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2010 Prius with less than 60K miles won't start. Panel is black

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by rosemaryc, Feb 26, 2017.

  1. rosemaryc

    rosemaryc Junior Member

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    2010 Prius with 56K miles won't start. Panel remains black
     
  2. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    Do you have a 12V battery tender? Try charging the battery. There are some places that will charge it for free. If it's the original the auxiliary 12V batt it's probably out to lunch.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you have or know someone with a digital multimeter: measure the 12 volt battery voltage, either directly at the battery (under the hatch floor, on the passenger side), or at the jump start point under the hood. See page 543 of Owner's Manual for more info on the jump start point, here's a screen shot:

    upload_2017-2-26_9-5-14.png

    You connect the meter's positive (red) probe to the jump start point, and negative (black) probe to any major, bare-metal bolt. Bare-metal of the engine is also good.

    A battery in good condition will typically read above 12.5 volts. A near-dead battery will read around 12.0 volts, or lower. If the battery's never been changed, it's likely time. The simplest route would be through the dealership, though they'll likely be a bit more expensive.

    If the battery is near-dead and you need to replace, you can jump-start and drive to dealership or other battery retailer. Just be careful: don't reverse the leads. Here's the hook up procedure for jump start cables (page 544):

    upload_2017-2-26_9-11-59.png
     
  4. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    First, if you are not competent or feel you are not competent at boosting have someone do it who may be. DO ensure the polarity is correct. The positive goes to the boost point (it is often indicated by a "+" sign or red colour). The negative goes to the chassis (any bare metal connected to the car body). Negative is often indicated by a "-" sign or black colour). It can be very expensive if you get the polarity wrong on a Prius.

    If you jump start from another car, have them shut off the engine. The Prius doesn't crank the engine with its' 12V battery, all it does is start up the computers, a lowish current draw. Having the boosting vehicle engine not running means there is less likelihood of a voltage spike, which could damage either car.

    Note that it's important that the negative cable be connected -last- and not directly to the battery of the boosting vehicle as per the instructions above.

    This is to ensure that any spark generated from the connection will NOT ignite the H2 O2 gas mixture in the boosting vehicle battery. If a spark were to occur at the battery terminal, there is a small chance it could cause the battery to explode, and that would ruin your whole day. ;)

    More info. that you really didn't want to know, but might one day be useful. You can use another vehicle to boost a Prius. NEVER use a Prius to boost another vehicle. The Prius battery is not designed to crank an engine! Some damage to the battery chemistry would occur if you boosted another vehicle from a Prius (unless, of course, that other vehicle IS a Prius, in which case it's fine).
    To boost a Prius you can use a portable boost device (available at auto parts stores/departments), and you can use just about any 12V battery that can supply a smallish current for a few seconds. I've used a gel cell 12 V "alarm battery".
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I jumpstarted a Nissan Maxima many times with a Honda Civic Hybrid, which has a similar anemic 12 volt battery. Before I knew better. Yeah I know, not a good idea, and I eventually smartened up and that need prompted me to look into and purchase a good jump pack. But: while it's not good practice, I wouldn't say it's a foregone conclusion: jump with a prius will toast the battery. Say if it was do or die.
     
  6. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    As I recall the Honda Hybrid uses the 12V to start the vehicle. If so, it has a battery designed for that. The Prius battery is not designed for the high current discharge needed for starting.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The Civic Hybrid normally uses the big battery and hybrid components to start the car. It does have a traditional starter in there, which is used in bitter cold conditions, and/or if the hybrid battery is near-death. Ours actually used it once or twice, just before the hybrid battery threw a code.

    Yeah, could be it has a bit more capacity, I'm not going to chase the specs. The Prius and Civic battery are physically about the same size, fwiw. But I wouldn't say if you were to do a traditional jumpstart with the Prius that it's a foregone conclusion, that you'll damage the battery. But I agree, not good practice.