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horrible ride home

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dlddvm, Dec 21, 2014.

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  1. ILuvMyPriusToo

    ILuvMyPriusToo Senior Member

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    #21 ILuvMyPriusToo, Dec 24, 2014
    DGH likes this.
  2. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    when I bought my '06 I took the back apart to clean the traction battery fan, and I found a mouse nest next to the traction battery. I would pull out the cargo box and spare and look around with a flashlight.
     
    #22 69shovlhed, Dec 25, 2014
  3. dlddvm

    dlddvm Junior Member

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    Don't know if this is related, but more wierdness is occurring this weekend. The car sits in the garage and the alarm horn starts going off randomly. Off, on, off, on. Can't really tell if pressing the buttons on the key fob helps because if you do nothing it eventually goes off on its own.

    Last time the horn/alarm messed up, it went off continuously, and it was the battery in the smart key. This morning it went off while I was asleep, while the fob was clear across the house. I took the battery out of the fob and my husband went out to buy a new one. I started the microwave oven, and the car started going off again. The fob was still in pieces. We realized that the microwave had been in use at least 3 times when this had happened. The microwave is maybe 6 feet from the car. When hubby got home with the batteries, I had not yet reassembled the fob when he put something in the microwave, and off she went again.

    I read all the stuff in the manual about keeping your smart key away from appliances. Geez, when am I ever NOT a few feet from an appliance, computer, phone, etc when I'm either at home or at work? My keys are always in my pocket during the day. But I'm not putting Smurfy out in the weather to get her away from the microwave!

    Could this still be a wiring problem, maybe one they missed, or might it be something else? If nothing else I would think that %*#@ horn would make the mouse leave!
     
    #23 dlddvm, Dec 28, 2014
  4. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    How OLD is your microwave ?
    This will be a difficult one to "fix" because Toyota will blame the microwave and the company that make IT will blame Toyota.
    If the microwave is very old, convince yourself that you need a new one. ;)
     
    #24 Easy Rider 2, Dec 28, 2014
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I suggest you get rid of the microwave oven which apparently is leaking radio frequency energy. Ovens typically operate at a frequency of 2,450 MHz. If the signal leakage is strong enough to interfere with the Prius remote control (which is operating at around 315 MHz or so) then the oven is leaking a dangerous amount of energy that is unsafe for you to be around.
     
    #25 Patrick Wong, Dec 28, 2014
  6. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    x100...you may be cooking your own organs and not know it
     
    #26 Yakoma, Dec 28, 2014
  7. dlddvm

    dlddvm Junior Member

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    Well, no one is using the microwave right now, and it's going off over and over. Is there any way to disable the alarm?
     
    #27 dlddvm, Dec 28, 2014
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Disconnect the 12V battery negative cable where it bolts to the body. Fully charge the 12V battery, overnight.

    Inspect the fobs to make sure there are no stuck buttons, such as the panic button on the back of the fob.

    Tomorrow morning, reconnect the battery and see if you still have a problem with false alarms. If so ask your dealer for help.

    Does your car have an aftermarket alarm or just the factory alarm?
     
    #28 Patrick Wong, Dec 28, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2014
  9. brucebee

    brucebee Junior Member

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    had the problem you have stated with the beeping when I went swimming with smart key in trunks. I took apart fob, put together other fob, let 1st one dry a few days. Made all my camping neighbors happy. wet smart key?
     
    #29 brucebee, Dec 28, 2014
  10. dlddvm

    dlddvm Junior Member

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    The alarm is factory, and the key fob has not gotten wet AFAIK. Buttons do not appear jammed.

    I can't get to the dealer again until Wed. So my husband waited until I drove off to use the microwave this morning, no more beeping since late last night. The alarm never went off at work. I lock it at work, but not in the garage, if that matters.

    So when I got home I heated some soup in the microwave. After about 30 sec, the alarm went off. It stopped when I hit unlock on the fob, so I walked to the back of the house to ditch the fob at a distance. It went off again on my way back there. I was able to stop it by hitting unlock from my bedroom door, some 45+ feet away.

    The fob is now stashed on my nightstand, and the microwave is off, and the alarm has not gone off again yet. Next I'm going to research how to test the microwave for leaks.
     
    #30 dlddvm, Dec 29, 2014
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    While you are experimenting, try locking your car in the garage and see if that makes any difference, regarding the incidence of false alarms.

    I don't think you can reasonably test the microwave oven for leakage without having access to very specialized electronic test equipment.
     
    #31 Patrick Wong, Dec 30, 2014
  12. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    Back in the early days of microwave ovens one could hold a flourescent light tube near the unit and it would glow if there were a substantial leak. Consumer Reports actually recommended this test at the time.

    I can safely say that if your microwave causes a nearby flourescent tube (or maybe a compact fluorescent bulb) to glow, you ought to suspend using it. :)
     
    #32 css28, Dec 30, 2014
  13. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    :coffee:
     
    #33 Yakoma, Dec 30, 2014
  14. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    The equipment is not that complicated but probably hard to find these days. They were quite common right after microwave ovens first came out.

    HOW OLD IS THE MICROWAVE ??
    Call around to appliance repair shops. Maybe one of them still has a meter.
     
    #34 Easy Rider 2, Dec 30, 2014
  15. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    I found a meter for $34 on Amazon.
     
    #35 css28, Dec 30, 2014
  16. dlddvm

    dlddvm Junior Member

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    Well, hubby went out and bought a new microwave today. When I got home I popped some popcorn for a test run. Burned the popcorn, but no noise from the garage.
     
    #36 dlddvm, Dec 30, 2014
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If that continues, you and hubby can thank your Prius, saving you from a brain tumor or other damage that might take 10 years to become evident.
     
    #37 Patrick Wong, Dec 30, 2014
  18. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This thread is out of this world! I somehow think the original problem with the car is related to what's occurring to it now. Microwaves....wow.
     
    #38 JC91006, Dec 31, 2014
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