Thunderstorms+prius...help me

JamesWyatt · 07-13-2008, 06:40 PM

Having posted in an off road forum for over 4 years before coming here, you learn to spot what I call "drunk troll postings" a mile away. There is a difference between bad English and buzzed/drunk English. It's subtle but recognizable with practice. Usually it's someone simply looking for entertainment rather than someone posting from malice. Many times it's one of your own forum members just trying to stir up the pot.

priusnve · 07-13-2008, 07:17 PM

Hello Rokeby,

The car was turned off and parked out in the open in the drive way. A very tall pine tree 10 feet away took a direct hit. The lightning ran two directions through the roots. One direction was toward my prius, but the ditch created by the lightening stopped at the pavement. The other line of lightening busted a water pipe.

The prius was covered with pine bark, but no evidence of a direct hit.

Just tried to turn her on and drive her. She operated normally to the end of the drive and all the waring lights came on, could fell her lose power and she shut down. Did not even think about trying the lights or radio. or looking under the hood. There was no unusual smell.

She is at the toyota dealer now, so can't answer all these well thought out question.

Thank you for your response!

Rokeby · 07-13-2008, 09:36 PM

priusnve,

Woof! Now that's quite a story! It is a good thing that you've taken the time
to come-back on the questions so quickly.

So here's the deal. When it comes to things electrical/electronic, I'm nearly
clueless. My purpose has been to give you the opportunity to get pointed in
the right direction.

There are many folks here who are true experts, not just on the Prius, but
many other technical subjects. Now, in the six months that I've been on this
forum, I haven't seen any other lightening issues, so I can't say we have any
lightening experts. Things could get a litttle testy -- experts don't always
agree -- but don't loose your cool.

It would be best to remember that there are some folks who are still
wondering if you are up to no good. Almost without exception, folks here will
help you if they believe you're being straight with them.

For your part, the best info you can provide is the code numbers that the
Toyota techs will extract from the car. Sometimes they can be rather
difficult in providing all the codes that were "thrown." Don't be put off. Ask
to see the print outs, ask for a copy of the print outs. Demand to see the
Service Manager if necessary,

When you get the codes, post 'em here, and with luck the really smart folks
will offer their opinions.

priusnve · 07-13-2008, 10:17 PM

Roxeby,

appreciate the info ..knowledge is power...This will help me appear to be somewhat informed when I speak with the service department. As a female it is sometimes hard to be taken seroius in this type of situation.

I will get the requested information and would love the opinion of others. This chat is a first for me. Have been reading this site and gaining useful info.

Hope there is a quick fix...really love driving my prius.

Thanks

JamesWyatt · 07-13-2008, 10:28 PM

If this really is a true story, lightning can damage any car.

Vehicles and Lightning - National Lightning Safety Institute

You'll have to get your car insurance company to pay for the repairs.

kohnen · 07-13-2008, 10:33 PM

Yikes!

If I had to guess, I bet one of two things happened:

Most Likely - The computers got temporarily scrambled because of the very high electromagnetic field that would result from such a nearby lightning strike. The fix for this would be to disconnect the 12 Volt battery for a while, let things reset and go back to the "powered off - need to reboot" state.

Somewhat less likely - Something got fried because of the strong electromagnetic field.

If you take the car in and don't say anything about nearby lightning, then they'll probably fix it by replacing (lots of electronic) parts and scratch their heads wondering what the hell happened.

If you take the car in and tell them about the nearby lightning, your insurance company will have to pay out on the comprehensive part of your policy.

If the problem is only needing to reset the computers, you'll be back on the road in a day. If it's catastrophic electronic system damage, it will take a bit longer. (It is not inconceivable for them to total the car).

(oh, I'm a PhD in electrical engineering, and I work in the digital electronics business in case you're wondering why what I say might matter. Not that it will...)

priusnve · 07-14-2008, 06:52 PM

The toyota dealer computer codes say the cause of the shut down was I ran out of gas. I put 6.5651 gallons in on Thur. and have driven 199 miles according to the odomoter and the second screen. There is at least a half tank of gas in the car. The fuel gage currently is flashing off and on with all pips. The dealer said there is no way to check the tank to see if there is gas because of the bladder.
Here are the computer codes that they reluctantly gave me.
B1200body ECU stop
B1207 smart ECU stop
B1217 HV system low
C1259 HV sys regenerative malfunction
C1310 HV sys regenerative malfunction
L10100 lost comm.
P3000 HV Batt malf.
The Toyota dealer is waiting to hear from Toyota and they will let me know thier findings.

They have hybrids come in all the time and 9 out of 10 times it is a out of gas problem.

Any suggestions on how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

PriuStorm · 07-14-2008, 07:36 PM

To check if there's gas in the tank, can't they just put a hose in there and see if they can siphon some out?

Patrick Wong · 07-14-2008, 07:38 PM

I think that it is not easy to siphon fuel out. An easy alternative is to fill the tank and see how many gallons are required...

Rokeby · 07-14-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by priusnve

The toyota dealer computer codes say the cause
of the shut down was I ran out of gas...
Here are the computer codes that they reluctantly gave me.
B1200body ECU stop
B1207 smart ECU stop
B1217 HV system low
C1259 HV sys regenerative malfunction
C1310 HV sys regenerative malfunction
L10100 lost comm.
P3000 HV Batt malf.
The Toyota dealer is waiting to hear from Toyota and they will let me know
thier findings.

priusnve,

Well done. Well done, indeed! All too often, posters with problems fail to
come-back with the codes. But you did it. Who can say you're out to cause
trouble now?

Now the hard part comes... the waiting. Be patient, folks will swing by, go
off to do some research on your codes, and then get back.

