Moving the Prius 07 if will not start

You can't put it in neutral. You have to lift the front wheels off the ground (either moving it on a floor jack with wheels or putting the front wheels on dollies).

Your 12V battery is failing. Time to replace.

First check to see if -any- lights are being left on. The one in the hatch can be left on and is difficult to notice. It can be switched to door operation, off, or on all the time. Just like the overhead light. If no lights are being left on and you haven't added some kind of tracker device or aftermarket alarm then the battery is dieing. How long do you leave the car between uses? If more than a week you may want to find a way to use a "battery tender" to keep the 12V battery charged. The car can go 3-5 weeks without use with no problems but if that is how you use it all the time, and if the uses are short (less than an hour), then the battery will eventually loose charge.

Once it has gone dead it looses capacity, and it gets worse each time it goes dead.

Yes, it's unusual for a "new" battery to die so soon, but it may have gone dead on the dealers lot. Perhaps the dealer will replace it for you under warranty.

 

You can "jump" a prius with a small 12v booster pack from under the hood.

With dead 12v battery, use hard key to open drivers door, mechanical hood latch to open hood. (Hopefully you are not parked in a way that the hood will not open.)

Connect positive to terminal under RED cover (see photo of my little finger). Connective negative to body (I usually use goldish color shock mounting nut above engine bay fusebox). You don't need much power, smallest jumper pack should do it since you are only running the computers etc, the traction battery still starts the ICE.

Consult your owners manual or google "Jumpstarting Prius" for detailed instructions.

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Once you get the car on and in Ready mode you can lock it in neutral if you like. Manually set it to neutral (set parking brake!) then remove the relay where my big finger is pointing, the car will stay in neutral even with power disconnected. This is useful for moving car around shop etc.

 

There isn't a way, short of dismantling the parking pawl lever, which you don't want to do.

Tom

 

yeah if it won't at least go to "on" but not "ready" mode to put it in neutral you are screwed.

 

baboonia - thanks for the advice. interesting. what device would you use for this? i would like to carry such a device in my car in case it wont start.

in all my new cars, i found out the batteries only lasted a few years. should i replace my battery in two years just to be safe? same with the prius?

thanks.

 

Hi Gene,

Living in southern CA with moderate temps year-around, if you drive your car daily, say an hour or more each day, then you can reasonably expect your Prius battery to last a long time as long as you don't leave the hatch open so that the cabin lights are on all night.

My personal policy is to replace the 12V auxiliary battery after six years as a preventive measure. Those who live in very hot or cold climates and/or who do not log many miles will have to expect frequent battery replacements, however - every two or three years is quite possible.

If you want to invest in a portable jumpstart device, you'll just need one that can deliver ~30A peak current during Prius startup.

 

patrick,

thanks for your constant expertise!

gene

 

You can find small "booster packs" at auto parts stores. The type you -might- want to use would have a cig. lighter plug on it to keep it charged. This way it would charge whenever the car was running. Just remember, you can't use the cig. lighter plug to charge the Prius battery. The accy. and cig. lighter plugs are off when the car is off.

The problem with these devices is they need to be kept plugged in, as they wouldn't be used for several years at a time (unless you get one with an air pump built in, in which case you'd use it once a month (you DO check your tires once a month, don't you? ). So getting one with a cig. lighter plug would ensure it is kept charged. Remember they contain a lead acid battery (usually a gel cell type), so they must be kept charged to prevent the internal battery from degrading.

If you DO get one, first make sure the clips on it will fit the boost terminal (fusebox under hood - terminal with a red flip-up cover - use the bolt above the fuse box on the firewall for the -ve). Replace the +ve clip with a solid copper smaller one if the one the booster came with is too big. Be sure to also get the insulating cover for the clip. Mueller makes the clips and covers, (I use a #60C clip) and they're available in electronics parts stores or on-line.

 

I have shown this idea before, but it seems to fit in now. I keep a 12 amp hour, 12 volt sealed battery in the car. It is smaller than a regular jumper pack, which I also have a couple of, and it stores easily in the left cubby, which the big ones won't do. I touch up the charge about once a month, and plan on replacing it every two years. There are some pictures of it at: "EMERGENCY BATTERY PICTURES"

 

Great idea for carrying that small (electric bicycle/alarm system?) battery as a backup in the left rear storage space.

Only hassle is when your 12v is dead you won't be able to open the rear hatch, you'll have to climb over the rear seat to get to your extra battery. A hassle, but still easier than waiting for AAA etc.

 

If you can get enough 12V to power up to IG-ON mode, you *can*
get the car in Neutral and then pull the parking-control relay
before powering down again, leaving the thing in neutral. See
my training slides for which relay and other details.
.
_H*