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brakes are soft and can't remove key

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by lmarcucci, Jun 9, 2013.

  1. lmarcucci

    lmarcucci Junior Member

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    Hi everybody,

    Bought a prius off craigslist that didn't have a hybrid battery. Replaced it with a used reinvolt battery off ebay. Car starts right up now. However, there's a few things wrong with it. I can't get the key out of the ignition and the brakes are soft. Could these be related?

    I have a fully charged and known good 12v battery in the car. And when I remove it, the key comes right out.

    If I bleed the brakes, do you think that will solve the problem?
     
    #1 lmarcucci, Jun 9, 2013
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The interlock that prevents removing the key except in Park works electrically, which is why if it isn't working right, one way you can still get the key out is by disconnecting the battery. That's not the easy way though - they made a mechanical release lever for just such occasions. Look for a little hole cover on the underside of the steering column, pop out the cover, push the lever that's reachable through the hole, and you can pull the key out.

    Even that's a bit of a pain, so you'll probably want to figure out why the interlock's not working right, so you can fix it. You might end up finding something with the shift linkage so the lever is not quite getting all the way to Park, or some damaged or disconnected wire in the interlock circuit (perhaps left disconnected by mistake after some earlier service). Volume 1 of the service manual ought to have instructions for tracking down the problem.

    Bleeding might help with the brake problem, but bleeding isn't a no-brainer on this car. Simple bleeding at the wheel cylinders is not bad, easier than on a conventional car even (because of the pressure pump), but air elsewhere in the system is no fun to get out. There are so many valves and fluid paths that the official Toyota method uses a special scan tool to command the computer to operate the valves in the right sequence to make bleeding happen. If you don't have that tool, the manual doesn't give any alternate instructions for how to bleed.

    Beware that even if you start with the simple case of just bleeding at the wheel cylinders, but you are careless keeping the reservoir filled and allow any air to be drawn in there, you won't be dealing with the simple case any more.

    The braking computer may have some diagnostic codes saved that would help you determine what the trouble is before you start experimenting with fixes. Have you tried to read those out? If you don't have a Prius-specific scanner to read the codes, you can search this forum (or look in volume 1 again) for how to trigger the computers to blink codes on the lights on the dash, and how the blink codes map to the standard diagnostic codes. Please let us know what you find.

    -Chap
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Jun 10, 2013
    bwilson4web likes this.
  3. lmarcucci

    lmarcucci Junior Member

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    2005 Prius
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    Awesome, thanks chap. I think I found out my problem with the ignition. After driving the car, the brakes aren't that bad. I can lock up the tires with full force, so I don't really have to mess with the brakes for now.

    As for the ignition,
    There's definitely something going on under the steering column. Here's a picture. I removed the wires for a better view. Looks like one of the mechanisms is broken. when i press the plastic lever up, nothing happens. I have a full parts car, so i can replace anything i need to.
     

    Attached Files:

    #3 lmarcucci, Jun 10, 2013
  4. lmarcucci

    lmarcucci Junior Member

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    [​IMG]


    Here's a shot of the parts car's steering column. I'm really at a loss. I guess ill just keep playing with it until I figure out what's what. Ill post whatever knowledge i gain back here.

    SCH-I535 ? 4 Beta
     
    #4 lmarcucci, Jun 10, 2013
  5. lmarcucci

    lmarcucci Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
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    I fixed it. You can't tell from that angle, but the whole mechanism that keeps the pin from the gear selector in the right place(and locks the car in park) was broken off. I guess some dummie before me tried to jam the car out of park and ended up breaking the whole mechanicism.

    So, boys and girls, if you ever have this problem and can't figure it out, check to make sure the parking lock mechanism is intact. It's what the side of the gear selector pin rests on. It looks like tiny metal steps. Each gear has it's own step. Will post a picture for science.

    SCH-I535 ? 4 Beta
     
    #5 lmarcucci, Jun 12, 2013
    usnavystgc likes this.
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