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Dash Went out Again.. Fix?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Frontporch, Apr 13, 2023.

  1. Frontporch

    Frontporch Member

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    My dash was out again this morning. It happened a while back and then came back to life within a day. This time it wouldn't power off. Luckily I found a youtube video that suggested a way that "eventually" got it to power off worked.

    Questions...
    What is the fix for this issue?
    Replace Speedo component?
    Can existing be fixed? Re-solder of something?
    Can it be replaced with used and is the odometer stored in that component? Any way to update it to match correct odometer reading?

    Also.. ( and thanks for the help)
    What I saw online was to press power for several seconds when it won't shut off. That almost worked but the MFD display did not turn off.
    Eventually it powered down, but I think I may have hit a remote key button along with a long press somewhere.
    Does anyone know a foolproof way to get it to shut down when the screen is blank?
    I am away from home for a few days and not many tools on hand.
     
    #1 Frontporch, Apr 13, 2023
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2023
  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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  3. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    I did the replacement with THB on both of my Prii. worth every penny, highly recommended. The only way to go IMHO.
     
  4. JoeVR

    JoeVR Junior Member

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    I had a similar problem - but for me it always worked to hold the on/off button for several seconds (it always felt like a LONG time before it shut off)

    When you get time to do the repair, I did the process where you disassemble the dash and solder in a new capacitor to the board. There are several helpful YouTube videos out there. If you are wanting to save some money over buying a new display, that capacitor replacement process works. The repair that I did has worked for a year now with no problems. Hope this helps!
     
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Yup Texas Hybrid for me too. Still working good 4 years later when I sold the car. $100 I think but I sold the core on ebay for $50. Texas Hybrid actually bought it off ebay.

    Its pretty easy to replace it. Go on youtube and seach

    combo meter

    first video that comes up is a combo meter R & R. That how I did it.
     
  6. Frontporch

    Frontporch Member

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    Had a call into Texas hybrid. They are $150 with a $75 core. No additional charges for shipping

    The first YouTube video I watched had a repair of a single capacitor. That’s interesting and the part is about $10 of which 90% is shipping.

    also saw that people have lived with this issue for years as it is intermittent.

    I will probably continue to live with it for a little while and decide which path to take. It’s already back working again
     
  7. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    Yup. I did the research and found the same thing.....until The car wouldn't go and I couldn't see how much gas,speed. I was going at. Then my wife couldn't get hers to start.....then I lost work as a result. The $300 cost with a $150 refunded later cost me a job that was $2,000 of income lost.......I had them fixed and never looked back. Your situation may be different.
     
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  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    It is a very intermittent and annoying problem It makes it hard to keep up with your mileage gas mileage and all of that via the computers in the car because they don't display when the display is out on the MFD It's a pain you know what for sure. I lived with this for over 2 years The part that I bought from the little old lady's car that the little old lady said never had a problem car never been to the shop not even for a 12 volt I got the dash out of her car put it in my car within a week it went out just like it would do on my car but it seems to me there's some kind of redundant power feed that has to happen up at the dashboard like I may be explaining this wrong but it gets two 12 volt signals two power wires If one of them doesn't show power the dash doesn't work or something like that some kind of backup failsafe system that failed or what have you I'm not positive about the capacitor thing I'm not against it I haven't had the time to order the part from Texas hybrids I've got two or three here I could send out for the core no problem but they all work or sometimes they don't they work more than they don't generally speaking even the one in my failing 09 still works more than it's off it'll come back on again right about when it's time for me to fill up in zero out everything and then I know by my route and where I'm going when I need to fill up again so it never bothered me not having the display I never really thought about it didn't really run out of gas either. It just seems to me like something else is messing up the power flow through the mirrored display heads up display whatever you want to call it.
     
  9. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    It'll work until it don't. For me, that was right before inspection- in NJ the odometer MUST work in order to get a sticker.

    Add to it that the warning lights were inoperative, and I just bit the bullet and pulled the unit to repair it.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yeah I have a few out I might take it over to a buddy of mine and let him solder on a few capacitors I see several on there they look like radio shack type parts so I don't really know about testing them to see if they're failing could fail week or any of that but he will and then we'll go from there then it'll take me another 4 or 5 months to take the dash apart again to put it in because it's just not a big deal It goes out for four or 5 hours at a time during the day and then it comes back on after that and then it may not go off again for a month It seems also how I push the button. If I get in the car and hit the button too fast sometimes the display won't light up but the car is on ready to drive or reverse I hit the button quickly again to turn it all off nothing on and then I more slowly press the brake leisurely hit the button. And Wella display is on so it really has never come to do much of a problem inspection here is just honking horn and turn signal type things no emissions orange lights can be on on the dash all of that thank God
     
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  11. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Disconnecting the 12v battery should do it.
     
  12. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    On mine it used to that worked for about a month or so and then resetting that wouldn't put the display on but would always wipe out my traveled miles and my tripodometer what I learned to do is just leave it alone in in a couple stops from now the light will be back on everything will be working normally so I just continue on my route stop at the store go to the next call forget all about the car do what I do when I come back out and I start the car Wella there's the display My gas gauge dots are right where they should be for my amount of traveling I've done I look there I see that I look at my trip because I haven't disconnected the 12 volt my trip is what it was when the display went out two hours ago or whatever it was and I've gone four stops about 8 mi so I mentally add that to the $239 on the display and I go to about 4:49 and gas up mileage and this just goes on forever so when the display goes on no worries and it's great when it goes off at night because then I have no lights on on the dash in the car and can see out the car wonderfully but the alas I don't do many calls at night
     
  13. Gwyneth

    Gwyneth Junior Member

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    Yes, I know one. My combo meter has been hinky for a couple of years, and it doesn't work more often than it does these days. Here's an easy, foolproof way to turn off the car (providing you have an SKS):

    1. Make sure that your emergency brake is on. (I just discovered last night that this is necessary.)

    2. At around the bottom of the steering wheel column, you'll see a little button that controls the SKS (smart key system). Push that button in. Now your smart key is disabled.

    3. Put your fob into the slot that it goes into on the dashboard.

    4. Press the Start button. You may have to hold it in for a few moments longer than you'd expect, but eventually you'll hear a noise (a click?) indicating that something has happened.

    5. The MFD will still be lit. No worries. Just pull the fob out, and the car will shut down.

    6. Don't forget to press the SKS button again (it'll pop out), so that your smart key will work the next time you go to use the car.

    And there you go!
     
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  14. Frontporch

    Frontporch Member

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    Thanks to everyone for their responses. It’s cool that everyone has found a way to live with this. After watching a few more videos I ordered some surface mount capacitors and will attempt to fix the meter

    Even though most likely only one is bad I ordered all three (actually two of each) from digi-key for under $11 shipped

    for the entire operation looks like you need a Philips head screw driver and a soldering iron and solder
     
  15. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yep you're on the right track absolutely and I haven't had to push my SKS button or do anything to shut the car off when I pull up and I hit the button and the car doesn't shut off I leave my feet doing nothing and I hold the start button until the car shuts off It may take 18 seconds and then if it doesn't in the MFD is still displaying and I just hold the button again sometimes I have to push it twice in succession after it supposed to shut off and the button holding didn't work I just hit the button again the car goes blank black dead can't be put in gear can't be nothing and then usually when I come back out from the stop that I just did this on the display comes back on or two or three stops during the day and the displays right back on and if I haven't done anything to the battery and played the games my mileage will come back but not show the last three stops so the mileage comes back where the car display stopped working You know this by looking at the MFD when you're displays not on and you're not seeing gas mileage and you're not seeing miles traveled on your MFD because you can't see your regular heads up.