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Engine wont start on my Prius 2001.

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Brandon Doyle, Feb 21, 2016.

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  1. Brandon Doyle

    Brandon Doyle New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
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    Location:
    New York, NY
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hello everyone.
    So right now I'm not able to start my Toyota's engine. I checked multiple screens and found several weird symptoms that I never saw before.
    1. When attempting to turn the engine on, the square light that appear over the selected D, N, P positions etc does not appear at all and the 'Ready' light never appears. When putting the car into the Parked mode the square does not appear over the 'P' on the dashboard or any of the other modes and Ready light does not display.
    2 . On the dashboard the fuel gauge is blinking continuously. Its showing full bars while blinking even though I have about 3 cars worth of gas in the car.
    3. On the computer screen when I go to the Energy menu (The screen that shows the Battery life and the Motor and Engine working together) The battery life is showing as completely empty. But the battery should be working considering the computer screen even turns on. Radio also works.
    4. The OBD II scanner does not get a reading. The scanner powers on when plugged into the car, but a "Linking Error" occurs when attempting to read any error codes.
    5. On the same computer screen where the Energy menu is displayed, the Temperature gauge is showing an "E" instead of an actual temperature.
    6. On the outside of the car I hear a very faint sound that I don't recognize. It could be nothing but its not a sound I ever heard before.
    Also NO WARNING LIGHTS are appearing on the dashboard. Which makes sense considering the car engine is not turned on to show anything.
    Any help will be greatly apprciated I don't know where this issue is coming from. Thank you so much.
     
    #1 Brandon Doyle, Feb 21, 2016
  2. Brandon Doyle

    Brandon Doyle New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Im checking that now. I'll keep you posted. With all the symptoms listed would this be the battery in the trunk for the radio is still able to turn on and the screens are on?
     
    #2 Brandon Doyle, Feb 21, 2016
  3. Brandon Doyle

    Brandon Doyle New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
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    N/A
    Removed battery and tried differento working battery. 12v Battery is not the issue.
     
    #3 Brandon Doyle, Feb 21, 2016
  4. DRACO

    DRACO Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    One
    OP, S Keith asked what is the voltage of the 12v battery. If the other and the old one is under 12.5v that will cause havoc with our cars.
     
    #4 DRACO, Feb 22, 2016
  5. Brandon Doyle

    Brandon Doyle New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
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    N/A
    Hi Draco and Keith, I found out what the issue was. Turns out one of the fuses inside the fuse box under the hood was blown. We replaced the fuse with a brand new fuse and all the above issues were fixed! Its the size of a fingernail and literally caused all the above issues to appear. Amazing..

    Thank you for the assistance I greatly appreciated the tips!
     
    #5 Brandon Doyle, Feb 22, 2016
    usnavystgc and bwilson4web like this.
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Replacing a fuse isn't, in and of itself, a "fix". You really need to find out what was the underlying cause of the fuse blowing in the first place.

    What fuse did you replace?
     
    #6 dolj, Feb 22, 2016
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  7. DRACO

    DRACO Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    One
    All's Well that Ends Well :)

    Good for you :)
     
    #7 DRACO, Feb 23, 2016
  8. Alfonso13

    Alfonso13 Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Most likely he replaced a 15 amp blue fuse labeled "AM2" just below the bigger black horn relay by the driver's side under the hood.
     
    #8 Alfonso13, Aug 22, 2016
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  9. Woody3

    Woody3 Junior Member

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    That is the fuse it was for me. Gen 1 250,000 miles. HV battery is still going. I have replaced 4 cells in the past 5 years. All at the same time. Most of the cells are original. Thanks for the tip on the fuse.
     
    #9 Woody3, Aug 5, 2017
  10. mhutch1205

    mhutch1205 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2018
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    Location:
    Austin
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    I am having the exact same issues as original post, in addition to "electrical smell".
    Which fuse is it? (I had my Prius towed, so I do not have it in front of me to check)
     
    #10 mhutch1205, Jul 16, 2018
  11. Naenoa

    Naenoa New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
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    I
    You folks are terrific. Saved me thousands of dollars. It exactly was the AM2 fuse that blew. Thank you!!
     
    #11 Naenoa, Oct 17, 2018
    mroberds likes this.
  12. Naenoa

    Naenoa New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    11/2/18 Update. The reason the fuse was blowing was because the inverter coolant pump went bad. The official Toyota part is G9020-47022. I bought it through Amazon Prime for about $150 and watched YouTube on how to change it. It’s not that difficult but not too simple either. A tell tale sign for me that the pump was going bad was the AC air was not blowing cool air whenever I was at a stop light. After about 2 weeks, the engine just died while I was driving. Hope this post helps others.
     
    #12 Naenoa, Nov 4, 2018
    pshawfocus likes this.
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