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Gen 1 Prius 2003 engine won't crank over /no electric drive

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by North of 60, Mar 1, 2019.

  1. North of 60

    North of 60 New Member

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    Location:
    whitehorse ,Yukon,Canada
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Just acquired this car.Previous owner said gas engine would not start drove it home on electric and parked it.....18 months ago. Put new 12 volt battery in ,checked HV battery voltage at outlet cables 266 volts .Ready light comes on ,no triangle of death.Scan test with snap on scanner ...no DTC. Turn the key to start, hear a clicking noise(relay?)in HV battery.Orange safety plug looks good, fuses good, grounds good ...Any suggestions on which direction to go ? Thanks Randy
     
    #1 North of 60, Mar 1, 2019
  2. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Order a miniVCI cable and software. I installed the software on an old XP laptop. It's the proper scan tool for toyotas.

    You committed two of the cardinal sins. 1/ driving it only on the HV power (no IC motor.) 2/you put it away with discharged HV batteries for an extended period of time, and the cells probably froze.

    Your next move is probably have a wrecking yard come get it. You are way off the beaten track.
     
    #2 Brian in Tucson, Mar 2, 2019
  3. North of 60

    North of 60 New Member

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    whitehorse ,Yukon,Canada
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    2003 Prius
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    N/A
    Hi Brian ,Thanks for your advice. Will look into getting software and cable. As I just got this car(The rest of the car is in great shape ) Hoping to fix it up for my son and I to drive . Any advice on where to start or check while waiting for scanner ?
    Thanks
     
    #3 North of 60, Mar 3, 2019
  4. Itsmeonprius

    Itsmeonprius Member

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    Sounds like you've checked over the simple stuff so now to wait on the Techstream diags.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 Itsmeonprius, Mar 5, 2019
  5. FireFighterHill

    FireFighterHill Member

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    2003 Prius
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    I
    you may have over discharged the battery. you are averaging 7 volts a cell. should stay between 7.5-8.5. If someone near by has a traction battery charger/balancer you may be able to save the battery pack. Other wise you will need to disassemble the traction battery, check it for bad modules, replace them, and charge them up individually, and balance the pack manually.
     
    #5 FireFighterHill, Mar 5, 2019
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Folks, read again. The OP has never driven the car and has done nothing other than putting in a new 12V, turning the key, and hearing clicks.

    If it's the original HV battery, it's almost certainly dead with many bad modules.
     
    #6 fotomoto, Mar 5, 2019
    FireFighterHill likes this.
  7. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Vehicle:
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    Two
    You may want to build, or buy a high voltage battery charger. Or repurpose a high voltage power supply from some other piece of equipment. (maybe 350vdc or so, variable 0-1.0 amp)
    Building one might only be a couple hundred dollars.
    Same with repurposing a power supply.
    Less than $700 or so for a purpose built one from Hybrid Automotive.
    This way you can charge up the entire pack at once.

    You may also want to buy a small power supply (0-60vdc 0-2.0 amp) for charging individual modules.
    Could charge each of the modules one at a time.
    Takes a lot longer, but is an option.
     
    #7 ericbecky, Mar 5, 2019
    Brian in Tucson likes this.
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