Won't start, theft deterrent light then blinking red engine check light...

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by sfvisalaw, Nov 8, 2013.

  1. sfvisalaw

    sfvisalaw New Member

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    Hello everyone, I have a problem with my 2010 Prius III with 30k miles. This morning, car started fine, drove the car a short distance to drop off my kids to school. After leaving it parked in the garage for about an hour the car would not start. The following are the symptoms that I encountered: There is no power to radio or alarm, so no sound when locking/unlocking doors. First thing was the theft deterrent light was on, so I checked and made sure that all doors were closed, I then tried to unlock, lock, and unlock car's door via remote key and then the theft deterrent light turned off. Then there is this new blinking red engine check light. I am sure nothing was left on or open when I got home. There is also a weird foul smell in the garage.

    Thanks in advance for any insight to my problem/s.

    Any help would be appreciated.
     
    #1 sfvisalaw, Nov 8, 2013
  2. Bingee

    Bingee Member

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    12v battery ?? Foul smell , chipmunk or some critter got into the electrical system and
    Got fried ?
     
    #2 Bingee, Nov 8, 2013
  3. sfvisalaw

    sfvisalaw New Member

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    That's what I am thinking that the 12v battery is dead. But it was fine an hour before it died. Nothing works, screen is dark except for the blinking theft deterrent light.
     
    #3 sfvisalaw, Nov 8, 2013
  4. sfvisalaw

    sfvisalaw New Member

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    The foul smell is like sulfur.
     
    #4 sfvisalaw, Nov 8, 2013
  5. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    The sulfer smell makes the 12V battery even more suspect. They can die suddenly if a cell connector breaks, or other internal problems. If connecting a jump start box brings it back to life, then you know you need a battery.
     
    #5 Jon Hagen, Nov 9, 2013
  6. sfvisalaw

    sfvisalaw New Member

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    Thanks Jon Hagen for the input. I guess 4 years on an OEM battery is about right. Do you think is even safe to try to jump start the battery to test it? So the yellow top optima is the best choice right?

    Also does anyone know if I have the Toyota platinum warranty, will installing the optima battery myself void the warranty because it is not an oem Toyota part.

    Thanks in advance.
     
    #6 sfvisalaw, Nov 9, 2013
  7. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    I suspect there is a 99% chance you could do a jump start test without problems, but that 1% chance that the old battery will generate a bubble of hydrogen and oxygen,then ignite it with an internal spark,keeps me from saying your good to go. A battery explosion, especially in the passenger compartment, could be nasty.
    I doubt a correctly self installed aftermarket battery would void your warranty
     
    #7 Jon Hagen, Nov 10, 2013
  8. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    Warranty 101:
    There's no such thing as "voiding the warranty", car makers are bound by law to honor all warranty terms. However if you damage the car making some repair or mod, they have a right to refuse to cover that damage.

    Which is why one should jump the car under the hood instead.
     
    #8 rdgrimes, Nov 10, 2013
  9. KyleT

    KyleT Junior Member

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    It doesn't sound like something new here! My car did not start when it was 2 months old with about 2K mile on it. The master warning light, i.e. the triangle with the exclamation point inside, just kept flashing when I pushed the start button while holding the brake pedal down firmly. I decided to exit my car, closed the door and reentered the car again. This time, the car started normally.

    When a car is driven by crappy computers, many weird things could happen to your car. Toyota is facing a big battle ahead after loosing the lawsuit in Oklahoma city on 25/10/2013 in which the "jury found that faulty electronic systems in a Camry sedan caused it to accelerate out of control and crash, killing one woman and injuring another". Remember that when the computer freezes, nothing you can do about it. Nothing will work, even if you try to shift to neutral gear. You would wish that there were "CTRL + ALT + DELETE" keys or a plug somewhere... Have you ever tried to be a kamikaze solder before?

    Reference: Toyota hit with $3-million verdict in sudden acceleration death - latimes.com
     
    #9 KyleT, Nov 10, 2013
  10. sfvisalaw

    sfvisalaw New Member

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    Thanks everyone for the great input, you guys are awesome. I was able to start the car by using a battery jump starter in the engine compartment. I just hook it up and immediately all the lights on the dashboard lit up. I was able to get it on ready mode and start the engine. Oh by the way, while backing up out of the garage, I found on the floor a puddle of water located around where the rear passenger side was. I am guessing that was the sulfur smell in the garage. Do these battery leaks? Maybe I should check if there is any acid/liquid around the battery compartment and neutralize it with baking soda.

    So back to the story, I was able to get the car to start and after 20 minutes of driving around my neighborhood, I turned off my car. Car show the same symptoms and did not start. Now is safe to say that the 12v battery is dead. Because I did not want to take a chance with the warranty I went with a Toyota True Start battery. Used a 20% coupon and paid only $152. Installed in 15 minutes and working like new.
     
    #10 sfvisalaw, Nov 11, 2013
    Jon Hagen likes this.
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    where can you get a 20% coupon? $152 is less than an optima battery
     
    #11 JC91006, Nov 11, 2013
  12. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    Good news, glad it was an easy fix. The dying battery likely puked a little electrolyte out the vent tube. Use soda water on the puddle ASAP to kill the 40% sulferic acid content, as it will damage concrete. Great to hear that a genuine Toyota battery is competitivly priced where everything fits exactly as designed.
     
    #12 Jon Hagen, Nov 12, 2013
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