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Engine wont start, after old battery was replaced!HELP!

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Johanna Aguilar, May 30, 2019.

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  1. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Hi there,

    So I own a 2007 prius 200k plus miles, and last week it started to display the triangle of death with the VCS light! Took it to my local guy to check it out and it turns out my Hybrid battery was basically dying. To save a few bucks, we (me and my partner) decided to buy the battery ourselves and replace it, as it seemed not to complicated.

    So we purchased the battery for $1,300 and installed it yesterday and took all the necessary precautions. However I must say that during the installation of the cells, my partner accidentally sheared off 2 of the bolts that mount the cells to the bottom enclosure. Other than that we were extra careful with everything.
    So we finished exchanging the cells and closed everything up and mounted the battery back on.

    Once we plugged everything back in (including the 12V battery) the car wouldn't turn on or display any lights. We checked the 12v and one of the plugs (close to the positive terminal) was not all the way in, so we plugged it and we automatically got the door open light display, we then tried turning on the car and the dashboard lights turned on displaying even more lights, however the engine wont start at all! We trying jump starting the car as we thought the 12V was dead but that didn't help.

    Would appreciate any feedback, thank you!
     
    #1 Johanna Aguilar, May 30, 2019
  2. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    First, did you perform all three steps to install the safety plug?
    1. insert plug
    2. rotate handle upward
    3. push straight down to satisfy interlock.

    Second, anytime you lose 12v power, upon restoration you will need to press the power button 2x to clear the dash alarms, assuming all faults are actually clear. You will also need to reset your power window auto up/down function and the radio presets
     
    #2 TMR-JWAP, May 30, 2019
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  3. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Thank you for replying. Yes the safety plug was installed properly. I even re checked it and re installed it just to make sure everything fitted properly, Just how you mentioned above. I tried clicking the power button 2x but the dash alarms are all still on. The function of the power window works fine. However I just checked the battery (12v) on the service menu (on the screen) it shows a voltage of 11.3 when all the lights are on, but as soon as I turn on the AC it drops to 10.8 So I’m not sure if the 12v batter is the issue? Although I’ve read that the 12v shouldn’t really affect the engine? Or it shouldn’t be the reason why the engine won’t even start? Any thoughts?
     
    #3 Johanna Aguilar, May 30, 2019
  4. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Just an update! I just bought a new 12v battery and installed it and nothing. The same cars engine won’t turn on and the triangle of death along with other lights are displayed! So frustrating. If anyone has any ideas or anyone had a similar situation that can share any information. I will be very grateful!
     
    #4 Johanna Aguilar, May 30, 2019
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what battery did you buy for $1,300.?
     
    #5 bisco, May 30, 2019
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  6. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Sigh.....here we go again....

    Here' another thing to check, which first time DIYers sometimes miss on HV battery assembly. There are 3 wire harness connectors that connect from the car to the HV battery. The smallest one goes to the safety interlock circuit. Look at where the small connector plugs into the HV battery. That "plug" has a wire about 6 inches long that connects at the bottom of the safety disconnect receptacle. Many times, that wire gets forgotten about during reassembly. If it's not plugged in at the bottom of the interlock receptacle, the car thinks the safety disconnect is still removed.
     
    #6 TMR-JWAP, May 30, 2019
  7. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    We bought the HV battery for $1,300.
     
    #7 Johanna Aguilar, May 30, 2019
  8. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Yes, we made sure we connected those 3 connectors before connecting the safetyplug. We were super detailed and careful of putting everything back, we are now waiting to get our hands on a scanner, which is coming this Saturday, and see what codes pop up. Or might end up taking it to mechanic which is a huge bummer, given we were trying to save that extra money. :(
     
    #8 Johanna Aguilar, May 30, 2019
  9. bisco

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    understood. what brand/companyetc.?

    was it new oems? new aftermarket? rebuilt? remanufactured?
     
    #9 bisco, May 31, 2019
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  10. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Did you use a torque wrench to tighten the buss bars or did your partner tighten those by hand also?
     
