Malfunctioning ECM and blown fuses

I could understand a malfunctioning ECU causing a no start condition. What I can't understand is how the malfunctioning ECU produced enough current to blow the fuses. It sounds like what happens when an attempt is made to jump the vehicle with the positive and negative cables reversed. If that is the case, a few hundred dollars is pittance compared to what others have spent after that mistake.

Did you or someone try to jump the vehicle?

 

Food for thought: If the dealer is swearing that a faulty jump damaged the car, isn't the AAA service responsible for the damage?

I'm the first to suggest the dealer service people are clueless, but if they put in writing.......

Hard telling what the "jump pack" was actually delivering for voltage and current.

 

It they were reversed, it could cost thousands in blown ecu's. If he had the pack set to a high enough voltage, it could have resulted in blown fuses and ecu's.

 

I recall maybe 15 years ago a AAA guy telling me they used 24 volts to jump car batteries. Why, because it worked when a 12 volt from my car to my dad's didn't.

No idea if that was correct or if they still do it.

AAA has a guide for their people for towing specific vehicles and I'd be surprised they don't have one if they have found the Prius needs special handling when jumping. Did they follow company policy?

 

On account of all the damage that can happen to the Prius ECU, I'll NEVER let anyone else but a Toyota dealer touch the battery.

I carry one of these Antigravity lithium ion "jump packs."

I'm considering wiring the pigtail directly to my 12 volt to make sure that the polarity is not reversed.

 

I botched a jump by reversing the clamps. The car was totally dead after that, with the exception of a couple of lights on the dash. I replaced the fuseable link block, and everything works fine, so far, but there are several lights on that mean "take it to te dealer". I also repaced two fuses.. I'm wondering if those are on because of the car's having been dead, and the replacement. Is there a place/way to turn the lights off? Would a diagnostic from auto zone tell if those emergency lights are real indications of an issue, or have come on because of the block being changed? I have driven it on the street some andall appears to be okay; the brake light is on, but the fluid is not low or empty. I haven't tried slamming on the brakes, but wanted to get more info. Anyone know/ f? I hate paying big sums for them to handle it if the lights are just on, but not an indication of real issues. thanks.

 

What fuses have you checked

 

You do realize that you are responding to a post from 7 years ago?

 

LOL. Just wondering if the fuses kept blowing...

 

My Antigravity pack comes with "smart clamps" that detect the polarity, and won't conduct if you have them backwards.

The first one I bought came with dumber clamps, but when Antigravity upgraded the model to come with the smart ones, they also made the smart clamps available separately, so I upgraded my old one.

There is one possible thing to watch for: if your battery is so completely dead that the smart clamps can't tell if they're forwards or backwards, then you have to push an override button to make them conduct. So in that situation, you'd still better double-check your colors before pushing that button.

I made a point of buying mine straight from Antigravity's web site, because there were reviews on Amazon from people who had ordered there and received packs that were unmistakably counterfeit. I wouldn't really be comfortable with a large-capacity, counterfeit Li-ion battery stored in my glove box.