What to do with 2002 Prius that needs too much work?

@ammdb If I understand you correctly, once the Prius is started it can run without being connected to the 12v battery? If so, I never knew that! Not that I would do it, but that means there's an option to drive it once one way.

@JohnPrius3005 I have been getting their number first, info about whether they're a DIY or recycler, name, then I have them text me and continue contact that way. Thanks for the tips on batteries etc. I looked at the MightyMax and the terminals don't match, so getting one of those seems to involve the same thing as taking a 12v out of another car temporarily and hooking it up with jumper cables. I think the important thing for now is that it does run, so it might be more attractive to a buyer. My sentimental enthusiasm from yesterday is wearing off... Good advice on the title etc. I am going to make a buyer fill in their section on signing over the title, make them fill out a bill of sale, and get a photo of their drivers license. Meanwhile I'll expand my marketing efforts and call the shops I've dealt with in the past for leads, etc.

Quick question - is there any market for the doughnut spare? That's easy to pull out but I don't want it sitting in my garage for the next decade either.

 

Tried it, no, the Prius does not keep running when I disconnect the jumper cables. I must have misunderstood what @ammdb said.

After running for a few minutes I got the red triangle and red car with exclamation! icon. Shut it off, disconnected jumpers, reconnected, started again, same thing after a few minutes. One symptom noteworthy is that when I start it, it hesitates for a few seconds with nothing happening, then lurches on with a beep of the horn and the wipers twitch. When I sit in it while running, it seems to lurch slightly forward and back. I put the emergency brake on just in case! Oh well, it's not worth diagnosing these things, the car is toast anyway as far as this owner. Really wanted to get to 300k but maybe next time.

 

Thanks, hopefully that's useful info for someone. Looks like a lot of hassle to replace the 100A just to find out what else is wrong with the car, again. Is there another way that fuse (and in my case three others) could get blown besides crossing the jumper cables? I didn't think I was that dumb, but let's ask my wife.

 

I do have a voltmeter somewhere. I'll see if I can check this tomorrow. I suppose it's useful info to give a potential DIY. I doubt if a recycler cares if a fuse is blown.

 

I did the voltmeter thing as above. At Subaru, off, Subaru battery is 12.48v. Connected jumpers to Prius cables, at Prius cables bouncing around 12.2v. Prius on - 10.86v at Prius cables and 11.86v at Subaru. (Subaru was off the whole time). Would there be any physical evidence that the 100A is blown? If somebody puts a new 12v in there and drives away, I assume it will suck down the 12v and possibly die.

By the way, it started twice and died shortly after. Third time it ran long enough to measure and kept running maybe 5 minutes until I shut it off.

 

Looks blown to me due to the dark gap; if not let me know. Thanks.

 

I looked at the steps in the link you posted and watched some of a video (a different Toyota but looked like similar steps). I'm pretty handy with small projects but to me this looks like bloody knuckles, a lot of swearing, torn hamstrings, and a bolt or two lost somewhere in the bowels. And then whatever blew the 100A will just blow it again. @JohnPrius3005 sure it might give someone "hope" but the other issues still remain - HV battery throwing P3006 and P3009, and cat throwing P0420. I do have a guy interested who has one wrecked from front end collision but it has a relatively new HV battery etc, so he could swap that and the rear end subframe etc onto this one. I have a feeling he's going to disappear though - he's 30 miles away and thinks he can drive it that far.

 

I'm sure you're all holding your breath for an update. The DIY guy finally showed up Sunday around 5pm after I hung around pretty much all day waiting to hear from him, he spent an hour going blah blah blah, we shook on a deal and he said he'd be back Monday for it, he never showed (excuses), said he'd be here Thursday (today) between 2-3pm, I planned my day around that, not a word from him, finally I called him at 3:30, he was going to rig up a battery with jumper cables but he doesn't have jumper cables (plus more excuses), so he'll get those and more blah blah blah he won't be here until 5:30 at least. I mean, the guy has had four days to get jumper cables! And then what? He's going to replace the 100A fuse, which I'm pretty sure he's never done before, and get it out of here before dark? Not a chance. I say forget it.

Then this other guy who would give me $500 for it, suddenly that's if I drive it to his shop. If he has to tow it, $450 now. The guy had gone on and on about how for $500 he wouldn't easily be able to turn his trailer around on my road, and how he wouldn't be able to put it in neutral if it wouldn't start, and more blah blah, so I got another 12v battery charged up, proved that I could drive it back and forth in my driveway, and I told him I'd drive it down to a large parking area nearby where he could do doughnuts with his trailer to his heart's content. But no, hooking up his trailer is such a hassle, it's still $450.

After all this jerking around over a few hundred dollars, I think I'll just donate it to NPR or Habitat. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

Goodbye Moonbeam. What a great car. 21+ years, 295k miles, lots of memories. Road trips all over the west. Two kids in baby seats all the way to driving it as their first cars. Hope it can live on as an organ donor. Here's to you, Moonbeam.