)
I am an American on a tiny island in the south Pacific in a country called the Kingdom of Tonga doing long term missionary work.
Gas here is $8.50 a gallon, so i thought i was slick to ship my 2003 prius over.
OK 3 months ago, i by accident burnt my only master key in a brush fire, i know like DUH!
There is no mechanics, nor equipment on the island that can even come close to understanding what to do or what a Prius even is(but boy can they crack open coconuts good!!).
So after much research i purchased a new ECU Immobilizer and Ignition kit and had it hand delivered over by a incoming friend . (You guys are so flippin blessed with fed x, ups, etc.... as shipping from anywhere takes 5 to 8 to NEVER, in getting here!!)
Ok installed the new Kit and put the key in and the immobilizer light turned off when i inserted the key, and turned back to blinking when i took it out, but did not start and the Triangle of death indicator light came on, along with P.S (as i recall?) and Main Battery light.
So after much research and seeing a utube video of Prius King revamping a Hybrid battery (thank you Prius King for the confidence and videos!!) I purchased 4 used battery modules and a used ECU Battery assy computer along with a new orange wiring harness, because when i checked my Hybrid battery 4 modules were reading Negative readings! (The other 34 batts were reading 7.6 volts, the 4 replacement mods are reading 7.3v, and 7.4 volts). The Ecu Computer had a electrical fire in it and the wiring harness coming out of the ECU Batt assy computer melted and wires fried etc..... ( i have a theory as what possibly happened here but not sure, The day i burnt the key in the brush fire the Prius was 15 feet or so from the fire. What i am thinking is: could battery numbers 34-38 being closet to the passenger side and the fire get heated up and short from the heat and fry the batt assy and wiring harness??)
Anyway after another 4 weeks i just got my 4 used mods, and other ECU batt assy computer and wiring harness, and installed it in the prius and this is what happened:
~I put the key in and the Immobilizer light turned off.
~ I turned to start the car
~ i heard what i think is a normal click sound from the hybrid battery
~ But car does not start???
~ No Triangle of Death Indicator light is on
~ No Main Battery light is on
~ NO P.S. Light on
~ There is a check engine light on, But thats been on for ages i think its because the A/C is gone, but that could be wrong, but i dont think it is due to no start issue
~ There is a low collant light on
~ The fuel light is blinking on the last bar, but i know this is not correct as the gas tank is full???
~ I believe the ready light turns on but i have to double check that
~ The battery level on the Energy monitor screen shows low but not empty
~I moved the shifter thru some gears to see if it would roll, Nope
~Tried restarting, NOPE
~ I then turned off and pulled the main disconnect on the Hybrid battery and tried to start car to see what it would do, Triangle of Death came on.
~ Then turned key off and put hybrid disconnect back in and Turned Key on and Triangle of Death was still on.
~Then unplugged 12volt battery and plugged back in and tried to start car again, did not start but the triangle of Death indicator was off.
With my incoming parts from the usa I purchased a cheap scanner U480
~plugged that in and scanned and got no codes at all
~ But then when looking at I/M readiness status (which i dont really understand) i got:
MIL off
and then i scroll around and it says:
HO2s Not ready, O2S Not ready, evap not ready/ Cat not ready
Hdm N/a, 2air n/a, a/c N/a, Egr n/a
Under Ready it states Misfire, fuel and CCM
~ Then i went to the fuse box to see if i could see anything there.
Moved around some relays, (i knew the horn relay was working so moved that around to all other spots) Nada
OK So i am scratching my head at what to do Next???
There are no parts on this island so anything i need to get needs to be shipped in , so i am praying i dont need parts!!
My wife has been a real sport with all this as are transport has been my scooter. I should send a photo of Her, our new baby (9 months old) bundled and strapped to my wife and myself cruising down the road trying to avoid the massive pot holes, 22,000 pigs and carrying our papaya baskets and coconuts back home!!
Ok i look forward to the informative replies and want to thank you all in advance .

Sincerely

Jonathan T

 

Hi Bruce
Where am i suppose to post this type of issue?
Not Sure?

 

I will take pics for your entertainment when i go the bush on Monday. Now my question is this: If i replaced the ECU Immobilizer and lock cylinder, what do i need to do (if i need to do?) anything else to link the new ECU Immobilizer to the car? I was told i need to Auto Register mode the ECU Immobilizer to Car? Do you have exact details of that procedure?
I will also play around with the shifter to make sure it is in Park.
I was thinking the Immobilizer was installed correctly because when i put the key in, the flashing indicator light goes out, but when i take the key out , the indicator light flashes again, like the immobilizer is active?
Thoughts anyone??

 

Hi Bob

First thank you very much for taking the time to go through my post and edit it to boot!!
And the clear path to success.

Ok So i need to clear the :"I moved the shifter thru some gears to see if it would roll, Nope"
What i ment by that is Put it into gear to see if the engine (electric mostly) was on and see if the car moved with the engine.

OK a few questions:

When i installed the Immobilizer and New cylinder lock Ignition kit, i did not do anything to try and link the new kit to the car, as i wasnt sure if i needed to do that.
Do i need to link the new ECU Immobilizer to the car? I am now told i need to Auto Register mode the ECU Immobilizer to Car? Do you have exact details of that procedure?
I was told to take a paper clip and link port 4 of the obd to port 5 lower obd, and have the car on for 30 minutes?
Now when i go to where the car is on monday i will check to see if the ready light comes on.
I know when i put the key in the ignition, the flashing immobilizer light goes of and when i take it out it starts to blink again, any comments?
Is there anything procedures i can go thru i guess blindly with out a scanner to see if we can

get the vehicle started??

