MFD issues on '04/'05 Prius

[patsparks]

Yep, you're right Jay. Booking reading lessons as we speak.

[fatdawg]

The clean-only method lasted for about 2 weeks, when the car sat idle for 4 days during vacation, the problem started up again. Therefore I thought I'd give the soldering a try, per instructions given by hobbit.

Cheap tools will work, if you feel adventurous, you can fix it for $10-$15. Luckily I had all these old tools in my toolbox.

I used a cheap old soldering gun, copper wire (hammered down to make the end sharp), solder, and a magnifying glass (unable to see details but helped). It worked! I haven't soldered anything for a long time, re-flowing the connections was fairly easy, I did 4 of the connections next to #60.

Good luck to those who want to try it out.

[patsparks]

Originally Posted by fatdawg

The clean-only method lasted for about 2 weeks, when the car sat idle for 4 days during vacation, the problem started up again. Therefore I thought I'd give the soldering a try, per instructions given by hobbit.

Cheap tools will work, if you feel adventurous, you can fix it for $10-$15. Luckily I had all these old tools in my toolbox.

I used a cheap old soldering gun, copper wire (hammered down to make the end sharp), solder, and a magnifying glass (unable to see details but helped). It worked! I haven't soldered anything for a long time, re-flowing the connections was fairly easy, I did 4 of the connections next to #60.

Good luck to those who want to try it out.

Further confirming my thoughts: - MFD issues on '04/'05 Prius

[HTMLSpinnr]

I used to sit back and say "Wow, I'm glad that hasn't happened to me...".

I've noticed over the past 6-9 months that our 2004's MFD was a bit sluggish at times. Now starting a few days ago, my wife's been reporting the same "external system not connected" errors, along with missing NAV voice, etc. She finally left the car on for me so I could see the issue in action. Seems to be after the car has been in the heat for some time. At 117k miles, it'd far past any warranty. Sounds like I may be attempting to solder, or doing some eBay bidding for a used MFD.

[HTMLSpinnr]

Pulled the screen out today, soldered on one plug, realized it was the wrong board, then went at the correct board. Took Hobbit's idea of a wire on the tip of my cheap 30w soldering iron. It, and a pin to keep the solder out from between the connectors seemed to work. It doesn't take much solder (I too used the good 'ol non RoHS 60/40) to get the job done. Kinda wish I had steadier hands and more than a 2x magnification on my wife's Ott-Lite, but managed anyway. The test points are quite useful in checking continuity of your work, but you need good clean tips on your multi-meter.

One thing worth noting is to be aware of the alignment of the frame when putting it back together. There's room for adjustment and allowing it to fit incorrectly angles the screen incorrectly, leaving a nasty gap between the beazel and the screen.

I sorta cheated getting to the screen, didn't remove all panels left to right, but instead loosened them up just enough to get the 10mm socket wrench in to remove the left bolt.

Only time will tell how long this "fix" will hold. Thanks again to Hobbit for digging into this.

[djasonw]

You guys are adventuresome and handy. I have two left thumbs so I have 1 more year of extended warranty on my 2004. I hope something happens before then!!