2001 Prius won't start

If the HV battery pack was bad, you'd get codes. You have to get to the "Ready" light. That's where your focus should be. Here's what I would do:
Go to your 3rd gen I that "runs and drives fine", cycle the ignition to start and hold for 3 seconds, note everything that happens (specifically when the "Ready" light comes on, what noises you hear and what does the immobilizer light on the radio do. Then have a key cut for that car (don't program it just have it cut so it turns the cylinder). Turn the ignition switch to start and note all that happens (or doesn't happen). Then compare that to your broke Gen I.

In order to move forward, we have to eliminate the key as the problem. I'm not convinced the key is not the problem. Are you?

 

i am not convinced the key is NOT the problem either. the more i talk to my "key guy", the more i realize he seems to be lacking the proper skills to program gen 1 priuses. i already took the hv battery out of my "good" car and am going to put it in my "bad" car and see what happens so i can eliminate a "bad hv battery, hv ecu, and/or bad SMR" as the problem. thanks!

 

All that will do is give you a sore back!

Here's what normal key should do;

And a funky key

 

Other than buy a virgin key ECU from the dealer, the only sure way I know to make a Gen1 "lost all keys" READY UP is to take a known good key ECU and matching master key from another gen1, transplant them, then re-mate to the HV ECU. If the donor master key won't turn the mechanical ignition switch, get a simple blank that will (dealer can cut a "door key" from VIN) and hold the head of the master chip key right under the ignition assembly as you turn the plain silver key. Once the car starts you can use this jury rig key setup to mate more master keys to the car. (and have the additional masters cut with proper mechanical pattern).

 

yepp, sore back is right! i often wonder how nice it must be to take out a little 2013 battery w/ only 20 modules? ...so anyway, 3 HV battery swaps later this is what i have concluded for today:

car A (my everyday 2001 prius that runs great)
car B (dead car that has me baffled - 2001 prius auction car programmed by "key guy")
car C (2002 prius auction car programmed by "key guy"

1. i put known "good" hv battery from my main driving car A into dead car B and still nothing, and (for usnavystgc) no READY light on dash. red key light goes off when i put in new key (suggesting key is programmed properly)

2. "key guy" seems to know what he's doing because he cut keys and programmed car C this morning before i put in an HV battery pack. he flashed immobilizer and synchronized while using jumper cables on the 12 volt battery. after putting my know "good" HV pack in this car C it started up and ran (with some warning lights and soon turned off but i'm not concerned about this; it's most likely MAF sensor and throttle intake needs to be cleaned)

so here we have it. i'm eliminating HV battery as problem, i'm almost ready to eliminate "key guy" and improper key flashing/programming as problem because he did a proper job on car C

so... what ya's think?

- maybe bad main ecu under passengers side carpet perhaps??? (since no DTC codes can be taken from anyones scan gauges)
- i know inverter coolant pumps are know failures so maybe inverter was fried???
- weird bump coming up in floor behind drivers seat (there was water in the car because of broken our rear window and drivers side front window) maybe water did something to wiring harness going to inverter??
- maybe the answer lies somewhere in the fact that NO DTC codes can be taken from ODB scan gauges and no READY light comes on, and NO ticking from SMR as key turns.

thanks so much fellas! i'm gonna sleep on it and see what ya's think in the morning as i'm fried myself on priuses for the day.

paul - i don't see any difference between the 2 pictures. (normal key & funky one) hmmm?

 

they are links to youtube videos. Watch the videos.

 

Slimfrancis, assuming key guy was able to virginize the key ECU properly on car B, , the next thing I'd try is take the known good HV ECU from car A and swap with car B. Re-mate each HV ECU to their "new" car and see what happens. For more fun you could also swap the ICE ECU behind the glovebox. Part 89661-470(54). And as you suggested before, double check all fuses in the car. It's very weird that car B won't go ready nor generate any codes. Until you get some feedback from the car you have to compare things to a known good car.

