Main Battery Error

mkitany · 08-17-2006, 12:48 AM

I just bought a second hand NWH11 model recently and i already have problems.

The car will not start and it gives the warning Main battery plus the hazard. The prius batteries llok completely drained on the dispaly unit.

What could be wrong? PLease help!!!

DaveG · 08-17-2006, 01:17 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mkitany @ Aug 16 2006, 09:48 PM) [snapback]304511[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I just bought a second hand NWH11 model recently and i already have problems.

The car will not start and it gives the warning Main battery plus the hazard. The prius batteries llok completely drained on the dispaly unit.

What could be wrong? PLease help!!!

[/b]

If it's just the small accessory battery (the 12v battery that starts the car), you can jump-start it from a regular 12v vehicle without any problem (make sure you get the polarity right for the jumper cables).

If the car hasn't been started in a long time (months), the main high-voltage battery could be discharged beyond what is necessary to start the vehicle. Toyota dealerships have a special charging unit in their shops that they can plug-in to the high-voltage battery to charge it up slowly, to get it running again. It's probably also possible to manually charge the battery without the special Toyota charger, but that would require substantially more technical knowledge as well as knowledge of how to safely work with high-voltages.

Dave

**Tideland Prius** · 08-17-2006, 01:41 AM

umm... did someone accidentally disconnect the main HV battery? (or did the dealer forget to plug the service plug back in?)

mkitany · 08-17-2006, 03:38 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 17 2006, 12:41 AM) [snapback]304528[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

umm... did someone accidentally disconnect the main HV battery? (or did the dealer forget to plug the service plug back in?)
[/b]

The main HV battery is not disconnected.

Thanks Dave, however I bought a new 12v battery for it and the MAIN BATTERY warning error still pops up. I tend to believe that the HV battery completely discharged and may therefore need to be charged. The vehicle has not be switched on for more than a month.

Out of curiosity, how does the manual process of charging the HV batteries work?

Does it also mean that when the HV battery is fully discharged the engine will not run?

**efusco** · 08-17-2006, 08:06 AM

Does "second hand" mean salvaged? Did it ever run right then stopped running right? If so, what were the circumstances around that? Finally, this is what the dealers are for. They'll check the CEL and MILs, tell you what's wrong and fix it up.

BTW, the main battery becomes 'disconnected' electronically in an accident, if this car has been wrecked that 'breaker' (or whatever it is) may need to be thrown even though the battery looks like it's connected.

Please fill in the blanks here and we might be able to better direct you, but this is kind of like your transmission going out on a regular car, it's not something you put the car in the parking lot for and then ponder what to do, if it's the HV battery or the electronics connected to it you need the dealer to fix it unless you have a vast range of computer, electronic and mechanical knowledge, proper tools and test instruments to fix it yourself.

john1701a · 08-17-2006, 08:21 AM

Sorry to hear your introduction to Prius ownership hasn't been pleasant.

There is a possibility that the original owner never had the preventative seal applied to the cells. There was a SSC a few years ago for that. Its purpose was to prevent leaks as the pack ages; otherwise, a failure possibily similar to yours may eventually end up happening.

mkitany · 08-17-2006, 09:12 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 17 2006, 07:06 AM) [snapback]304582[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Does "second hand" mean salvaged? Did it ever run right then stopped running right? If so, what were the circumstances around that? Finally, this is what the dealers are for. They'll check the CEL and MILs, tell you what's wrong and fix it up.

BTW, the main battery becomes 'disconnected' electronically in an accident, if this car has been wrecked that 'breaker' (or whatever it is) may need to be thrown even though the battery looks like it's connected.

Please fill in the blanks here and we might be able to better direct you, but this is kind of like your transmission going out on a regular car, it's not something you put the car in the parking lot for and then ponder what to do, if it's the HV battery or the electronics connected to it you need the dealer to fix it unless you have a vast range of computer, electronic and mechanical knowledge, proper tools and test instruments to fix it yourself.
[/b]

Second hand means the car was sold to me by someone who had used it for a while. It was recently imported from Japan so i wouldn't know its history including if it had an accident. but i trust the Japanese would not sell me a dead car.

when it arrived from Japan, its 12v battery was very low and had to be replaced. I took it to a garage for a paint job. It took two weeks at the garage. I cannot now move it from the garage.... "shows the main battery sign+Exlamation mark on vehicle at the MFD AND a hazard sign (master warning light) at the Dashboard.

i hope the 'little' history does the trick

Mkitany

eagle33199 · 08-17-2006, 09:16 AM

I remember reading somewhere that you are supposed to remove the HV battery prior to certain types of high temperature painting jobs, because it could be damaged by the heat... At any rate, i'd say it sounds like the car was working before you took it to the shop, it should be the shop's responsibility to return it to you in working condition, even if that means having it towed to a dealer to be fixed (remember, only a certified prius mechanic should work on the car)

mkitany · 08-17-2006, 09:19 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ Aug 17 2006, 07:21 AM) [snapback]304584[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Sorry to hear your introduction to Prius ownership hasn't been pleasant.

