2004 Toyota Prius no lights on after 12v battery replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017.

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  1. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    everyone!

    I'm new to this forum, so bare with me.

    I have 2004 Toyota Prius with smart lock. The car acted weird yesterday. First, I had to open the door manually with the key (Normally, I only have to have the key in my pocket). When I tried to start the car, it won't start but I noticed some of the lights on the dash were on. I don't remember completely which ones. So, I tried to find online if people had the same problem. After reading many articles, most people said the most likely culprit is the 12V battery. I followed a video tutorial on youtube (URL is provided below) on how to do the job and I thought it was an easy thing to do so I decided to do it myself. This morning, I bought the battery (the same exact one from the video) and replaced it with the old one. As far as I can tell, there is no power at all after the new one is installed. I tried to start the car but this time no lights were on. I don't really know what's going on.

    Here is the to the video tutotial on youtube:


    I hope any of you have the same problem with me and know how to fix it.

    Thank you in advance!
     
    #1 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  2. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    A couple of years ago, I experienced similar problems with my 2009 Gen II. The SKS system started getting "flakey" and so I replaced the button-cells in the FOBs, but that didn't seem to fix it, so eventually had the dealer do a load test, and sure enough the 12V AuxBattery was dying (well, it was 6+ years old! :eek:). I jumped the car with my trusty Power Pack (see threads passim) - but I had the dealer replace the 12V AuxBattery (the car needed to go in for a service anyway!) - and (just for completeness) here's a test which might be useful to you:
    DO-IT-YOURSELF TEST PROCEDURE (thanks to jdenenberg):
    - Without brake pedal, press the Power button once and release to enter ACC mode
    - Press and hold the MFD Info button, then turn the lights on and off three times to enter Maintenance mode; release Info button
    - Press “Menu” (on screen)
    - Press “Display Check”
    - Press “Vehicle Signal Check” - the battery voltage is shown and should be about 12.4 to 12.8 Volts (normal for an unloaded battery)
    - Again without brake pedal, press Power button and release to put a current load on the battery - the voltage should stay above 12.0V (if less than 12.0V the battery is not well, or there is a fault or unusual load somewhere)
    - Press brake pedal and press Power button once to enter "Ready" mode - the battery is now charging at about 14V (if less than 13.6V or more than 14.4 there may be a problem with the charging circuit)
    - Turn car OFF to leave Maintenance mode

    …and if you see any of the interior lights going dim, that's a sure sign the AuxBat is about to up-and-die! :eek:

    - hope this helps - Wil
     
    #2 WilDavis, Dec 21, 2017
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  3. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    I will give this a try. I will let you know about anything that happens after. Thanks!
     
    #3 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
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  4. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    First things first.

    Was the READY light on, when you tried starting the car? If it came on the dash, and didn't start, probably the HV battery pack must have experienced low voltages.

    I don't think the video tutorial would be of any help, seeing that you already had power coming to the dashboard. Well, I don't know what sort of lights you saw, but if it did show the ready sign, and was a weak 12volt battery, replacing it with a new one would ha e solved the issue.

    Was the new battery you installed new? Did you voltage test it under load or...to determine if it held some juice? If it doesn't hold, that tells y you didn't get any lights on the dashboard after replacing it.
    Try checking the battery terminals connections to see if they're well connected.

    There's also a fuse close to the positive battery post. If that fuse is blown, you might have no lights coming on on the dashboard.

    If you ha e done all that, and its still same, could you please post a scanned results of any codes you might have of the car?



    Dxta
     
    #4 Dxta, Dec 21, 2017
  5. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    WilDavis,

    I couldn't do what you instructed because there is no power at all.
     
    #5 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  6. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    No dome (overhead) light when you open the door? What happens when you switch on the lights (twist end of stalk on left of steering-wheel)? Not even a glimmer? Have you checked the fuses?
     
    #6 WilDavis, Dec 21, 2017
  7. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    Hi Dxta!

