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Common 2G Problems, and What to Do About Them...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Patrick Wong, Mar 6, 2009.

  1. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Possible.
     
  2. 2ndgen

    2ndgen Junior Member

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    Mine has been doing this for years. My husband finally had the big expensive battery replaced. The car had been working great in our area. I finally decided to go to my sons house which is a 2 1/2 hour drive. I got 20 minutes away and it broke down again. My son is at the Toyota dealership right now getting the auxiliary battery tested and replaced if need be. I’ve been having the worst time ever since my car got to be about 10 years old. The big lithium battery can’t handle the heat.
     
  3. ChrisFaehrtPrius

    ChrisFaehrtPrius Junior Member

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    My water doesn't drain rain water properly. Whenever there's been a lot of rain and I start driving, I can hear water gushing in every corner and I leave a significant water trail behind for a couple minutes. Gonna start looking for those water trains behind the front axle, I'm guessing its clogged with dirt and leaves.
     
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Remove the windshield wiper arms, then the two piece black plastic cowl cover. Then you can see the accumulation of leaves and dirt in the cowl tray.
     
  5. BLNT

    BLNT Junior Member

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    Problem: missing floor hook keeping the rubber mat in place. Causing the accelerator pedal to stuck underneath the edge of the mat, surprising wife on the go.


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  6. ilmawi

    ilmawi Junior Member

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    I found out in my 230kkm 2007 while installing eflexfuel e85 conversion that the drainage holes, all four of them, under the windshield cowl were clogged. No leafs, only one little rock, but mostly fine gray dried mud. Luckily it was raining, so the "tub" was full and all i had to do was to poke a stick thru all of them, after that a wash. Two on the bottom sides and both wiper holes. I don't think that is a good place to store water, on top of the engine.
    So,Check yo holes! There are one round clip on the both sides and some clips in the middle. Takes a minute to check those.
     
  7. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    Do you have a picture of where exactly these drainage holes are located?


    iPhone 6s +
     
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  8. ilmawi

    ilmawi Junior Member

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  9. Masaud

    Masaud New Member

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    i am having this problem, how to check switches and where are they exactly? can you attach a photo for reference..
     
  10. oldtechaa

    oldtechaa Active Member

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    They should be directly below the brake pedal on the arm that it pivots on. If you stick your head down there, just follow the brake pedal up until you see the switch(es) underneath.
     
  11. pastrick_g007

    pastrick_g007 New Member

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    We have a Gen 2 (2004) and recently replaced the traction battery. The battery bars would show a loss of 1 to 2 bars overnight or if parked for a couple days, No indication on the dash. No warnings just loss of bars while parked. Car is stock, no mods or accessories. Mileage increased with the new traction battery and no loss of battery bars while parked for up to 2 weeks when gone on vacation.
     
    #311 pastrick_g007, Jan 23, 2020
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 24, 2020
  12. oldtechaa

    oldtechaa Active Member

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    That's a fairly large expense for a battery that wasn't already throwing a code. Was there a reason behind changing it so early? What you describe isn't surprising for an older, but not failed, battery.
     
  13. Buckinghambob

    Buckinghambob Junior Member

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    I have a 2008 Prius, and while it was repaired by the mechanic who sold it to me from a wreck of some sort, the body and all is in good condition for a 12 year old car. It has good pickup displays seem good, has the normal problem with the speed display going dark and needing to disconnect the battery to reset it. The door lock doesn't work with the outside button

    I have been having a problem keeping my battery charged overnight when it is connected to the car, so for a couple weeks now I've been disconnecting it after I drive.

    When I first started having problems I charged the battery several days or a week using a solar panel and charge controller , disconnected from the car and set at 14.5 volts float. this brought the battery back so when disconnected from the car I can keep 12.6+ volts overnight-- when I connect it after a good full charge in the day and then check the next morning I'm down close to 12.0 volts. A load test showed 600 cca on the battery, so I'm pretty sure it's ok.

    I have a couple questions before I dive in trying to test every circuit on the car. With that sort of testing of the battery is it still possible the problem is just the battery?

    If I do need to start testing for an unusual draw are there any systems that might normally be suspect, or do I just start hooking up a meter and pulling fuses?

    Does the frequent disconnecting of the 12 volt battery from the car have the potential to create other problems?
     
  14. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Welcome!
    Easy fix: Prius Speedometer Replacement.
    Here's a god video on how to take it out and replace it.


    CCA is pretty meaningless for a Prius. It doesn't crank. But it can still be failing.

    Not a bad place to start. Before doing that, I think I'd take a look under the dash to look for apparent add-on wiring. Could be that someone hooked up something on a non-switched circuit.

    Nope. Just the aggravation of losing radio presets and stuff.
     
  15. Buckinghambob

    Buckinghambob Junior Member

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    Thanks for that reply,.

    As far as the load test on the battery, I included the cca reading simply because I thought that would be a better measure of depth of charge than simple voltage.

    Thanks a lot for the hint about looking for added wiring that might be problematic.

    I also have seen the repair on the speedometer display--I have the 220 mf capacitor in the glove box waiting for warmer weather and some extra time to devote to taking out the whole dash and replacing the undersized capacitor that seems to be the issue.

    I also have a double din replacement radio/entertainment center to put in at the same time. I'm a bit hesitant about that, cause it seems there are some interesting complications tying the radio to the other electronics, not to mention some uncertainty about the speaker system . Any links you know of that give comprehensive directions would be welcome
     
  16. ChrisFaehrtPrius

    ChrisFaehrtPrius Junior Member

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    If you leave an OBD2 plug connected (underneath the steering column), the Prius will apparently not cut the power to it. Thats how I drained my battery anyhow.



    By the way:
    This turned out to be just the rear right corner. The 12V battery compartment had a little pool of water in it. I drained it for now and will look for cracks near the trunk door hinges once weather and daylight permit.
     
  17. Joxuel

    Joxuel New Member

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    hello, my 2005 Prius with 180k miles on it , will run great, but then the transaction battery stop powering the motor. And it will only run with the Gas motor, when that happens, I can drive up to 25 mph and it's really really slow. I live in Puerto Rico and it's hot here, will that be the case or I'm having a bad battery symptoms. thanks you

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  18. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    It is not a case of just being the heat, so there is clearly a problem. It could be a number of things and yes, the HV (hybrid vehicle) battery (or traction battery as it is sometimes known) being one suspect. Rather than tack onto a random unrelated thread, start your own thread in the Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting forum, and provide all the details relating to your car (model, mileage, etc) and any DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes) plus your symptoms.
     
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  19. ChrisFaehrtPrius

    ChrisFaehrtPrius Junior Member

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    Door checks.

    Is there a quick fix for this? I'm not keen on removing the door panel and probably the insulation as well.
     
  20. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    The quickest way (and the only way) is to remove the door panel and replace the check. It takes about two minutes to remove the panel. There is no insulation to deal with. Just a plastic vapor barrier stuck down with a tar-like adhesive. The early part of this video shows how easy it is. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver. It's one of the easiest auto repairs there is. Pop off the speaker, pop off a cover behind the door latch handle and remove that screw, take out the screw at the bottom of the armrest handle and lift out the handle, pop out the fasteners holding the panel to the door starting at the bottom, and then lift it off the door.
     
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