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Prius Won't Start - Chirstmas Tree Syndrome

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Cocooningweb, Sep 12, 2009.

  1. Cocooningweb

    Cocooningweb Junior Member

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    Hello everyone,

    My 2006 Prius won't start today. I took the car to the dealership for the 40,000 miles maintenance this morning and everything was fine. I drove the car back home and it was still ok.

    About two hours later I tried to start the car and it wouldn't. All the lights on the dashboard are blinking and the MFD is not even coming up. I called the dealership back but got their voicemail, I guess I'll just get a callback on Monday.

    I read on another thread that I could put the MFD in maintenance mode (or diagnostic mode) to read the battery info and other information by holding the Info button while in Acc mode and flashing the headlights three times, but the MFD won't come up at all.

    I tried with both keys and I also tried with the key in the car and inserted in the keyhole, and got the same result every time.

    I posted a video on Youtube showing what it does, you can view it here:


    Has anyone encountered similar problems and most importantly, have you found a solution?

    Any guidance will be greatly appreciated !

    Thanks
     
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Uhh, which of those fuel gauge indications is correct? Does it have a full tank, or is it empty?

    Otherwise this looks like a dying 12V battery. (Do you *always* lock the car when you park it? Doing so prevents common battery-draining boo-boos.) If you have a voltmeter you can check the voltage on the jump point under the hood. If so then a jump should get you going again. Note that if you attempt a jump and get the polarity wrong even for a moment it can cause hundreds of $$ of damage.

    Beyond these simple possibilities things get ugly fast.
     
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  3. Cocooningweb

    Cocooningweb Junior Member

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    Thanks. The gas tank is full, I filled it up yesterday.

    My neighbor is an engineer for Nissan and came to check it out. We checked all the fuses under the hood and in the cabin as well as the relay and everything looks good.

    He also though it was the battery, and gave me a slow charger, I'll charge it up overnight and we'll see ...
     
  4. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    The symptoms you describe indicate that your 12v battery is about to die. If it's the original, it probably should be replaced.
     
  5. Cocooningweb

    Cocooningweb Junior Member

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    Thanks that what I was also thinking. I charged it overnight but still no go.

    The battery is tiny in this car. I can't find a replacement anywhere. I'll go get one at the dealership tomorrow.
     
  6. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    As you've found there is no direct aftermarket replacement battery. eLearnaid sells an Optima Yellowtop with a complete adapter kit and very thorough instructions. That battery should be more robust in service than another Toyota battery. But the least troublesome solution is to have a dealer install another Toyota battery.
     
  7. Cocooningweb

    Cocooningweb Junior Member

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    Confirmed it was a dead 12v battery.

    I went to Advanded Auto Parts and got a Yellow Top Optima (gel battery).

    It's the same size as the original but the posts as slightly bigger. I changed the Connector on the positive side that connects to the circuit and on the negative side I bought a new connector and connected it to the original wire. Took about 30 minutes to install with the modifications, $177 total with adapters.

    It stated right up. I'm feeling better now, I didn't feel like taking it to the dealer and getting a $$$ invoice with all kind of trouble shooting diagnostics.

    Thank you everyone for your help and support.:D
     
  8. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Did you vent the battery to the outside?
     
  9. Cocooningweb

    Cocooningweb Junior Member

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    Sorry I'm a little illiterate when it comes to car terminology. I'm assuming you are referring to the little hose that connects to the battery on the + side.

    No I didn't hook it up to the new battery. Actually, I was going to connect it but the connector didn't fit, so I went back to the store and asked the guys for an adapter that would fit my new battery and they seemed very confused and were wondering why I wanted to plug this in a gel battery. They told me gel batteries don't need it.

    If you were asking whether I let the old battery ventilate out of the car to charge it, no I didn't either. That's my wife's car and I didn't want to mess with a battery that's starting to weaken, it was the original battery. She's often going out of town with the car for work and I am glad the battery failed in my garage and not 200 miles away from home.
     
  10. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    The Prius 12v should be vented to the outside. If you read the info on the gel battery, it can give off gas when going through a heavy charge. That's why there is an adapter kit for the battery when used in a Prius. Normally the battery is located under the hood, but in the Prius it's inside the cab, therefore a vent is required.
     
  11. Cocooningweb

    Cocooningweb Junior Member

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    OK I see. I had not read what was included in the conversion. Now I see that it comes with the adapter for the venting hose.

    Thanks. I'll take care of this.
     
  12. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    At Liberty Toyota a 12v battery cost $116 + $40 installation & took 1 hour. The tech replaced the battery & fuse block cover but didn't reassemble the deck. (Almost all the parts were home.) He broke the positive terminal cap in half & zip tied it to the cable. I consider this an upgrade which should make the next battery swap easier. I didn't snap the triangular cover in place as it seems to ride fine just laying in the corner.

    I specifically requested a battery swap. When asked why I thought I needed a battery my reply was, "It wouldn't start Saturday" and showed the marginally low voltage reported for the 3 states.
     
  13. tonyl

    tonyl Junior Member

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    To vent the Optima use a 1/4 in. 90 deg. fitting just like the ones used in drip systems (water) depending on the brand (fitting) most fit the "Optima" just right and the vent line. The vent is just above the + post on the side, be sure to cover the vent hole on the - post side again there are 1/4 in. plugs for this. I just use used some rubber tape I had, good elect. tape should work

    tony l