My 2001 Prius has the check engine and take car to dealer lights on (like picture). Everything else (oil, brakes, etc.) is fine. Hoping it's not something really bad! Car died so we jumped it with a friend's car. Turned on but then it wouldn't start on its own after the jump. Replaced the auxiliary battery. Car started fine and drove it for a few minutes then turned it off. Turned car back on and the check engine light, the triangle light, and the car with an exclamation point light came on. The car is driving ok again but the lights won't go away. View attachment 141841
welcome! could be anything, you need to have the codes read. did you check the 12v voltage before installing?
Welcome to Prius Chat . Some questions: How many miles on your Prius? Is it just the check engine light on, or are there other lights on (like the car with the (!) as well)? Do you have a code reader, or is that why you are going to the dealer? Which dealer were you going to use? Have you tried Luscious garage in San Francisco or Arts Automotive in Berkeley? Happy new year and keep us posted .
What is the 12v voltage? Where would I find that? The car has over 300,000 miles on it. There are 3 lights on: the triangle, the check engine, and the car with an ! I'd need to go to a shop to get the codes read, and I was thinking probably the Car Doctor in San Mateo Thanks so much for your responses!!! I was wondering if the lights turning on might have anything to do with replacing the aux battery, since this is the first time I've done it, and I'm not sure when the previous owner last did it. If you've heard of anything similar happening that would be great to know!
You can find the voltage with a multimeter (or voltmeter) and check the battery you just installed. With 300 k miles on the car, is the hybrid battery pack original? You’ll need need a smart code reader to understand what the codes are as there will be some that a standard code reader will not get. Not sure if the Car Doctor will have the right equipment, but Luscious or Arts will. Once you have the codes, post them back here and we can help . Keep us posted .
The new aux. 12 V battery should have been manually charged before installing. IF the wasn't done before, it should be done NOW. It is not necessary to remove the battery to charge it. BUT......after that, it might be a good idea to disconnect one of the main cables for a few minutes to "reset" some of the fault indicators. After all that, it the lights are still on, you need a shop visit to see why.
If the 12v battery is weak, the car will not operate correctly and it will throw codes and the death triangle, but the car is fine. Make sure the 12v battery is good, the prius drains the 12v battery when the car is off, so it can go almost dead after just 1-2 days of not running it if the battery is weak.
That's pretty much true of most cars these days; key phrase is: "if the battery is weak". If it is healthy and fully charged, the car should sit comfortably for several weeks at a minimum.
They're great candidate for a Battery Tender. I have a spare motorcycle battery, can jumpstart the car with it. I keep it on a battery tender, too.
