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08 Prius inside power outlets not working

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by zivram, Dec 23, 2021.

  1. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Suddenly my inside power outlets, both the one in the console and the one under the dash are not working.I thought it might be the fuses, so I pulled them out of the fuse box. To my surprise, the fuses appeared to be in good condition, so I put them back. Any ideas? Toyota says they have to do a complete workup$$$. A mechanic I went to wants $180 just to look at it. Any ideas? Would love to be able to charge my phone, etc.
    Before you ask, the charger works in my other Prius, no problems.
     
  2. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    Use the Electrical Wiring Diagram (more info) and a multimeter.

    For example, does the remote control mirror system (for the side mirrors) work when the car is on? This system uses some of the same power supply and ground connections as the power outlets, so if it works, you could rule out trouble with the ACC relay, the accessory power feed to the driver side junction block, and the ground connection from junction connector J24 to ground point IH.

    If the remote control mirror system works, here are some further checks:
    • Is the resistance between the shell of each power outlet and body ground (an unpainted part of the chassis) less than 1 Ω?
    • With the 15 A PWR OUTLET fuse removed:
    • Is the resistance between the two terminals of the fuse less than 1 Ω?
    • Is the voltage between the source side of the fuse socket and body ground between 11 and 14 V, when the car is on?
    • Is the resistance between the load side of the fuse socket and the center contact of Power Outlet No. 2, the one on the back of the center console box, less than 1 Ω?
    Probe the fuse socket carefully; it’s easy to damage terminals or contacts by jamming meter probes into them.
     
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  3. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    When you say fuse appears to be in good condition, did you test fuse continuity with an ohmmeter or just visually?
     
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  4. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Visually. I also thought it odd that both power outlets would stop functioning at the same time since they use separate fuses.
     
  5. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    It’s not odd at all, once you see the Power Outlet wiring diagram, which was kindly shared in a previous thread. (That diagram is for model year 2006, but 2008 is the same.) There are many possible failures that would affect both outlets. Notice how the coil of the relay that switches Power Outlet No. 1 is supplied from the same fuse as Power Outlet No. 2, and the two outlets and the relay all use the same ground connection.
    That’s necessary but not sufficient. In other words, if you can see a break in the fusible link, the fuse is definitely blown, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that the fuse is good if you can’t see anything wrong with it. There could be a break that’s too small to see or that’s hidden by the fuse’s plastic case.

    Diagnosing this problem yourself would be much easier with a multimeter, so you could check the fuse’s continuity or resistance and make other simple measurements. It doesn’t have to be a fancy meter—the digital multimeters sold at stores such as Home Depot or Harbor Freight Tools for less than $15 would be fine, since the precision and accuracy of the readings isn’t all that important, and you wouldn’t be using it on the hybrid system or other circuits with potentially dangerous voltages.
     
  6. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Thank you. I will purchase a multimeter and see if I can discern a failure in the fuse.
     
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  7. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Although it wouldn't normally result in zero voltage, it is possible for the "legs" of a fuse to become corroded enough to affect the circuit. It is like the contacts on small batteries, for instance in a flashlight, where the device will not work until those contacts are cleaned up with a bit of fine sandpaper. In any case, this can be a confusing failure because the fuse will be visibly intact, and when tested with an ohmmeter may still have continuity - either because the spots probed were not corroded or because the probe breaks through the corrosion, but stick the fuse back in and that circuit will still not work. If you have a spare fuse of that rating try putting it in that slot, if the circuit then works, it was the fuse.
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Exactly that happened to me back in September, stopped my windshield wipers cold. Never noticed any problem at all and then, one day, nothing.

    I used an art eraser to polish up the fuse legs rather than sandpaper. Erasers on electrical contacts was a trick I picked up from photographers way back when cameras had film and stuff.

    Interestingly, I think I read something recently saying even erasers are now considered too abrasive for the platings on electrical contacts.
     
  9. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Probably depends upon what is being cleaned. Gold contacts are no doubt "as thin as can be made and still work" nowadays so those could easily be damaged if there was any abrasive in the eraser. One would hope tin plating would be thicker, as that is a much less expensive material. It seems that car blade fuses are indeed plated, for instance:

    https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/electrical-circuit-protection/fuses/bussmann-series-blade-fuses/bus-ele-ds-2009-atc.pdf

    Which have:

    So perhaps try "sanding" it with a piece of clean white printer paper instead? That should pull off dirt, oil, and grease, without applying very much force to the plating. Otherwise there is always contact cleaner, but perhaps not when the problem happens out on the road (at night, in a rainstorm). This is why there are supposed to be spare fuses in the box.

    If the corrosion is in the socket contact cleaner may be the only option, since getting an eraser, or even a small file, into the slot can be impossible.

    Edit: when I said "fine sandpaper" a few posts up I was referring to 1500 or 2000 grit. For wood people use 120 or 180 grit for "fine sanding" but that will scratch the heck out of a metal surface.
     
    #9 pasadena_commut, Dec 25, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2021
  10. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Just giving an update- after being quoted up to $180 just to take a look from Toyota and a local mechanic, I took my car to a local gas station mechanic that was highly recommended. They looked at my car on my lunch hour and completed the repair for $15. It turned out that the power outlet fuses run on a relay, so that while one was good and one was bad- as they were on the same relay, neither outlet worked. All fixed now and working beautifully.
     
  11. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    In other words, the 15 AMP Power outlet fuse was burnt. This was affecting the second power outlet with a good fuse since power goes thru a relay powered by the first fuse.
     
  12. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

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    What power fuse relay was bad, is there a number on the relay?