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Won't start, weird noise and light show. is it possessed?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by primogong, Feb 5, 2017.

  1. primogong

    primogong New Member

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    This came out of the blue earlier today. No signs of anything wrong leading up to this. Walking up to the car, I unlock it fine, but when I try to start it nothing happens. Then it starts this weird noise that won't stop. It's coming from the driver side. It's loud inside the car but not deafening. Outside the car you can barely notice it. After about 30 minutes it started this light show. I'm completely lost. Anyone knows what it might be? I imagine it's electrical or battery because I have no power inside the car. I can't even lock it when I left it at the gym today.

    It happened twice. This afternoon when I left my apartment. It started up after about 10 minutes. It started back up fine a few times later. Then I went to the gym and it won't start back up.

    here are links to visuals of whats going on.


     
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Probably a bad battery
     
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  3. drysider

    drysider Active Member

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    The 12v one.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    can't hear anything, but agree. have you ever run down the 12v?
     
  5. primogong

    primogong New Member

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    thanks everyone. it didn't jump start last night so I ruled out the battery. it did jump start this morning so hopefully it is just the 12v battery gone bad. I'm going to get replaced today or tomorrow.
     
  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Welcome to the forum! I couldn't hear anything either. But I also suspect the 12v battery. I would test it before spending that much, though.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ This. At the least get a cheap digital multimeter, check the voltage. You can also use it to check your drawer full of random batteries.
     
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  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    No household should be without a multimeter. :D
     
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  9. primogong

    primogong New Member

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    update: replaced the battery yesterday and all is good in the world again. battery was dead and there was a stench of rotten egg. slipped in the new battery and everything was back up and running. thanks again for everyone's help.
     
  10. going red baby!

    going red baby! still a n00b

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    So, what's the best way to check the battery? I watched a youtube video and he left his headlights on for 2 minutes before checking his. Then the instructions on my multi-meter say to let the battery 'rest' for 24 hours after charging it. I'd like to test it sooner than that. It's been charging for 7 hours and is only a quarter charged, so if it's a day to charge it and a day to wait to test it that's a long time!
    Also, I read something about checking it right after you start it then again some other time, but can't remember what it was.
    And... my meter doesn't have clamps, it just has pointed ends. So do I need another person to do this? Does it have to be connected when the car is actually started?
    And while I'm asking a bunch of questions... this battery caused me to get the P Lock Malfunction message and after charging it I was able to start the car again. So do you think after getting it fully charged I can wait to get a battery on Monday? Or should I pay $40 more and get one tomorrow from Autozone? I hadn't driven the car for about 4 days when this problem happened, and lately I've only been driving a couple miles every 2-3 days since I'm working on a project at home.
    Thanks for any help!
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What's your charger? You want to be using a 4 amp range smart charger, that'll run through a charging regimen and give indication when the battery is fully charged.

    At that point a bolt meter will read high, the battery will maybe be around 13 volt. Just go for a good drive, check it after, at the jumpstart point.

    Then the next morning, go in through passenger door, pop the hood, check one more time. That last reading will be most indicative.
     
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  12. going red baby!

    going red baby! still a n00b

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    It's a BatteryMINDer 2 amp. It was recommended on here somewhere. It desulfates the battery too. It takes a long time to charge!

    Unfortunately, this is happening on street sweeping days so I have to move my car across the street for a couple hours too.

    So I check the meter while the car is off? Why do I go through the passenger door?
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Probably doesn't make a lot of difference, but going in through passenger door avoids activating the brake pressurizing systems, "waking" the car more. It's no big deal though: I'd suspect if you try all the various methods of "sneaking up" on the car you'll see precious little variation in the voltage readings.

    Still: volts is just the tip of the iceberg. A reading of the battery's health, by load testing, either DIY with something like the Solar BA5, or a pro level equivalent, will give a better idea. Battery retailers should have pro level testers, freely available. Toyota dealerships too, though the latter may cost a bit.

    Bottom line too: the older the battery, the more it makes sense to just replace, say every 4~5 years.
     
    #13 Mendel Leisk, Feb 9, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2017