12 v battery replacement - won't run

[HOVZOOM]

2002 prius. I replaced the 12v battery with the miata battery & kit from elearn. Started car and engine check light comes on and engine stops. Try it again and same thing happens. Put the old 12v back in and same thing happens: engine starts, engine check light comes on, engine stops. Also, the fuel gage shows last bar blinking but I know I have over half a tank. Does the car think it is out of fuel? Any other ideas?

Many thanks.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by HOVZOOM

2002 prius. I replaced the 12v battery with the miata battery & kit from elearn. Started car and engine check light comes on and engine stops. Try it again and same thinh happens. Put the old 12v back in and same thing happens: engine starts, engine check light comes on, engine stops. Also, the fuel gage shows last bar blinking but I know I have over half a tank. Does the car think it is out of fuel? Any other ideas?

Can you measure the voltage of the Miata battery with a digital multimeter to see if the battery is fully-charged? The voltage should be around 12.7V or 12.8V for a new battery that is charged. If the battery is not charged, then I suggest charging it first, then reinstall in the car.

The fuel gauge showing the last bar blinking is a sign that the fuel gauge memory was lost. It should show the correct reading after a few seconds if sufficient power is available on the 12V bus.

If you are sure that your new battery is fully charged and the check engine light still comes on, then you will need to have the diagnostic trouble codes read for further diagnosis.

[HOVZOOM]

Voltage is fine on both batteries (a little higher on the new one). Looks like a tow to the dealer ...

Can anyone else help?

[bredekamp]

Originally Posted by HOVZOOM

2002 prius. I replaced the 12v battery with the miata battery & kit from elearn. Started car and engine check light comes on and engine stops. Try it again and same thinh happens. Put the old 12v back in and same thing happens: engine starts, engine check light comes on, engine stops. Also, the fuel gage shows last bar blinking but I know I have over half a tank. Does the car think it is out of fuel? Any other ideas?

Many thanks.

If it does it with both 12V batteries then it's not the battery. Does the engine actually run at any stage? Check you actually have gas and that your fuel filler is closed properly.

[HOVZOOM]

Gas cap is tight. Engine runs for about 10 seconds and then shuts off. When I restart, the same thing happens.

[kohnen]

Originally Posted by HOVZOOM

Gas cap is tight. Engine runs for about 10 seconds and then shuts off. When I restart, the same thing happens.

Ok. Stupid question time. I have an '07, (not an 02 like you) but for mine, the engine starting and then shutting off is normal - it's a hybrid after all.

Can you drive it?

I'm wondering if there is some sort of error code that will clear in time (related to the battery) and other than that, you can drive the car.

Or, does the system die if you try to drive it? It's not clear from your posts.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by HOVZOOM

Engine runs for about 10 seconds and then shuts off. When I restart, the same thing happens.

The engine probably is not running. Instead, MG1 is spinning the engine for that duration, then the hybrid vehicle ECU gives up and turns off MG1.

If you are not able to retrieve DTCs to pinpoint the problem, then you should carefully inspect the engine compartment, looking for a visible problem like a loose connection, etc.

- Can you smell fuel vapors, to show that the fuel injectors are spraying fuel into the intake manifold? You might have to remove the air cleaner cover & smell the throttle body area.

- What is your odometer reading?

- At what mileage were the iridium spark plugs replaced?

- Besides the check engine light, do any other warning lights appear?

- When was the last time that the car ran properly?

- What happened between that last time & now?

[HOVZOOM]

Thanks for all the help but it looks like it needs to go to dealer. Here are some answers to your good questions.
Car was running fine before I replaced the 12v battery with a new one from elearn. (Why? The old one was having trouble holding a charge. All was fine if I drove it every day, but, …)
With the new battery installed:
Gas gage shows last bar blinking (tank has over ½ in it)
Car starts (ICE) and then shuts off in 10 sec and check engine light is on. It’s not shutting off normally – the engine is still cold and the ICE should stay running.
The car cannot be driven
No vapors
Mileage is ~ 89,000
I replaced plugs at 87,000 miles
Check engine light is the only warning light showing (in dash and in display)

Put the old battery back in and same things happen.
My best guess is that the new battery damaged something.

Thank again.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by HOVZOOM

No vapors
Mileage is ~ 89,000
I replaced plugs at 87,000 miles
Check engine light is the only warning light showing (in dash and in display)

Hmm, the battery installation should not have caused damage if the correct battery terminal polarity was observed. You previously measured the voltage of the new battery and found that it was satisfactory.

If you feel like checking the fuses, especially in the relay/fuse box near the inverter, that might help. Otherwise I suppose a tow to the dealer is required.

[rick57]

Would be nice to know what trouble code(s) are stored. With out that ,may be just running around in circles. My guess is the codes will be the p3191 Engine did not start codes. Look thru the TSB for this and do the basic checks; Mass Air Flow sensor dirty (can take it out and clean the wire sensor with brake clean with no residue ), air filter plugged, fuel quality (good fuel), fuel pressure, circuit opening relay for fuel pump ( updated part avaliable if yours is original ). But without the codes, where do you start, . Kind of unusual that it happened after changing battery tho.