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2004 Prius won't start

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by kyprius, Feb 10, 2014.

  1. kyprius

    kyprius New Member

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    I'm beginning to have trouble with my prius starting after hitting the button. The red triangle comes on and it will only go to park or neutral, I can't get the car to go off after pressing the start button,...after a few minutes it does something then I'm able to drive .. I've had this happen probably 3-4 times in the last 6 mths...with one being today. My husband drove this car off the lot brand new ...he recently purchased another one used. I am now driving his old one.. he never had that problem... as of right now the car has 356,000 miles on it.. I'm guessing from some of the post I'm reading it might be the 12v battery?? anyone have any suggestions or ideas of what it might be? I'd like to drive this one for awhile, since, I put about maybe 300miles a week on it compared to his 1-2,000 /week we were hoping this car might last at least till the other is paid off.... thanks!
     
    #1 kyprius, Feb 10, 2014
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    That is an excellent place to start. How old is that battery?
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Feb 10, 2014
  3. kyprius

    kyprius New Member

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    we've had the car since 2004...that battery has never been replaced.
     
    #3 kyprius, Feb 10, 2014
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Then I suggest you start by replacing the 12V battery. Hopefully the no-start symptoms will go away, if not then you'll have to dig deeper.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Feb 10, 2014
  5. PriusGuy32

    PriusGuy32 Prius Driver Extraordinaire

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    10 years on an original 12v battery with 350,000 miles?? Well played. (y)
     
    #5 PriusGuy32, Feb 10, 2014
  6. kyprius

    kyprius New Member

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    how long do those batteries usually make it? My husband always kept it up.. kept oil changes, tire changes ect... so, does it sound like that's my problem t hen? if it is the battery, does it have to come from Toyota? how much are they do you know?
     
    #6 kyprius, Feb 10, 2014
  7. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Well played indeed. 7 years is about the last gasp, so you have been on borrowed time.
     
    #7 nh7o, Feb 10, 2014
    kyprius and PriusGuy32 like this.
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The 12V battery could come from a Toyota dealer parts department and will likely be priced ~$200. Or you could try to buy the equivalent Optima which will be priced in the same range. Exide also makes a suitable replacement.

    There are plenty of posts about these choices.

    The reason that the 12V battery lasted so long was because of the high annual mileage logged by your husband.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Feb 10, 2014
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    we got 8 years out of our '04 battery, but only 95,000 miles. is this a put on?:cool:
     
    #9 bisco, Feb 10, 2014
    kenoarto likes this.
  10. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    Where in KY are you located?
     
    #10 usnavystgc, Feb 10, 2014
  11. kyprius

    kyprius New Member

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    Thanks so much for your input.. yes, the mileage is for real... when it hit 300,000 the odometer quit! Toyota replaced the odometer...so far we've had great luck with this car,thats why we purchased another one. We've had no major problems with it at all.. My husband had a camry prior to this ,it had like 250,000 miles on it. He drives a lot of miles for his job so, we felt this is the perfect car for him...:) .. we are in Eastern Ky.
     
    #11 kyprius, Feb 10, 2014
    usnavystgc likes this.
  12. ebkbk

    ebkbk New Member

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    i purchased the exide for $119 and another $20 off via mail in rebate. so $99 and you can take it in any time in the first 4 years and get a new one at Baxter's
     
    #12 ebkbk, Feb 10, 2014
    kyprius likes this.
  13. Catherine.Kaitaia

    Catherine.Kaitaia New Member

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    I'm having what sounds like the exact same problem. Sometimes I can get the car into gear, and sometimes not - so the really frustrating thing is the irregularity and uncertainty of the situation, but over on the "common problems page" Common 2G Problems, and What to Do About Them... | PriusChat says that the issue "May be intermittent initially", indicating that the problem begins as an "on again, off again" problem, but progressively worsens till my car doesn't start at all. So I guess I'll look for a new battery too. Thanks everyone. :)
     
    #13 Catherine.Kaitaia, Oct 30, 2016
    bisco likes this.
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best!(y)
     
    #14 bisco, Oct 30, 2016
  15. Pubrica

    Pubrica Junior Member

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    #15 Pubrica, Nov 1, 2016
  16. Pubrica

    Pubrica Junior Member

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    Well, mistakenly posted above,
    Here goes on, this one is not relate to your problem maybe but try to check the one of relay on fuse box in the engine compartment (driver side). P. control MTR relay (gray body color p/# 90987-02025). open circuit momentaly or and test ohm on between small terminals, it should have 167 Ohm (62 F) for good and bad one had more than this spec means open circuit in coil. May need soldered and keep it as spare.
    Or, just base of relay connection wasn't good.
     
    #16 Pubrica, Nov 1, 2016
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