 

my red blinking key light does go off when i insert key but no READY light comes up and then nothing

 

i thought re-keying/programming with no HV battery in car could be a problem, however car C that he keyed/programmed yesterday had no HV battery in it. later in the day when i took car A's HV battery and put it in car C it fired right up. this is why i feel the HV ecu doesn't need to be synched with car. also in the past i've swapped out bad HV batteries with good HV batteries from car to car and never had an issue with synching.

first thing i will try today is the ICE ecu swap from good car A to bad car B. thanks paul!

 

alright! here we have it folks. the final analysis and CONCLUSION. (keep in mind i'm almost too embarrassed to have to say this) after swapping out and synchronizing the ICE ECU this am with a good and tested working one, i turned the key and nothing once again. and then guess what? i pushed the shifter arm ever so slightly forward, i turned my key, i hear my SMR click in the back seat, and WHAMMO car STARTS up. that damn shifter arm is loosey goosey. (of sourse this happens all the time with my other gen 1 priuses too, you think i would have tried this immediately)

some conclusions i've come to with this experience: (besides that i'm a dummy)

1. once a key is programmed and synchronized, it's done. (until you re-flash immobilizer)
2. you can swap HV ECU, you can swap the ICE ECU and you shouldn't have to re-synchronize car to mate with them.

thanks to everyone for all the help on this. you guys are truly great and i appreciate it! i'll see ya's back in the module charging and balancing forum when my supermate DC6 arrives next week.

 

Woooowwwwww, that was too easy. Just goes to show that the old adage is true. If it seems very complicated, go simple.

 

you are so RIGHT usnavystgc, thanks!

 

In my experience you can swap the ICE ECU no problem, but if you swap the HV ECU you need to re-mate it to the car.

Perhaps your key guy flashed the key ECU with something that negates having to mate the HV ECU?

Anyone else have experience on this matter to share?

 

My understanding is the key codes are kept in the key-less entry receiver unit which can 'remember' three keys and three keyfobs. With a recognized key, one can 'teach' a new key or keyfob to the car with the door slamming dance.

If the ECU with the codes goes bad, you have to get another with a 'paired' key. I don't know of any field reprogramming for our NHW11s. I believe there is a TechStream technique for the more recent models but it i$ involved.

Bob Wilson

 

that could be possible paul but many times in the past i have removed and installed different HV batteries in cars (with their given ECU's in tact) and if the HV pack was good the cars always fired up. i never remember seeing a case where i had a known to be good HV battery in a know to be good car that didn't fire up because of a synch issue. that's why this past experience with car B was so baffling to me. but then again, i'm no expert. i'm learning as i go along with this stuff.

 

So when are you going to hang out the shingle, "2001-03 Prius fixed here" <GRINS>

Bob Wilson

 

haha bob! yeah, now i can teach lessons on how to make sure your shifter arm is securely placed in the "PARK" position.

 

I think we're talking about different things.

I call the thing inside the HV battery box the Battery ECU.
Toyota labels this one as COMPUTER ASSY, BATTERY 89890-470(30)

The unit under the passenger floor carpet I call the HV ECU or Hybrid ECU.
Toyota labels this one HV CONTROL 89981-470(40)

The battery ECU can be swapped without mating to the car.
The ICE ECU (behind glovebox) does not need to be mated either.

The HV ECU (under passenger floor) is the only one I think needs to be mated if changed.
BTW, the last two digits of the part number may be higher, if you have a newer version.

 

OK paul! yes, i was calling them two different things. I believe what you are saying is probably CORRECT as after switching Batteries (w/ Battery ECU intact) and switching ICE ECU, I found that it was not necessary to have them MATED to car. My next step was to swap out the HV ECU but luckily i found my problem. we are on the same page now.

 

I would agree with Paul, I had to reprogram my HV ECU when I swapped it out. Tried it twice till I found out how to reprogram it... Glad to hear you got your problem fixed!!!!