    I bought the battery new from AutoZone. I didn't do any kind of testing to the battery at all. I saw the fuse you're talking about and will check if it's blown or not. I'm not sure if I can give you the codes since I don't have any scanner. Sorry..

    Thank you for the response. I will let you know if anything happens.
     
    #7 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  8. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Some basic things to check:
    1. Is the battery installed and connected with polarity correct. The negative post of the battery should be toward the back of the car.
    2. Are the positive and negative cables connected firmly to the battery posts. I have seen the positive clamp installed incorrectly, where I could lift it off the post with no tools.
    3. Is the negative cable bolted firmly to the body of the car (bolted to body closer to the back of the car toward the taillight.
    4. Are the wires plugged into the positive terminal clamp assembly? There should be two push in connectors attached to the assembly.
    5. Are you able to use a multi-meter to check the actual voltage of the new battery you just installed?
     
    #8 TMR-JWAP, Dec 21, 2017
  9. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    Dxta,

    The fuse seems to look fine to me. I didn't do check it with any tools though. Just with my eyes. And it seems like the metal in the middle is still connected.
     
    #9 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  10. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    Yeah, nothing. No lights on the dashboard, everything is off as far as I can tell.
     
    #10 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  11. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    I'm sure I installed the battery correctly. I followed everything on the video tutorial I posted above. I wasn't able to check the voltage of the new battery though, since I don't have the tool to do so.
     
    #11 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  12. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Let's start with the dome light.
    Do you have power at the dome light?
     
    #12 ericbecky, Dec 21, 2017
  13. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    Nope, nothing.
     
    #13 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  14. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Try getting a digital voltmeter to test the voltage of the battery. Or better still, remove the new battery, and instaethe old one and see what happens. If it brings lights on the dash, the new battery is dead maybe.

    PS: If after replacing the old battery back in the car, and there's mo light on the dash, that means you have am open circuit problem on the 12V circuitry.


    Dxta
     
    #14 Dxta, Dec 21, 2017
  15. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Double check the voltage of the battery. Either do it yourself, or bring it back to where you got it and have them check it. (most stores will check it before selling it.)

    If voltage is OK, then may need to start checking fuses.
     
    #15 ericbecky, Dec 21, 2017
  16. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    I don't have the old battery anymore. But I remember after disconnecting the 2 cables on the (old) battery (the battery is still connected, I haven't messed around with the battery at this point), I closed the trunk and I couldn't open it from outside. So I had to fold the back seat and reconnect the 2 cables to the battery. I did notice some of the dashboard lights were on and I was able to open the trunk again. Does this tell you anything?
     
    #16 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  17. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    I got it from AutoZone. And they didn't do any testing when I bought it. Should I bring it back and have them do the testing?
     
    #17 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  18. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    Just a heads up, I tested the battery using the multimeter. It says .43. I'm not sure what it means. Is there something wrong with the multimeter or maybe I'm not doing it right? What I did was I turned on the multimeter to 20 V DC and connected the red to the positive and black to negative. If I tested it properly, does that mean the battery is not good?
     
    #18 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  19. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    I tested the battery using the multimeter. It says .43. I'm not sure what it means. I know it has to read something like 12.8x. Is there something wrong with the multimeter or maybe I'm not doing it right? What I did was I turned on the multimeter to 20 V DC and connected the red to the positive and black to negative. If I tested it properly, does that mean the battery is not good?
     
    #19 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
  20. my_priuss

    my_priuss New Member

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    I tested the battery using the multimeter. It says .43. I'm not sure what it means. According to online resources, it has to read somewhere close to 12.86 V. Is there something wrong with the multimeter or maybe I'm not doing it right? What I did was I turned on the multimeter to 20 V DC and connected the red to the positive and black to negative. If I tested it properly, does that mean the battery is not good?
     
    #20 my_priuss, Dec 21, 2017
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