1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Idiot attached the battery anodes in reverse. Now what?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Jess Klein, Jul 22, 2017.

  1. Jess Klein

    Jess Klein New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2017
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Gresham, or
    Vehicle:
    2014 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Five
    Hi there. I bought a 2015 Prius Hybrid on Wednesday. I drove it around the block once. On Thursday I went out to drive to work and the car wouldn't start. The dashboard said, "Auxilary Battery Low."

    I call AAA and they come jump it. As I'm getting out of my car, the battery is showing that it's fully charged (maybe this is just the 12v?). 2 hours later, I go out to my car and it's dead. So I go to Napa the next day and get a new battery. I hire a guy to come install it for me (I didn't have a socket wrench to take out the old one) and as he's attaching the cables to the new battery, I said, "WAIT! You need to attach the positive cable first." So what does he do? He takes the positive cable and attaches it to the negative battery cathode.

    Sparks. The horn is blaring. Brake lights flashing. THEN HE DOES IT A SECOND TIME.

    At this point, I'm livid. I tell him I'll handle it from there. He leaves. I hook up the battery properly and am hoping against hope that he didn't ruin it.

    It doesn't start. The interior lights do come on. The check engine light comes on. There's a message on the dash when I'm in READY mode that says, "Depress brake and press start to start." It makes a slight whirring noise when I press start, but it doesn't start.

    I tried a hard reset (held down power button and brake for 45 seconds. Engine turned over but it died immediately) but it still doesn't turn on.

    I'm assuming some of the fuses are blown? I took some photos of fuses under the hood, and I pulled out the fuse that's attached to the positive battery anode. I can't tell if they're blown. I mean, what do I know about cars? Literally nothing. I think there's supposed to be an alternator fuse under the dash too, but I couldn't see it.

    Can someone please help me? :******(
     
  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Holy moley!!! Starting point would be to locate and replace the blown fuses. Then, if it's still not right, you'll need a Prius capable code reader. There's a chance that you might have dodged a bullet, but a higher chance that the guy who made the sparks owes you a lot of money. Your car doesn't have an alternator. A DC/DC converter within the inverter charges the 12V battery. That often gets destroyed when people reverse the 12V battery cables. But I've heard of some folks being lucky.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Or get it towed to Toyota dealership, and then send the bill to AAA? (n)
     
    WilDavis and jerrymildred like this.
  4. ILuvMyPriusToo

    ILuvMyPriusToo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2014
    778
    514
    0
    Location:
    Outside Philly, PA
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Yes, you need a professional evaluation of the damage, and a repair estimate, to give to AAA. Don't repair anything until they accept responsibility. I would also speak with your insurance company ASAP in case they can help. Good luck!
     
    WilDavis and Mendel Leisk like this.
  5. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2013
    1,476
    1,551
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    your main fuse is probably burnt
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    is the 'auxiliary battery low' message new? i don't recall reading about that one before.
     
    jerrymildred and Mendel Leisk like this.
  7. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2015
    408
    321
    0
    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Is it actually a 2016? Was the 12V in the trunk or under the hood?
     
  8. NavyLCDR

    NavyLCDR Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    188
    120
    4
    Location:
    Stanwood, WA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    AAA didn't do anything wrong. They cannot be responsible for what the battery installer (non-AAA) did the next day.
     
  9. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,795
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Horrible Story.

    You say you "Hire a guy to come install it for you"?
    Was this someone from NAPA?
    A dealership?
    A mechanic?
    A local handyman?

    It's that "guy" that did whatever damage is now done.
    I'm unclear if this was someone from NAPA, AAA, or just "someone".
    I'd hope they were licensed and insured.

    You can hope it's the least of problems, fuses?
    But reversing the cables on the battery of a Prius is NOT a good thing at all.
    If it was me?
    I wouldn't pass go. I'd take it to a Toyota Delership. You need to know how much or how little damage has been done.
    If it turns out being a lot of damage? Then it could get ugly.

    Hopefully, it ends up being on the lesser side.

    Good Luck.
     
    sitaprius likes this.
  10. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,795
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Exactly, I'm reading AAA jumped the battery one day.
    A battery was purchased at NAPA another day.
    And "Someone" was hired to install it.
    Who that "Someone" represents? I have no idea. Other than the headline clearly defines this someone and being an "Idiot".
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    You're right, missed that. Go after the battery installer's company then.
     
  12. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2012
    1,555
    659
    0
    Location:
    Central MO
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    usually only requires replacing the main fuse
     
    johnnyb588 and Jess Klein like this.
  13. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,795
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If you're lucky...
    And if some idiot doesn't only connect the terminals wrong not only once...but twice.

    I hope the OP can escape this incident with only replacement of a fuse or two..but at this point? I think I'd want it checked out.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  14. Jess Klein

    Jess Klein New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2017
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Gresham, or
    Vehicle:
    2014 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Five
    Where can I find the main fuse to at least check if it's been blown? Thank you!
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    check the o/m, probably in the fuse box under the hood, but i think there is one on top of the 12v.
     
  16. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If the engine turned over at all, it shouldn't be the usual blown fusible link.
     
    Jkan2001 likes this.
  17. Jkan2001

    Jkan2001 Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2017
    201
    62
    0
    Location:
    Dallas TX
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Agree, on my BMW 3 series it was in line with the battery cables leading to the 12V.
     
  18. Jess Klein

    Jess Klein New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2017
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Gresham, or
    Vehicle:
    2014 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Five
    UPDATE: So, yesterday I spent the better part of my day taking out every fuse and examining it. There were quite a few that had blown--the anti-lock brake system, air conditioning system, battery cooling fan, and audio/navigation system. I use a couple of the spare fuses and I replaced the rest with fuses from non-important features (i.e. seat warmers, electrical outlet).

    Afterward, I reattached the battery. The headlights, interior lights, and horn work. The car started up after a hard reboot (held down power button for 45 seconds) but the dashboard and navigation/audio system didn't come on. It also wouldn't shift out of park. The, "door ajar," light stays on even though none of the doors were open. The check engine light is also on. When the car is off, a little red light flashes as well--it's a car and a lock.

    Anyway, I detached the battery and went home. I'm out of options at this point other than taking it to a repair shop. Just bummed out because I haven't even driven it a mile and I put all my money into the down payment.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    make sure it's a shop with tech stream software.
     
  20. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,795
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Too bad...
    If it's that many fuses blown?
    Once again, I think your best move....unfortunately not the cheapest move...is to simply take it to a Toyota dealership.

    I would recommend if you pick an independent shop...make sure it is familiar with Hybrid repair. Or really? A Hybrid specific shop with a good reputation.

    Otherwise, you might be wheeling your Prius in for another "Idiot" moment.
     
    jerrymildred and Mendel Leisk like this.