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car making "durr" noises and won't start

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by woody weaver, Apr 6, 2015.

  1. woody weaver

    woody weaver Junior Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    sat in car -- brakes don't depress easily, car makes unpleasant noises, start button shows orange, and car won't start.

    Guess was accessory battery was bad. Pulled hood thinking I could put a meter across the battery terminals to see if it would yield 12V. I can't identify the battery!

    Any thoughts?
     
    #1 woody weaver, Apr 6, 2015
  2. gallde

    gallde Active Member

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    Aux battery is in the right rear corner of the car under a cargo-floor panel. But if you see the multifunction display light up normally, then the aux battery is not the problem. Hows' the fuel supply?
     
    #2 gallde, Apr 6, 2015
  3. woody weaver

    woody weaver Junior Member

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    Thanks for the tip on the location of the battery.

    Don't understand the reference to fuel. I should be able to start the car without gas? Used car on Saturday, had around half a tank.

    Multifunction display does not light up.
     
    #3 woody weaver, Apr 6, 2015
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    when car doesn't power up properly, check 12v battery first
     
    #4 JC91006, Apr 7, 2015
  5. apt5020

    apt5020 Senior Member

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    You got new 2014 Plugin Advanced. Have them bring it to dealer to check it out. Warranty for 36K miles
     
    #5 apt5020, Apr 7, 2015
    The Electric Me likes this.
  6. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    #1...new car under warranty.
    #2, Read or at least look at owners manual.
     
    #6 The Electric Me, Apr 7, 2015
  7. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    Your car should be under warranty and you have Toyota Care. Call the Toyota toll free number and have it towed to the Toyota dealer and let them repair the car. You don't want to void your warranty by working on it yourself.
     
    #7 Okinawa, Apr 7, 2015
  8. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    The jump terminal located under the under the hood fuse box cover is a nice test point for checking your 12v battery status with a meter .
    It also is a good location to hook up your battery charger.
     
    #8 IMkenNY, Apr 7, 2015
  9. woody weaver

    woody weaver Junior Member

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    To those who cited RTFM -- apologies if it was an abuse of the forum, but I was on my way to manuals and thought to stop at Prius Chat instead.

    To those who cited "car under warranty, let them handle it" -- you are of course correct, and to be honest my wife REALLY didn't want me dealing with anything that might smack of high voltage. And in the fullness of time, I just called Toyota Roadside Assistance, who sent a guy out promptly with a jump, and the car is now idling in the garage to build up a charge.

    (The tentative diagnosis is that when I unloaded groceries on Saturday, I left the rear door ajar, and that drained the accessory battery.)

    But special thanks to IMkenNY -- I grew up with a '69 Olds 98; she and I weathered a lot of storms, and I bled into her frozen bolts quite often. I can't get rid of the urge to fiddle just a bit, and I have a little bit of gear -- so knowing a useful test point is very, very nice.

    --woody
     
    #9 woody weaver, Apr 7, 2015
  10. apt5020

    apt5020 Senior Member

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    The advanced is very sensitive. If you had a charger or gas door open. You would have seen the light on the dash. I would expect the same with the door. Let me test that on my car
     
    #10 apt5020, Apr 7, 2015
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    OP, a bit of reading, a half-decent digital multimeter, and smart charger in the 3~4 amp range would be worthwhile: it'll forearm you for the next episode.

    Idling the car post-jump is a stop-gap measure, won't really restore the battery. Starting to preach, but it's wasteful too.

    Look for the source too: my guess'd be an interior light left on.
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Apr 7, 2015
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when you plug your car in, it charges the 12 volt battery, while charging the hybrid battery. i test my 12v under the hood. pop off the fuse box cover, top right corner in front of steering wheel, flip open the red 12v cap (theres a little clip for a screwdriver) and put your positive lead on the metal side of the charge post, and negative to a grounding bolt.
     
    #12 bisco, Apr 7, 2015
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