Is anyone else trying to live with a flakey Combo Meter?

If it's "a few hundred dollars" to have somebody else solder in the $0.xx capacitor, that feels like a strong incentive to find a buddy with a soldering iron and just get 'er done.

 

EDIT ----

I rearead your post and its not shutting down. which is opposite of what typically happens with combo meter (wont start). So are you sure its combo meter?

The only time mine has refused to shutoff is when my battery cables were loose (as in i could twist the red back and forth easily by hand), so i had to tighten them and the problem disappeared.

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IF it is the combo meter:

The problem is not that you can keep it "kind of working", it's that one day, without warning, it is not going to work at all, and your car won't start, nor will you be able to rig something to make it start. The combo meter is an integral part of the boot process and when it finally dies then the boot process will not happen, and all the tricks like reconnecting battery will not help.

The THB price is technically not several hundred, it is $150 ($225 up front - 75 core return) + an hour or two of dashboard work which is actually not that hard on a Prius thanks to extensive use of clips.

However I must admit the actual cost will likely include a new left-side AC vent (the big gray thing that goes all the way from top of dash to bottom) since those tend to literally crumble apart in a non-repairable manner when removed. And those are getting harder to come by every year.

 

This aftermarket replacement trim is made from a less brittle plastic and fits well. It is not expensive. I don't know if the other 3 are available like this.

 

I can generally rip this out in a few minutes I've left my vents off till it's turly fixed the vent louvers are stuck in holes with goop . Which will roll up and disconnect at will. Guy in Texas said ring him up wen dash will no longer light up .so far takin remote out of slot turning off srs at button under S wheel . Re inserting pushing start and repeating till speedo and ready lite . If I'm in a hurry it's nothing for me to drive off with blank dash. Wen it returns in two three stops gas is correct as is mileage. Only undoing 12 volt resets all I do not do this. I 0nly play w fob and srs button and start button nothing else. Was off half day yesterday .

SM-A715F ?

 

I've been living with this 18 months. It always returns so far driving with dash off MFD stuck no mpg etc does nothing to car it charges shows bars drives fine even driving hale out of it . Nothing. Wen dash returns to me means bright lights in interior. And cruise works.purdy uneventful. Test of vehicle more important than speedo ready. Needs a not ready light to tell me that it's not going to go. He he

SM-A715F ?

 

This is totally opposite of every combo-meter failure of 'turning off while driving sometimes' I've dealt with, including 2 of my own. The last one I repaired, our friends had been driving with a failed dark CM for about 4 months. The cars have never failed to start, but if the combo meter is 'out' when you try to turn the car off, you have to keep the power button pressed for several seconds and the car will shut off.

 

Yep thats go sho hold button down sometimes goes str8 to acc position radio on phone charging . I push quick it goes to off. It's like it misses a step. I swear the dash is so finicky it seems like it's getting two feeds to make it power up One of those feeds it doesn't see it start up and blank I push the start button remove the key fob turn the SRS off push the start button see it's not going to work turn the SRF button back on insert the key fob push the button again pull and repeat a few times in the dash is back on with the correct mileage to gas gauge correct and everything been doing this for a year now or better

SM-A715F ?

 

Mine failed with the classic car wont shut off had to pull the 12 volt battery plug a few times to shut it off at the end.

Bought a rebuilt one from Matt @Texashybrids for $100 then sold my core back to Matt for $50. Still going strong years later.

Fairlyeasy to get to it using the you tube video, And busted most snap on plastic dash parts no matter how careful I was. Dried up plastic very brittle.

 

I've had mine out for times since pictures to the guy down in Texas and he tells me if it keeps coming back on it's not bad there's something further down the line causing that it's not in the display with the speedometer at least that's what I've been told I have no problem sending my display down getting it fixed and all the stuff he just said it probably wouldn't do because my display comes on

SM-A715F ?

 

Just came across this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmRHYffz90I&ab_channel=MikeJack

 

I go through two or three routines that are very similar I don't have to open doors and I never heard of turning the headlights on but to each their own mine is more of cycling the SRS button below the steering wheel taking the fob out of the slot and I'm generally pressing the brake when I push the power button when I'm driving the car and the dash is on and everything is good is the green light always supposed to be on on the power button never paid it that much attention mine is blank it's not red or green when the display is on and the car's driving the button is nothing

SM-A715F ?

 

My combo meter or display or speedometer never goes off while the cars in use I have to come back out from a complete stop nothing running nothing in the accessory position completely off I jump in the car push the brake hit the button and I can immediately tell that I'm not going to get a display by the check engine light coming on and none of the other embers then I wait the 10th of a second I confirm that and then I start my routine within seconds I'm driving off usually with a display it never goes out while I'm driving I can drive 500 miles if I start with the display I will park with a display at the end of the 500 miles I've never seen it go off

SM-A715F ?

 

Well I've not bought a worki g u it from Texas on his recommendation . He says wait till. No reset is possible. Call him. I said ok my car stays with vents out and a pillar covers off till that day. In house in closet. I have pulled it out twice not a very specd operation.

SM-A715F ?

 

When I had this problem I would turn on the power without pushing the brake pedal then hold the brake and flash the high beams until the door open light appeared. It was just quicker than the other method.

Since it is a weakening capacitor that causes the problem it probably needs a small power surge to wake it up.

 

Well i must apologize it seems i misunderstand combo meter issues.... mine the main symptom was "would not turn on" and i got stranded in the middle of nowhere one time (and the parking lot several times) so perhaps that made an impression on me along with many of the other threads which described similar issues. I got THB replacement and the problem went away.

About the ac vent - in the ones in the junkyards around here, it cannot be glued back. It crumbles around the glue. I pulled a good one out of a junk yard car, left it on the ground, turned around to get something, turned back, and it had broken in two under it's own weight. Very weird things going on with the vent plastic for certain production runs. YMMV. Also please note the part number for early Gen II is different for later year Gen II, the left hand tab on the AC vent of a 2005 will not clip into the dash cover of a 2007.