My Prius is dead and too hi-tech for a newbie ... where to start? Is there a checklist?

Well...

It's pretty much a whole bunch of computers on wheels. Not to mention two distinctly different powertrains. And you're right, it doesn't talk back to us in the way conventional cars do when they're acting up.

I'm far from an expert, but you're describing some things which could potentially indicate serious problems.

When I owned an '06, it was the first time I actually considered purchasing the extended warranty. In my opinion, it's that kind of car. Well made and reliable when it's in good running condition, but requiring some specialized skills and equipment to service when it's not operating correctly.

As far as buying a Civic or Corolla instead, I'm driving a Fit and find the simplicity, low cost and performance very satisfying.

I sure wish you the best; please let us know how it all turns out

 

I think you mean, "why the hell did I buy a car sight unseen without inspection".

First thing I'd do is pull the 12volt battery and get it load tested at an auto parts store or dealership. I think both it and the hybrid (traction) battery are both drained from sitting too long.

 

Yes, it was a bad decision to buy the Prius in that condition. Unfortunately you'll have to have the car towed to your local Toyota dealer to determine what DTC has been logged. Your car does not have a simple problem.

The icon showing a car with ! means that the hybrid vehicle system has failed. This could be due to a failed traction battery, inverter, transaxle, HV ECU, etc.

 

It's not a shade-tree mechanic kind of car, as you're discovering.

 

MSRP on the 12V battery is $138.70, BTW - but as you have found some dealer parts depts are not ashamed to charge more.

Prius and the other Toyota hybrids are quite far from the design found in a typical vehicle. They contain a tremendous amount of technology and it is a small miracle when the car starts up on an everyday basis.

 

Hate to say this, but i'm going to. Some people still use VHS, 8 track, Beta and cassette tapes and get confused when the timer is blinking. Lets cut a break here.

 

Here's the truth...

Is there not a checklist? No, not really. There is no checklist for dealing with a $7000 dollar vehicle you bought sight unseen through an auction.

You admittedly say you "didn't know what you were getting into" and you immediately started guessing as to what you should do. You can't really fix something until you know whats wrong with it...

The Prius is a machine. So whatever problem or series of problems your vehicle might have probably can be discovered and adressed. But given your experience thus far? The real question becomes is this a sacrifice you want to approach and embrace?

Basically you bought an auction Prius, without any knowledge of it's history and/or it's current state. You charged it up...pressed buttons and filled it with gas, and now are disappointed that the vehicle didn't start up and purr like a hybrid kitten?

Since you are already starting to "hate" the vehicle...sound quite overwhelmed and evidently are hesitant to do the very thing I think you must do, which is have it inspected by a qualified techician, I think I might suggest trying to sell the vehicle. Prius are in demand "perhaps" you can get the money you have put into purchase..out of it again.

Then you can buy a vehicle inwhich you feel more comfortable.

But it's all up to you. However it appears that the hail damaged, auction Prius you bought will require more attention than simply charging the battery, filling with gas and pushing the start button.

Exactly what attention, work and sacrifice is near to impossible for anyone to determine who isn't a technician but given electronics and body as well as engine...you could have numerous potential problems.

The first question to answer is do you want to deal with these potential problems?

 

There's two types of damage to your car. First, the obvious mechanical damage from the hail. The other damage is probably from storing the car too long.

With long term storage, the 12V battery goes bad. You obviously already know that. The traction battery (the 200 volt one behind the back seat) can also become discharged beyond what the car can recover from by itself.

It is unlikely that the rest of the powertrain has any damage. The engine, transmission, brakes, etc. were probably fully protected from hail. Flood damage would be another thing, but it doesn't sound like the case here.

My list of what to do is as follows:

• Get the 12V working.
• Read the computer codes. Dealer or rent access to Techstream for a few days.
• May have to have the dealer recharge the HV battery.
• If the HV battery can't be recharged, then a replacement is in order. Salvage batteries are the cheapest. Dealer wants too much $$$ for new.
• Gasoline in the tank may have turned to varnish. Clean the entire fuel system.
• Fix the body. Same deal as any other car.

 

Come on, folks. The 12V is dead. There will be no codes. When the 12V is completely dead and gets jumped, weird states happen. 95% chance that a new 12V will fix it. Don't even both trying to charge it.

 

either way... for only 7 grand.. that's a steal. you can replace a lot of parts before you get to the 10 - 15 dollar range it usually cost for that year and mileage.

i'll say it's your battery... since it's dead.. and they die so hard... it basically shorts out and drops the voltage of the car too much for the master computers to stay on... so it flickers and such... or you see a few icons but not many.

if you don't have the new battery yet, disconnect the 12v and connect your jumper cables directly to the 12v feeds to the car (skip the battery)... see if it starts... because it should.. you can disconnect it to see if it stays on.. it should stay on. once you shut it off, you have to jump again... i did this for several months with a jump pack on a normal basis. btw... if the feeds touch the dead battery by accident (both terminals i guess) or they short out (+ to anything metal)... the car will turn off immediately. i had that happen once on a very dangerous road... all you're left with is non assisted steering (takes two hands) and friction brakes. you do coast pretty well but you should pull over IMMEDIATLY or you'll risk braking things... expect to hear loud clicking and a very rough stop around 4 or so mph as the parking pin has dropped into place and is waiting to catch...

 

It doesn't have to be a dealer, but the shop has to have a Techstream scantool or equivalent. One of the things you need to check is the individual battery module voltages in the HV battery. Techstream can do it, while most scantools can't see the individual computers in a Toyota. Call up various shops that offer Toyota service.

 

throw in a few blank post and then share some photos.

we love photos... codes too...

 

Hmm...

Can you walk us through what you see and hear? So you put in a new 12V, foot on the brake (and hear a quick ratchet/grind noise), press Power, the car won't actually start at this point because 12V power was interrupted. You need to keep your foot on the brake and push Power again.

Do you have the Big Red Triangle? Does the engine crank at all?

If the engine didn't turn over at all, check to see if someone at the sale lot removed the orange HV battery service plug. They may have done that since the hatch glass was broken. You need to remove the back carpet, then the big folding floorboard, then the big black tray, in order to see it in the driver's side corner. I don't have a picture of that with the battery in the car but this is what it should look like when properly installed.

 

Hi eBrain. If you get it to ready mode then check the MFD (multifunction display) straight away to get the SOC (state of charge) of the main traction battery.

Once you get "ready" try to get the engine started as soon as possible and (with the transmission in park) let it get some charge onto the main battery.

Pissing around with a flat 12V auxiliary battery was probably a bad thing to do, because the whole time the main traction battery is trying to charge the small battery and losing power in the process.

The state of charge should look something like in the attachment. Six blue bars is ideal, but any bars at all on this display will be a good thing to see in your situation.