There is a possibility that the original owner never had the preventative seal applied to the cells. There was a SSC a few years ago for that. Its purpose was to prevent leaks as the pack ages; otherwise, a failure possibily similar to yours may eventually end up happening.
[/b]

Sorry John, What is a preventive seal? does it also means that the HV batteries have packed?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Aug 17 2006, 08:16 AM) [snapback]304599[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I remember reading somewhere that you are supposed to remove the HV battery prior to certain types of high temperature painting jobs, because it could be damaged by the heat... At any rate, i'd say it sounds like the car was working before you took it to the shop, it should be the shop's responsibility to return it to you in working condition, even if that means having it towed to a dealer to be fixed (remember, only a certified prius mechanic should work on the car)
[/b]

Unfortunately such kind of rules do not work in this part of the world. People get away with murder. I did not think a paint job would have caused much damage to the car...

c4 · 08-17-2006, 09:54 AM

I see you're in Kenya, where I'll bet there are not many Prii around; heck you may not even have a Prius tech in the whole country, never mind the special Toyota charger, so you may be completely on your own.. As much as I love the Prius, Africa is the one place in the world where I would probably prefer an old 1980's Tercel with a carburetor and minimal computer electronics that I could repair in the bush without special diagnostic tools and expensive parts which probably are not available locally (your closest bet is probably South Africa)..

Anyways, if the paint shop left the car on for any significant period in IG-ON mode or in neutral, they could have discharged the hybrid battery beyond the point where it is able to start your vehicle. If the paint shop used a high temperature booth to bake the paint afterwards, this may also have caused battery damage..

Given your particular situation, your best bet is to try charging the hybrid battery yourself- you'll have to rig up a ~275V DC power supply- some simple transformers and diodes will do, then remove the casing from the battery and using rubber gloves and plenty of care, hook up the charger.. You don't need to give the battery a full charge, just enough that it can start the engine, so just a few minutes on the charger may be sufficient. Once you can start the engine, the on board computers will take over the charging and bring the battery back up to nominal condition- just leave the car running until the engine shuts off on its own, and the battery will be back to a usable charge level..

08-17-2006, 08:06 AM	#5
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 14,247 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 24	Does "second hand" mean salvaged? Did it ever run right then stopped running right? If so, what were the circumstances around that? Finally, this is what the dealers are for. They'll check the CEL and MILs, tell you what's wrong and fix it up. BTW, the main battery becomes 'disconnected' electronically in an accident, if this car has been wrecked that 'breaker' (or whatever it is) may need to be thrown even though the battery looks like it's connected. Please fill in the blanks here and we might be able to better direct you, but this is kind of like your transmission going out on a regular car, it's not something you put the car in the parking lot for and then ponder what to do, if it's the HV battery or the electronics connected to it you need the dealer to fix it unless you have a vast range of computer, electronic and mechanical knowledge, proper tools and test instruments to fix it yourself. __________________ Evan E. Fusco, MD Seaside 04BC9/OEM EVb/NAV & auto-BT/XM Radio, CAN-View, Shark Fin, BT Stiff. Plate, Skid Plate & Strut Support

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08-17-2006, 12:48 AM	#1
mkitany Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 9 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I just bought a second hand NWH11 model recently and i already have problems. The car will not start and it gives the warning Main battery plus the hazard. The prius batteries llok completely drained on the dispaly unit. What could be wrong? PLease help!!!

08-17-2006, 01:41 AM	#3
Tideland Prius Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 13,920 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 11	umm... did someone accidentally disconnect the main HV battery? (or did the dealer forget to plug the service plug back in?)

08-17-2006, 08:21 AM	#6
john1701a Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,719 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Pioneer #3 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 3	Sorry to hear your introduction to Prius ownership hasn't been pleasant. There is a possibility that the original owner never had the preventative seal applied to the cells. There was a SSC a few years ago for that. Its purpose was to prevent leaks as the pack ages; otherwise, a failure possibily similar to yours may eventually end up happening.

08-17-2006, 09:16 AM	#8
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,648 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I remember reading somewhere that you are supposed to remove the HV battery prior to certain types of high temperature painting jobs, because it could be damaged by the heat... At any rate, i'd say it sounds like the car was working before you took it to the shop, it should be the shop's responsibility to return it to you in working condition, even if that means having it towed to a dealer to be fixed (remember, only a certified prius mechanic should work on the car)

08-17-2006, 09:54 AM	#10
c4 Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 523 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I see you're in Kenya, where I'll bet there are not many Prii around; heck you may not even have a Prius tech in the whole country, never mind the special Toyota charger, so you may be completely on your own.. As much as I love the Prius, Africa is the one place in the world where I would probably prefer an old 1980's Tercel with a carburetor and minimal computer electronics that I could repair in the bush without special diagnostic tools and expensive parts which probably are not available locally (your closest bet is probably South Africa).. Anyways, if the paint shop left the car on for any significant period in IG-ON mode or in neutral, they could have discharged the hybrid battery beyond the point where it is able to start your vehicle. If the paint shop used a high temperature booth to bake the paint afterwards, this may also have caused battery damage.. Given your particular situation, your best bet is to try charging the hybrid battery yourself- you'll have to rig up a ~275V DC power supply- some simple transformers and diodes will do, then remove the casing from the battery and using rubber gloves and plenty of care, hook up the charger.. You don't need to give the battery a full charge, just enough that it can start the engine, so just a few minutes on the charger may be sufficient. Once you can start the engine, the on board computers will take over the charging and bring the battery back up to nominal condition- just leave the car running until the engine shuts off on its own, and the battery will be back to a usable charge level..