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EV Button FUBAR - How Bad Is It

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Smooth Operator, May 24, 2004.

  1. Smooth Operator

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    Well, it looks like I am the first to bugger up the EV button installation. Anyone care to guess how bad it is?

    I did the button installation and the illumination fine. I reversed pin 3 and pin 4 (EV+ and EV-) but I didn't think that would be a problem as it is only a momentary ground switch.

    I got to the point of installing a pin into hole 27. I used one pin to make the opening easier. I bent the end of that pin, so I soldered a second pin to the wire and inserted it.

    When I started the car and pushed the EV button, I got the three beeps, but I also got the check engine light, the big red triange with exclamation mark and, on the MFD screen I got a reddish car with an exclamation mark.

    Needless to say, I thought these were not good, so I turned the car off, and decided to remove the pin from #27.

    That did not go well. Now I have a pin stuck in #27 with no wire attached to it, the check engine light, the red triangle and the MFD car with the exclamation mark.

    The ICE does come on when needed. The HV battery shows it is charging. The gas mileage, driving only around the block, appears to be normal. But the bad lights are still on.

    Any ideas how bad this is?

    I guess it will be off to the service department for me soon, explaining what I did, pleading insanity. (That last part is my wife's idea... I'm thinking stupidity.)
     
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I started my car w/o one of the plugs in the ECU (brain fart) and triggered a check engine light. The light went away after 3 restarts.

    If you damaged some of the other wires, it could also trigger the condition.
     
  3. Smooth Operator

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  4. Bob Allen

    Bob Allen Captainbaba

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    One of the drawbacks to the Prius is that it attracts techno-geekies like ourselves who, like the crew of the Enterprise boarding an alien spaceship, conclude that the "designers" got it about 96% right. If we could only tweak the matter/anti matter consumulator and reroute the diffision effluent into the phase modulator, we'd have it up and running even better..... I have to fight a mild urge to "re-do" parts of the car, but it isn't hard to fight that urge when I think about how easily I could go FUBAR and do some real damage.
    Sorry to hear of your plight. If you do end up at the dealer, hands in your pockets, staring sheepishly at your feet, hoping to get your Prius back to original condition....please let us kow how it went and if they voided your warranty. That would be my next concern after my fear of disabling the car.
     
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    You should be able to work that pin out of the slot--you have to lift that white locking bar and find then push from the opposite end with a paper clip or something similar.

    Be careful, but it should work (not that I've done it myself mind you).

    I do think everything was OK, and there's no reason not to try again.
     
  6. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

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    Smooth Operator, where do you live?

    (Insert mandatory location rant here).

    If you are in the Denver area, I can fix this for you if you feel like coming by my house.

    Otherwise, the release clip must be pried up.

    Here are some tools that work well for this kind of thing:

    http://www.mactools.com/ProductDetails.asp...px?ItemNum=PS4S

    You can order online or flag down a Mac Tools truck for a set of these. Be careful with the wiring, don't pull until the release clip is pried up; after that there may be a retainer for the individual wire that must be pried back as well. Pin will almost fall out once you get to this point.

    Nate
     
  7. slowpoke

    slowpoke New Member

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    ok, what the hell is an EV Button?
     
  8. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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  9. slowpoke

    slowpoke New Member

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    nah, i'd rather just ask
     
  10. Astroprius

    Astroprius New Member

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    :stupid:

    Hence, the appropriateness of the moniker.
     
  11. assagor

    assagor New Member

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    whoa... chill dude.. no need to cuss. Oh and I think a thanks is in order to htmlspinnr for showing you what you asked. It is called "manners."
     
  12. adrenalinwill

    adrenalinwill New Member

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    Very nice! I'll be looking for the next special report on ROAD RAGE FROM A PRIUS on channel 7.

    I don't suppose the Prius has got a trailer down by the river also?
     
  13. chris_b_01

    chris_b_01 New Member

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    HAHAHAHA

    ;)
     
  14. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    Looks like there was some moderation-action in here :)

    Dave
     
  15. benbethel

    benbethel Junior Member

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    That is pretty funny that someone will moderate something while the graphic that says "I'm with Stupid" stays on this thread, which is more insulting than the 'f' word in my book. Back to the conversation though - I really hope that it gets fixed... I don't want my hopes dashed for installing an EV button, since here in Arizona if you have it you only have to pay $4 a year (instead of close to $400 a year) to register your car and you get HOV lane access (I have the fax from the dept of transportation right here verifying this). And truly, why is it "EV" for Electric Vehicle and not "EO" for Electric Only or "NG" for No Gas or something. I still get confused every time I see BFAFV - which of course everyone should know is a Bi-Fuel Alternative Fuel Vehicle!
     
  16. Smooth Operator

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    No rant from me about where I live. I love it here in Vancouver, but it is a bit of a drive to Denver. :)
     
  17. Smooth Operator

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    I don't think the pin is coming out. The hole at the opposite end is really tiny.

    I stopped at a Toyota dealership today. After putting on my best "Where are the prophylactics" face I asked if there was a part number for the plug H14 that inserts into the HV ECU.

    After much searching (and I'm sure trying to telephone my mother to see if I was allowed to buy one) they said the only way to buy that part is to buy the whole dashboard wiring harness.

    I can't say I was surprised. I wouldn't think there would be a big demand for that part.

    Anyway, there is still a stub of the pin poking out of hole 27. I'm thinking that maybe some place that does soldering repairs to sensitive electronic devices might be able to solder the wire onto the stub of the pin. I'm thinking they would need to put some kind of heat shield between the pin and the nearby pins. And they would need to have a soldering iron that has a very small tip. But I wonder if there are places that routinely work with very tight soldering locations.

    Any ideas what kind of place?
     
  18. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Have you verified that the Prius would qualify with the EV button specifically, or is it a loose interpretation of the law? I'm considering a move to AZ (West of Phoenix), and that would be a great benefit if my EV equipped Prius only cost $4/yr to reg :)

    -Rick
     
  19. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    Vancouver B.C. or Vancouver Wa. ?? if B.C. PM me and lets see if I can possibly help.
     
  20. Smooth Operator

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    BC.

    And if you can help me, there may be a free EV button in it for you. I may end up with an extra.

    [email protected]