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Did I fry my Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by priusenvious1, Nov 11, 2018.

  1. priusenvious1

    priusenvious1 Member

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    I have a 2012 Plug In. I left it for a month and for some reason it wouldn't start when I came back to it. I tried jumping it. The first time, I put the connector cables together and without even a jump, it turned on.

    First question is, why is that?

    Then I took the cables off. When I tried starting the car an hour later, still no juice. So I tried doing it again. The second time, same thing, the car had power to it when I just connected the cables. But this time, there was a brief spark and the lights flickered, and now the car is dead again completely. No clue what happened there but now the car seems completely not able to be jumped.

    Anyone know why?

    EDIT: Sorry, I posted this in the wrong forum
     
    #1 priusenvious1, Nov 11, 2018
  2. priusenvious1

    priusenvious1 Member

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    My fault. I posted this in the wrong thread.
     
    #2 priusenvious1, Nov 11, 2018
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no problem, just report it and ask for it to be moved
     
    #3 bisco, Nov 11, 2018
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you need a new battery my friend

    it is possible you blew a fuse, but start with a battery.

    when you say 'for some reason', the reason is, when the car sits without being used, there is a constant drain on the battery.
    the longer it sits, and the older it is, the more likelihood of it being completely drained.

    you could try charging it and seeing if it holds, but at 6 years old, it may be futile.
     
    #4 bisco, Nov 11, 2018
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  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I agree with @bisco. It sounds to me like you came home to a dead 12V battery. When you jumped it the first time, it was ready to go and you should have just kept it running till the battery charged up. Or connected a battery charger. But you shut it off before it was charged enough to run the computers and relays. When you did it again, you apparently connected the cable backwards and at least blew a fuse. Hopefully, that all you blew because the stuff downstream of the fuse is really really expensive.
     
    #5 jerrymildred, Nov 11, 2018
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  6. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Remove the negative cable when going away for an extended time?
     
    #6 Starship16, Nov 11, 2018
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  7. priusenvious1

    priusenvious1 Member

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    Thanks for the help! When you say new battery, are you taking about the expensive electric car battery? Or is there a cheap sub $100 battery in this car as well? Any possibility you can link me to a product page? Also, if it's a fuse, how do I check which one to replace?
     
    #7 priusenvious1, Nov 12, 2018
  8. priusenvious1

    priusenvious1 Member

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    I didn't connect the jumper cables backwards but might have connected the black cable to a ground that isn't a great ground. How do I find the fuse that is the one that I fried? Thanks for your help.
     
    #8 priusenvious1, Nov 12, 2018
  9. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    Not quite sub-$100. Many people use this battery.

     
    #9 Prodigyplace, Nov 12, 2018
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the 12 volt battery is in the rear right of the hatch, under the floor panel. $150-200. plus installation.

    there should be fuse layout and descriptions in the owners manual. some are under the hood, and some in the dash, and some on top of the 12v and in the hybrid battery
     
    #10 bisco, Nov 12, 2018
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  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    If by "put the connector cables together," you mean you connected both clamps to both batteries, that is a jump. You don't need to start the donor car, and, in fact, it's better not to when jump starting a Prius.

    You may not have blown a fuse. The spark may have made us jump to conclusions. You won't know till you get a functioning 12v battery connected to the car. @bisco has explained where it is. If it's still dead with a known good battery connected, then there's a fuse you need to chase down. From what I've read, it could be right there at the battery or it could be the big 100 amp fuse under the hood.
     
    #11 jerrymildred, Nov 12, 2018
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  12. priusenvious1

    priusenvious1 Member

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    Looks like an easy install for the battery. Thanks!
     
    #12 priusenvious1, Nov 12, 2018
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  13. priusenvious1

    priusenvious1 Member

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    I have one of those gadgets that is a phone charger but can also jump a car. And yes, I never actually powered it on. I just connected the red to the red and the black to another unpainted metal part of the car.

    Good info. I will try to replace the battery first. Looks like an easy DIY. Thank you!
     
    #13 priusenvious1, Nov 12, 2018
  14. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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    Bear in mind that both batteries charge when you plug in. This is a good way to keep your 12 volt battery healthy.
     
    #14 Pluggo, Nov 13, 2018
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  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Good point! But, if the 12V is too dead, the car will be too unconscious to know that you plugged in the charging cable. It sounds like this battery might be that dead, but it won't hurt to try.
     
    #15 jerrymildred, Nov 13, 2018
  16. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    He means the little 12 volt battery, not the big traction battery. It is kind of a nuisance to dig all the way down to get at the battery but it's doable. If you regularly leave the car sitting idle you could add a disconnect switch to the battery, or leave it on a trickle charger.
     
    #16 kenmce, Nov 19, 2018
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