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Help, nothing works in my prius :/

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by gtnotes, Mar 14, 2024.

  1. gtnotes

    gtnotes New Member

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    I have a Prius Prime that I haven't driven very much yet. Due to work, I sometimes need to take 1 month trips. Last time I did this, I left, came back, and power and gas were still at full level and the car had no issues. This time I left came back and nothing is responding in the car. No lights turn on and pressing the power button does nothing. (Thankfully I left it unlocked.) I tried charging it and nothing happens. I got someone to come and help my jump start it and he told me the battery is fine. Any tips on how to troubleshoot this? Has anyone come across this before?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    I wouldn’t trust that analysis. Take it to auto zone for a free load test
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    While there pick up a cheap multimeter too. Checking the voltage is not the whole picture, but it'll give you some idea. Good for checking continuity too, say if your battery's good but there's a break in the wires somewhere.
     
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Charging the traction battery does nothing to charge the 12v battery. A dead 12v battery is what causes the car to go unresponsive like this.

    Lots of modern cars cannot handle sitting a few weeks without some kind of supplementary 12v charging.

    Some people solve this by getting a neighbor to start the car every now and then. Others solve it by disconnecting the 12v when they leave for trips, and reconnecting it upon return. This prevents the car from running the battery down at the cost of losing clock & saved preferences each time.

    Still others use little top-up chargers to maintain the 12v. You can get mains and solar powered ones for different parking situations.
     
  5. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

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    You can't leave a car for a month and expect the 12v battery to be charged. You should invest in a trickle charger/battery maintainer. How old is your battery? Did you fully charge your battery? Jump starts won't do it. You probably need a new battery.
     
  6. sylvaing

    sylvaing Active Member

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    My parents live in a large senior residence (about 900 residents). I noticed that many cars there are plugged (and they are not EV or PHEV). Didn't realize until recently that they are probably plugged to maintain the 12V battery as many do not move very often.
     
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  7. Mr.Vanvandenburg

    Mr.Vanvandenburg Senior Member

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    Many people with many car brands have this problem. To keep an eye on the battery while around the car, an easy way is with a battery monitor. Available on Amazon or other stores.
    If traveling get a battery charger maintainer, like a 4 amp.
     
  8. sylvaing

    sylvaing Active Member

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    That's the one I bought. Works very well. It's current on sale with $5 off (plus the $8 coupon).

    https://a.co/d/hpruS2P

    I don't have an issue with my battery. I bought it to check how and when the 12V battery is charged. Now that this is done, I'll move it to my boat to make sure the bilge pump doesn't drain the battery when the boat is uncovered (so it needs to drain the water from the boat when it rains) during the summer months.
     
  9. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Yep, modern Prius are notorious for drawing on the 12-volt battery while the vehicle is parked. (From the passive electronic smart key system to the fuel evaporation system).
    We've found if we don't drive the car at least once a week a battery test will say to charge the 12-volt because it's low.
    If you can't put a trickle charger on her when parked, I'd just disconnect the negative battery terminal.
     
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  10. sylvaing

    sylvaing Active Member

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    Well next fall we're going on a trip for three weeks so I'll make sure to bring a battery tender from the cottage before we leave so I can keep the 12V battery happy. Thanks for the warning.