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2007 Won't Go Into Ready Mode

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by MilkyWay, Nov 13, 2019.

  1. DWJM2513

    DWJM2513 Junior Member

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    I'm not a genius on this hybrid crap dude, sue me for thinking a gas engine has a damn starter. Sheesh everyone can't be as smart as you.....
     
  2. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Perfect..we have something in common...I'm not a genius either. But I do glance through an owners manual and tend to familiarize myself with cars I own so I can do basic maintenance, not get stuck somewhere or shafted by a repair facility. I also have no interest in suing you, but I'd be happy to help you out if you ever have problems with your car and need a hand (and are fairly close).
     
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  3. DWJM2513

    DWJM2513 Junior Member

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    Yeah I do all of my own maintenance too. Have been since I was in grade school when my dad taught me to change the oil in his truck along with other basic stuff. And ive done the same thing reading through the manual but more for fluid capacities and types and not the starting system for the vehicle because every gas engine I've ever seen, has a standalone starter
     
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  4. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    The words ready don't even appear on the dash.....Doesn't even attempt to start. I have a video but didn't upload it to youtube....

    I took a picture on my very 1st start-up attempt and for whatever reason it did display ready (looking at pic)....now those words do not even exist/appear on the dash at all....
     
  5. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    I mean you go to start the car and engine doesn't kick on and be in "ready mode / engine on mode". You hit the buttons to start and it doesn't start. There are dozens of threads by searching "won't go into ready mode" and rarely the same solution.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    have you tested the 12v?
     
  7. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    No but I'll try jumping it later today but battery is extremely strong so highly doubt it is battery.

    Before starting the car I inserted a tire pressure tool into the cigarette lighter by the glove because I was going to check the psi on tires....went to start and that's the pic you see on first page...At first thought inverter magically failed overnight (or hybrid battery)...That the car was on but had a bunch of lights. Then realized it was not starting at all. It is the sudden drop to 20 degrees that caused the issue, just not sure what failed.

    Reason I don't think 12V is bad is because all the lights display brightly, windows fly up/down, no sign of battery being weak. My limited experience with the 12V is the car will be dead and you'll need to jump it...or it will have a message on the info screen that says "there is a problem with the transmission 'P' lock mechanism...."
     
  8. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    If you get in your car, put your foot on the brake and press the power button and everything (dash and MFD) turn on, but the car will not go ready (and you have those warning lights lit) your most likely problem is an HV isolation fault. This is normally due to electrolyte in the HV battery seeping out of a module and causing a leakage path to the battery case. (much more rarely, it is due to an inverter issue or transaxle issue) If this happens while driving, the car will still allow you to continue driving normally. Once you shut the car off, it will not allow the car to go ready again. You can "reset" this safety function by disconnecting the 12v battery for a minute. It will then allow you to start the car normally. Obviously, one side effect is that all codes will be cleared from the ECU memory.
     
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  9. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    I was going to unplug the quick-release on the 12V (?) just haven't got around to it yet....So if this is the case ("HV isolation fault") does that mean HV battery is bad?
     
  10. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Bad is a relative term. Many people have continued to drive many, many miles with a HV battery that has a small electrolyte leak. I've read that there were many instances of taxis installing a switch at the battery to allow them to reset it quickly, and they continue to roll on. I think the Gen 2 was the only model with this "safety". IIRC, future models get the code, but don't disable the car.

    If it's just seepage from a terminal seal, a good cleaning and it could go years without another code. If it's a crack in the bottom of a module, it may go hours, days or weeks before coding again.

    If it was an inverter or transaxle causing the code, sometimes they come back immediately, sometimes days or months.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    do the brake lights come on when you step on the pedal?
     
  12. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Went and unplugged what I thought was a "quick release battery disconnect" but apparently it isn't...So unbolted the negative, let sit a minute, and car is starting with no warning lights (start/stop about 3 times and went back inside). Just annoying cause now I'm in a ticking time bomb where it might go for years or might go a day before problem reoccurs and left stranded.

    Not my personal car with 230k on it that has never given me an issue. This one only has 144k miles.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    have you checked the inverter pump?
     
  14. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Not sure how to just check it.....I'm gonna have my brother drive it a few days or a week see if reoccurs....He has better access to help if it doesn't start.
     
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  15. DWJM2513

    DWJM2513 Junior Member

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    Stupid idea, is there a way to run start it seeing how the motion of the transaxle is what starts it?
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    visibly? not that i know of. there are some pretty good youtube explanations though.

    the engine and tranny work in hybrid concert, thus producing the great mpg's due to gas and electron motivation efficiency.

    when you power up, the hybrid battery relays kick in, and the battery turns one of the two tranny motors to spin the engine up.
    this happens hundreds and thousands of times a day as you're driving
     
  17. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    @MilkyWay

    This isn't something you need to be super worried about. The HV isolation fault is the ONLY fault that reacts this way, disabling the ability to go "READY" after the car is turned off. If it were any other fault code, the car would have been able to go to READY mode, but may or may not have been in limp mode, depending on the actual code. The way the car reacted and what you did, pretty much proved the code was for HV Isolation. If it happens again, and you're out driving, it will still let the car drive normally until you shut it off. The next time you try to start it, the READY function will be disabled. All you would need to do is cycle power at the 12v battery again.

    And the large heavy cable is on a quick connect plug, sometimes it's just a bit of a pain to pop off.. The small wire with the quick connect is a voltage sense wire.

    The best thing about this "mode" of HV battery failure (assuming it's the battery) is that it usually allows you plenty of time to work toward a solution.
     
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  18. George W

    George W Active Member

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    could be an opportunity to incorporate an inexpensive code reader and smart apps, like Torque, Dr Prius, and Hybrid Assistant. This one is $11, and works very well with the 3 Apps listed. Between them, you can get better info on the overall health of the car.

     
  19. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Well it has been working fine the last 24 hours.....When you say I shouldn't be super worried....Are you saying it could have been a one-time thing? That maybe I can go 6 months or years without ever reoccurring? Cause if it is going to reoccur 1 time every couple weeks that will be quite annoying.
     
  20. George W

    George W Active Member

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    When a code is triggered it doesn't always mean that a hard failure is imminent. Sometimes a battery code will automatically disable other systems (thereby setting a code in those systems). You've cleared the computer with the 12V disconnect, so what do you do? A code reader could give you clues, might even predict future problems.