The out of gas thing seems more than a little strange. Maybe they made this
up just to put you on the defensive, or to gain a little time to try to figure
out what's really the problem.

07-13-2008, 06:40 PM	#11
JamesWyatt Señior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 343 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me Having posted in an off road forum for over 4 years before coming here, you learn to spot what I call "drunk troll postings" a mile away. There is a difference between bad English and buzzed/drunk English. It's subtle but recognizable with practice. Usually it's someone simply looking for entertainment rather than someone posting from malice. Many times it's one of your own forum members just trying to stir up the pot.

07-13-2008, 07:17 PM	#12
priusnve Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 7 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me Hello Rokeby, The car was turned off and parked out in the open in the drive way. A very tall pine tree 10 feet away took a direct hit. The lightning ran two directions through the roots. One direction was toward my prius, but the ditch created by the lightening stopped at the pavement. The other line of lightening busted a water pipe. The prius was covered with pine bark, but no evidence of a direct hit. Just tried to turn her on and drive her. She operated normally to the end of the drive and all the waring lights came on, could fell her lose power and she shut down. Did not even think about trying the lights or radio. or looking under the hood. There was no unusual smell. She is at the toyota dealer now, so can't answer all these well thought out question. Thank you for your response!

07-13-2008, 09:36 PM	#13
Rokeby Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ballamer, Merlin Posts: 1,525 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #6 Touring Thanks: 96 Thanked 74 Times in 54 Posts Friends: 2	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me priusnve, Woof! Now that's quite a story! It is a good thing that you've taken the time to come-back on the questions so quickly. So here's the deal. When it comes to things electrical/electronic, I'm nearly clueless. My purpose has been to give you the opportunity to get pointed in the right direction. There are many folks here who are true experts, not just on the Prius, but many other technical subjects. Now, in the six months that I've been on this forum, I haven't seen any other lightening issues, so I can't say we have any lightening experts. Things could get a litttle testy -- experts don't always agree -- but don't loose your cool. It would be best to remember that there are some folks who are still wondering if you are up to no good. Almost without exception, folks here will help you if they believe you're being straight with them. For your part, the best info you can provide is the code numbers that the Toyota techs will extract from the car. Sometimes they can be rather difficult in providing all the codes that were "thrown." Don't be put off. Ask to see the print outs, ask for a copy of the print outs. Demand to see the Service Manager if necessary, When you get the codes, post 'em here, and with luck the really smart folks will offer their opinions. Last edited by Rokeby; 07-13-2008 at 09:42 PM.

07-13-2008, 10:17 PM	#14
priusnve Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 7 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me Roxeby, appreciate the info ..knowledge is power...This will help me appear to be somewhat informed when I speak with the service department. As a female it is sometimes hard to be taken seroius in this type of situation. I will get the requested information and would love the opinion of others. This chat is a first for me. Have been reading this site and gaining useful info. Hope there is a quick fix...really love driving my prius. Thanks

07-13-2008, 10:28 PM	#15
JamesWyatt Señior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 343 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me If this really is a true story, lightning can damage any car. Vehicles and Lightning - National Lightning Safety Institute You'll have to get your car insurance company to pay for the repairs.

07-13-2008, 10:33 PM	#16
kohnen Grumpy, Cranky Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Fullerton CA Posts: 181 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #6 Touring Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 4	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me Yikes! If I had to guess, I bet one of two things happened: Most Likely - The computers got temporarily scrambled because of the very high electromagnetic field that would result from such a nearby lightning strike. The fix for this would be to disconnect the 12 Volt battery for a while, let things reset and go back to the "powered off - need to reboot" state. Somewhat less likely - Something got fried because of the strong electromagnetic field. If you take the car in and don't say anything about nearby lightning, then they'll probably fix it by replacing (lots of electronic) parts and scratch their heads wondering what the hell happened. If you take the car in and tell them about the nearby lightning, your insurance company will have to pay out on the comprehensive part of your policy. If the problem is only needing to reset the computers, you'll be back on the road in a day. If it's catastrophic electronic system damage, it will take a bit longer. (It is not inconceivable for them to total the car). (oh, I'm a PhD in electrical engineering, and I work in the digital electronics business in case you're wondering why what I say might matter. Not that it will...) Last edited by kohnen; 07-13-2008 at 10:39 PM. Reason: Refine job.

07-14-2008, 06:52 PM	#17
priusnve Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 7 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me The toyota dealer computer codes say the cause of the shut down was I ran out of gas. I put 6.5651 gallons in on Thur. and have driven 199 miles according to the odomoter and the second screen. There is at least a half tank of gas in the car. The fuel gage currently is flashing off and on with all pips. The dealer said there is no way to check the tank to see if there is gas because of the bladder. Here are the computer codes that they reluctantly gave me. B1200body ECU stop B1207 smart ECU stop B1217 HV system low C1259 HV sys regenerative malfunction C1310 HV sys regenerative malfunction L10100 lost comm. P3000 HV Batt malf. The Toyota dealer is waiting to hear from Toyota and they will let me know thier findings. They have hybrids come in all the time and 9 out of 10 times it is a out of gas problem. Any suggestions on how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

07-14-2008, 07:36 PM	#18
PriuStorm Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 1,500 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #4 Thanks: 58 Thanked 33 Times in 23 Posts Friends: 8	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me To check if there's gas in the tank, can't they just put a hose in there and see if they can siphon some out?

07-14-2008, 07:38 PM	#19
Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Green Valley, AZ Posts: 4,058 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 21 Thanked 213 Times in 184 Posts Friends: 44	Re: Thunderstorms+prius...help me I think that it is not easy to siphon fuel out. An easy alternative is to fill the tank and see how many gallons are required...