System Failure - dealership unable to find

Hi Lightsinger,

There is an accurate voltmeter built into the Prius. If you go off to R.S.'s link, there are details there of of how to access it.

 

Then you're in luck :_> At the next opportunity try using the test described at the link above.

Ehh, actually, don't bother. The battery is five years old. It's dead from accelerated aging in the murderous Arizona heat. Replace it.

 

That's really good to hear

 

Glad the OP had a happy ending to her story.

The only thing I don't get is why some service depts seem to be very slow to recommend 12V battery replacement. Collective group experience here points to that being the first (rather than the last) action to take.

 

After getting gas my 06 Prius would not restart. Total system failure. Upon several tries the dashlights blinked, flickered then all went out but the check engine light. All systems dead, not even the power locks would work. I couldn't even get enough power to put it in neutral to roll it away from the pumps. While waiting for a tow truck a horrific sulfur smell from the rear end of the car slowly started to fill the car. I've aired the car out this morning and was able to visibly look at the 12v battery pack. Nothing visible like a leak etc.

I know a catalytic converter can smell like rotten eggs, but last night this was like a few dozen rotten eggs. Previous symptoms: for years now the car hesitates upon acceleration turning sharply to the right. One stealership in San Antonio could replicate the problem but couldn't offer any solutions, (but charged for their time of course). Lately since they lasted "serviced it" it idled rough 1x for a few seconds, and once I noticed the "50Wh Regenerated" light on the center monitor blinking, hesitation upon take off from stop signs and it actually backfired a couple of days ago. All weird symptoms for my sweet little ride.

I had it towed back to my apt last night and everyone is closed (Labor Day weekend) till Tuesday. I plan on replacing the O2 sensors while replacing the catalytic converter. Does anyone know if after replacing the catalytic converter if the system must be reset or something (given how it shut itself off last night)? Possible bad fuel from Walmart? I'm praying its not the battery, but symptoms do point to catalytic converter....

I now trust the Stealership as far as I could throw my Prius. And paying for a tow bill anywhere would just increase the financial pain. My friends and I are pretty handy, so like Ross Perot, "I'm all ears" for your suggestions. :0)

 

1. Replace the 12V battery first.

2. See what issues your car has after you have installed a new battery.

3. It is not clear that the catalytic converter or the air/fuel ratio sensor and oxygen sensor need to be replaced, unless the engine ECU has logged the appropriate DTC. Good luck.

 

0a. Check the 12V battery with your trusty voltmeter. (If it is the battery, it sounds so drained that the built-in test procedure can't be used.) If you're lucky the battery will be dead, and $200 or so to replace it will fix you up.
0b. What's the oil level in it now?

 

A good guide to 12v battery condition is if the dealer say's it is OK replace it.

The MFD display check on the battery is only really any good as a comparison measure. Check the reading with a new charged battery then use that as your base. I have now tested 5 different Prius with a calibrated DVM against the readings on the MFD's, all the MFD's under read the voltage by between .35v and .5v measured at the jump point.

This is such a big margin of error it could be the difference of, "a completely discharged battery or 75% charged" or "a 25% charged battery or fully charged battery."

 

Nice!

I would compare at the battery posts, you could should have a voltage drop at the jump terminals.

I wouldn't use the MFD to determine charge level. Those percentages are for open circuit voltage measured without a load on the battery. The fact that the same battery is powering the MFD as well as other systems would make the readings unreliable. Also, those only apply to a good battery. When we use the MFD to measure voltage we are actually performing a sort of load test as we are testing the the strength of the battery with the load(s) of accessory mode.

 

I am not using the voltage at the MFD as a charge level, I am pointing out how unreliable or inaccurate the MFD is.

The readings I took were comparisons between the two readings "MFD/DVM" at the same time in the same conditions. I understand if I took the measurements at the battery terminals the results would have marginally worse but under the minimal load of acc with everything possible turned off the voltage drop through the cable from the battery to the jump point "rated to carry at leased 125amps" would be less than most hand held DVM's could register. I was using a bench meter (calibrated) reading down to 4 decimal places.

This is why I stated the MFD should not be used in isolation as a reliable test of battery voltage.

 

Where is the ECU?

 

Why do you care?

If you're on the original 12 volt battery, it's almost certainly toast and in need of replacement. I replaced mine on my 06 over a year ago.

Run Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat and tell us the numbers at each step after the car has sat for many hours or overnight. If you can't even get it to "start", may as well tell us the numbers now. I suspect they're all going to be low.

Patrick Wong's one of our repair experts. I don't think you should throw money at replacing sensors or the cat unless you get a DTC w/diagnosis pointing that direction.

 

When I look up the cost of 12v batteries for the 06 Prius they are way more than $200, more like $1,200 for a rebuilt battery or $1,600 for a new one. And that's DIY, not from the dealer.Unless you all know of a resource for these batteries for less.... ?

The expensive price tag of the battery pack is why I didn't want to replace it first. The previous hesitations, backfiring etc, then sulfur smell right after system failure made me think of the cat. and maybe the system shut down due to the cat melting.

 

NO! $1200 and $1600 are NOT the prices of the 12 volt battery.

Many recommend Optima DS46B24R Optima battery direct fit replacement for Prius 2004 +. I replaced mine with Toyota Prius 12 Volt Auxiliary Battery with install kit for 2004 - 11 prior to the version w/the proper terminal sizes being available.

New 12v Battery, Part #28800-21171 | Page 3 | PriusChat has the price of the OEM 12 volt.

 

In the Prius, there's the large HV battery that spans almost the width of the car (see Hybrid Components) in a silver box that has a nominal voltage of >200 volts. That's expensive. That's also warranted for 8 years/100K miles in most states and 10 years/150K miles in CA and CARB states (there are at least 7-10 of those).

We're asking you to replace the 12 volt that's in the rear passenger side corner.

You might find the hybrid articles under AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICAL ARTICLES insightful. http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/Hybrid03.pdf mentions both batteries.

 

Wonderful. A small battery is something that is far more affordable to try. Appears to be a consensus. Will use all the links given - thank you! I'll check back for more suggestions, and will give the outcome of this saga.

 

New Optima 12v Yellow Top D51 battery with Pencil Posts | PriusChat was thread announcing its debut. It won't save you any $ over the Toyota OEM battery, but many feel it's a superior battery and that it tolerates deep discharges better.

 

As promised, I wanted to post the outcome of trying the new battery. I am PLEASED to say IT WORKED. I just did the happy dance in the parking lot. I even did a back flip (in my mind only).

I'm also happy to see that the computer did reset itself, so no need to take it to the dealer to reset anything after the total blackout of the entire dashboard lights etc. The new battery was the solution.

THANK YOU ALL!!! I was about to go the wrong direction and toss away money needlessly.

 

Awesome! Good to know!

Unfortunately, we're going to keep (and have been) seeing more and more of cases like this as the 12 volt batteries wear out and owners aren't familiar w/the symptoms on a Prius vs. cars w/a conventional starter motor.