I ask because it will take 4 to 6 weeks to get the scanner out here and i really am trying to get

my car working asap and am on a tight budget.

Now if it turns out that i do need the scanner, can you send me the link to the particular scanner you mentioned, cheapest one that will work.
Also i am assuming i dont need to plug it in to a computer with wifi at the vehicle correct?
As there is no electricity nor wifi within 10 miles.

Do you have this diagnostic map that you can share with me?
As well as Volume 2 of repair procedures?
Also Bob if when i plugged the Rebuilt Hybrid batt in and the triangle of death, main battery light, went off, as well as seemingly normal clicking sound when i try to start, as well as the The battery level on the Energy monitor screen shows low but not empty, wouldnt that indicate that the hybrid batt is working properly??

Ok look forward to your reply
And once again thank you!!

Jonathan

 

Hi Paul

Thanks for weighing in here.
Ok tell you truthfully i am not sure if the ready light turned on, i know most of the warning indicators turned off(triangle of death, main batt and PS warnings).
And i know that the Immobilizer flashing light stops flashing when i put the key in and then flashes again when i take the key out.
I know i heard a click sound coming from the Hybrid battery, which i think i heard a lot when the car starts up.
I believe the person who told me to do the paper clip from port 4 to 5 off the obd say's it re flashes the ICE?
But i will go out today or tomorrow and note all that i see and do the below procedure.
I have my generator out there and a battery charger so i will fire that up and do the 30 minute procedure.
If there is anything else you can glean from all the posted above information that you feel is necessary to tell me, please do.

Thanks for your time and help!

Jonathan

 

HEY HEY HEY, The Tank is back!!= Prius has started and ran for over 30 minutes no problem!!!!
Thank you Paul!! thank you Bob! and for all the other Prius Enthusiasts for all the great info on posts!!!
Ok let me tell you what i did so others can glean.
So Paul i took your advice and mated the immobilizer to the ICE by hooking up the 12v battery to batt charger via generator and leaving the key in the on position for 30 minutes, then turned of and it fired right up and stayed on!!!!
I never had to do bridge the upper port 4 to lower port 5 thing on the obd.
Now i have some questions / figures to run by you anybody feel free to weigh in:

1: From your experience when you rebuild a gen 1 pack by just replacing a few batteries to make it work, how long can/ do they last? I know that might be hard as every circumstance will be different, just give me your experiences etc......

2: Do you find many batteries start to fail afterwards from a batt rebuild?

3: i took a reading of the charging port on the Hv batt bank, i got 288 volts before i started the engine. Then after the engine running for 20 minutes i got 296 volts. Can you tell me anything from these figures?

4: With my cheap u480 scanner i did get a dtc code after the car started up: it gave me a generic code of : P0301 which says Cylinder 1 Misfire detected. Now when it first started up it was a bit rough for like 5 seconds (mind you that is after not starting for 3 months). Now i cleared the code and restarted again to see if it would throw the same code, it did not and started up perfect on 2nd, 3rd try. Any comments there?

5: Do the hybrid batts loose electrolyte, and if so before i bolt the batt in is there a way to refill or better maintenance the batts so they last longer?

6: I have a friend who is traveling to American Samoa via boat who is willing to pick up stuff for me and sail it back to Tonga as shipping over to American Samoa via post office is reasonably priced and relatively fast. With that said can you guys weigh in from your experiences of parts and or maintenance items that you would have on hand that i would most likely need in the future? The Prius is a 03, with 127,000 miles on it.
Now i am on a tight budget, but i cant have my car go down for another 3 months, that was brutal!!

7: Now look i know this is funny, but i really do use the prius as a semi work truck, i mounted a roof rack on it and i have to go on a rough dirt road for about 1 mile twice a day. with that said
is there an easy way to lift the prius up a bit to give more clearance?

8: I know this is also funny, but i need to put a trailer hitch on the prius for a light wait trailer, does anyone have experience in best way to do this?
OK i thin thats it
Thank you all so much again for your help!!!
Will post pics soon (forgot the camera yesterday)

Jonathan

 

Hi Bob

Ok i am viewing your pictures now and will try to explain to the local welder to see what materials they have and fabricate it.
Structural bamboo too funny
Local key man, Ha! Bob you lose your keys here you are Poop out of Luck

Ok look for the pics for all your viewing pleasure.
I have to take pics of the 1 mile dirt road, None of you will believe i got the car in here!!

 

Hi Paul

Thanks for all the answers here:
Gotcha on 1,2.
question on 3, what do you mean by block voltages? I measured each one individually. What is IR maybe internal resistance? Can i measure that with a cheap volt meter?, or do i need a decent scanner?
4: yeah cleared the code , did not come back
5: gotcha
6: Ok From your answers i am going to order:
about 4 batts to have on stand by, anybody have good ones for sale?
Even though that part is $100, and shipping another $40, i will do it if you recommend, can you point me to the forum of where i learn how to do that, and can i do that without scanner?
Maybe i should check spark plugs to see condition, i remember seeing some post with pics here?
Air filter, i didnt know there was a cabin filter
Also i will get transaxel fluid. Is there somewhere on the forum which tells how to change that?
7: I got to do something or i will smash the crapola out of this car, i put $2500 into the road, but a lot of the rocks got swallowed by the MONSTER MUD!!!
Even though the car is running now, i have to wait another day or two for the road to dry out to venture my way out of here!
Anywhere you can lead me to suspension lifts? how much clearance do you think i can get and is it expensive?
8: yeah local welder will see Bobs pics / Info to fabricate one.

Thanks Paul
Did you see some of the pics?
Had to put a roof rack on it as i need to carry 2x6's and pvc pipes, plywood (wheel barrows, even a cement mixer etc....