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Screen going blank when still listening to c.d. after car turned off: battery, something else?

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by peripatetic pri, Dec 5, 2022.

  1. peripatetic pri

    peripatetic pri Junior Member

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    so many of you have been so great re my previous thread on battery replacement. When I mentioned the screen going blank issue to the most recent Japanese auto, they said there might be a problem with the multimedia screen.
    Just wondering whether anyone else has had this problem when a battery gives up ghost.
    The last time battery failed I had a hard time starting the car.
    This time I still don't know whether battery has "failed" per se because I still haven't had AAA come out and check as I don't know yet where it's being towed to fix.
    But am assuming that because of this problem w/screen going blank after car is stopped but key still in ignition (for instance, if heat on or listening to a c.d. for a few minutes before go into store) -- that that's an early indication of battery failure.
    Precipitating incident was my leaving map light on in the car, then car wouldn't start. (However, even after that the map lights would still come on until with snow I couldn't quite shut door and that totally drained).
    Am hoping that the screen going blank (again, this is after 1-2 minutes of car stopping but key still in ignition, listening to a c.d.) is a battery issue only.
    Has anyone else ever had this happen w/screen? (the main screen with the mileage, etc.)
    Thanks!
    k
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You say the key is still in the ignition, but you don't say which position it is turned to while you listen to the CD.

    If the READY light on the dash is on, you should be able to listen as long as you like.

    If the READY light is off, you can only listen as long as the 12 volt battery holds up.

    If the 12 volt battery is deeply drained (as with the map light incident or the door snow incident), it takes on the order of fifteen hours with the READY light on for the battery to be well recharged. If it has not had that much time to recharge (or been recharged some other way, with a charger), then it will drain very quickly. And every time it is drained so deeply will further shorten its life.
     
  3. peripatetic pri

    peripatetic pri Junior Member

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    Thanks Chapman. is ready light the little red light on dash? Or where is ready light? This is weird I've owned prius for 10 yrs and don't know what it is.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when you put your foot on the brake, and push the go button, the car is 'ready', and the word lights up on the left side of the dash.
    if you don't put your foot on the brake and press the go button once or twice, you have ig on or acc modes, and the 12v isn't being recharged.
    even if the ready light burns out, if the car starts, you're in ready mode, and the 12v is being replenished by the hybrid battery, and the engine keeps a minimum charge in the hybrid battery.

    at least, that's how it all works in gen 2 and newer
     
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Yes, I meant the word READY, lit up in green, appearing in the instrument cluster.

    In Gen 1, it appears centered above the P R N D B.
     
  6. Jakob

    Jakob Junior Member

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    Saw this in passing and it's new information to me. There's a difference between charging the battery in the car and using an external charger?

    Edit: Oops, I misinterpreted the quote above. The "not" in the sentence also applies to the part in parentheses.
     
    #6 Jakob, Dec 7, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2022
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Either way will charge the battery. Some people don't have a convenient way to leave the car turned on in READY mode for fifteen hours, so they prefer to connect a battery charger to do the job.