    #10 Skibob, May 31, 2019
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  11. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Here' another thing to check, which first time DIYers sometimes miss on HV battery assembly. There are 3 wire harness connectors that connect from the car to the HV battery. The smallest one goes to the safety interlock circuit. Look at where the small connector plugs into the HV battery. That "plug" has a wire about 6 inches long that connects at the bottom of the safety disconnect receptacle. Many times, that wire gets forgotten about during reassembly. If it's not plugged in at the bottom of the interlock receptacle, the car thinks the safety disconnect is still removed.

    Ok, here we go again....again....it appears you only read the first 2 sentences.

    johanna....read the above again (and again if needed) until you understand what I'm saying. I'm not talking about the 3 wires going from the car to the battery. I'm talking about where that small one goes inside the HV battery.....
     
    #11 TMR-JWAP, May 31, 2019
  12. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    It’s in this video?

     
    #12 Skibob, May 31, 2019
  13. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    He doesn't show that connector in the video. He disassembles the battery a bit differently than I do. I completely remove the wire harnesses and bus bar assemblies so they can be replaced. (Many people completely remove the harnesses so they can be cleaned.) I then remove the electronics section prior to doing anything with the modules. I'm not a fan of his technique of leaving the harnesses connected to the electronics section, as this doesn't allow inspection of the plugs and receptacle areas where we KNOW corrosion is frequently a problem. I'm also not a fan of flipping the battery upside down. I'm REALLY not a fan of his method of removing the wire sensor tabs from the orange plastic holder. I guarantee at least half the people who do that will immediately have problems with the tabs cracking at the crimp area. It's a very poor technique to be demonstrating. Also, trying to install new modules while the clamp is horizontal makes it very difficult to get the alignment tabs locked together correctly with the end clamp plates, since the modules are resting on the bottom braces, yet require a small air gap to actually be lined up correctly. This results in the sides of those two modules being damaged. Other than that, it's a pretty good video. Not up to my personal standards ;), but probably better than most on youtube.

    Here's a photo of where that small connector eventually connects to at the bottom of the safety switch. This is the dorman battery I rebuilt from the other thread. Hopefully I'll get it swapped into my car this weekend for testing.

    InkedIMG_3375_LI.jpg
     
    #13 TMR-JWAP, May 31, 2019
    Last edited: May 31, 2019
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  14. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    I got from Electron Automotive, and they are remanufactured. I just read the voltage using my OBD scanner (paired to Dr. Prius app) and the highest voltage that’s reading (from this new battery) is 15.5v. The battery that I got rid off because it was dying was reading a higher voltage than this new one, then again that was read while the car was running. I’m going post a few screen shots of the readings below. Also! Also the code that was displayed was P3004.

    Any thoughts???
     

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    #14 Johanna Aguilar, Jun 3, 2019
  15. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Yes we used a torque wrench to spec. He torqued it to 60 inch. lb.
     
    #15 Johanna Aguilar, Jun 3, 2019
  16. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Yes we made sure those were connected. Below I posted a few pics. We tripled made sure everything was connected. (We removed the safety for safety purposes, for pics.)
     

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    #16 Johanna Aguilar, Jun 3, 2019
  17. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    We actually did use Chris Fix for reference but did thorough research prior to changing it. The electrical all turn on, the windows work, the radio, navigation etc. The engine just doesn’t run, and like mentioned above we scanned it with our OBD scanner and the code P3004 popped out. and voltage for the pack all read around 15.5v lowest reading at 15.3v
     

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    #17 Johanna Aguilar, Jun 3, 2019
  18. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Really frustrated at this point. Now I’m not really sure what to do other than take it to the mechanic. Really frustrating as we were trying to save that money. Please if anyone has any ideas or thoughts we would appreciate it.

    Sincerely,
    A struggling College Student!
     
    #18 Johanna Aguilar, Jun 3, 2019
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    looking up the code, sounds like a battery or fuse issue
     
    #19 bisco, Jun 3, 2019
  20. Johanna Aguilar

    Johanna Aguilar New Member

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    Thank you so much! If you find anything will appreciate it!
     
    #20 Johanna Aguilar, Jun 3, 2019
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