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What happened to my Prius??

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PriusTick, Feb 26, 2011.

  1. PriusTick

    PriusTick New Member

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    Hi All,
    I have run my 2007 Prius car for 3 years without a -single- issue. I drive it every day and I am pretty good with maintenance.

    Last night I went to start the car and the LCD display started to act funky and no start. Tried, tried, just dead. The interior lights were weak.

    Today, no display at all, and the interior lights won't come on at all.

    I tried jump starting the car - nothing happened!

    I am sure the car had plenty of gas, but I put in 2 more gallons anyway. Dead as a doornail.

    Do I replace the 12V?
     
    #1 PriusTick, Feb 26, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes. It sounds like the 12V battery is close to dead since you say the interior lights are weak.

    Also, there probably is something wrong with your jumpstart process. Perhaps the jump cables are faulty, or perhaps the donor battery has insufficient power.

    When you hook up good jump cables to a strong donor battery, then when you open a door to your Prius, the interior cabin lights should appear bright, and the Prius should become READY when you try to start it.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Feb 26, 2011
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  3. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    Yes.
     
    #3 Rae Vynn, Feb 26, 2011
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  4. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    Your 12V is toast! Hal
     
    #4 Hal W, Feb 26, 2011
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  5. PriusTick

    PriusTick New Member

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    Thank you for the responses. Apparently I have to wait until Monday, the batteries are only sold at dealers (In Texas, dealerships are closed on Sundays). I see better batteries online, but I just don't have the patience to wait.

    I will try jump starting again tomorrow with a different setup just to make sure.

    Thank you again.
     
    #5 PriusTick, Feb 26, 2011
  6. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    I really hope your jumpstart process was good. It's amazing how often we get stories here of people who's only problem is a flat 12V battery but because of a miss attempt to jump start it they end up with major issues.

    Hopefully your jump start only failed because the 12V battery was so bad that it wouldn't let the voltage rise enough to boot. That situation would be pretty rare though.
     
    #6 uart, Feb 27, 2011
  7. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    If the 12V battery failed in such a way as to prevent a jumpstart (that is, an internal short) you can remove the 12V battery and then jump start the car. Once started the 12V battery is not needed. Of course having done this you would then drive straight to a dealer and not shut off the car until immediately before installing the new battery.

    As with every other modern car make damn sure that you have the polarity correct when jumping. If the polarity is wrong it will need a tow to a dealer, and if you're lucky the only damage would be a blown fuse.
     
    #7 richard schumacher, Feb 27, 2011
  8. PriusTick

    PriusTick New Member

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    I am positive (no pun intended) that I attempted the jump correctly. I have jump started multiple times on other cars and I looked through the forum to see the differences in setup on a Prius. I bought a new jumper cable as the previous one did look a little cheap and I will try again tomorrow.

    If it doesn't start, I will remove the battery and try again.
    Thanks all.

     
    #8 PriusTick, Feb 28, 2011
  9. Kutanks

    Kutanks Member

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    time for a new battery, personally i think its really stupid of toyota to hav made the battery so small, i know it doesn't need to be that big but i get shitty mpg because i chill in my car all the time. I have to leave the engine in ready mode or the battery will run down. How much weight savings did they really achieve anyways?
     
    #9 Kutanks, Feb 28, 2011
  10. PriusTick

    PriusTick New Member

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    Ok, one more question. How do I get into the trunk if all the electronic key stuff is broken!?!?
     
    #10 PriusTick, Feb 28, 2011
  11. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    Crawl into the back and remove the spare tire cover and where the lock is in the hatch you will find a a rod to pull too release the hatch. I would connect power to the front [jump start connection]and use the fob, Hal
     
    #11 Hal W, Feb 28, 2011
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