2004 Prius Won't Turn On

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Has the vehicle actually been sitting for three (3) years?

How old is the 12v battery?

Did you also check the dome fuse?

 

If the smaller 12v battery in the rear passenger corner of the vehicle is 6 years old, it would be time to replace it.

Do you have a multi-meter or a voltmeter for testing your used 12v battery?

You could also remove the 12v battery and take it into a local auto parts store, most will test and charge for free.

If you are thinking about picking up a tickle charger, it should be AGM compatible and have an output of four (4) amps or less.

 

why would you not test the battery first, before going to all kinds of more difficult testing?

 

Forest amongst the trees.

 

The car won't start, and even with the jumpers hooked up and power flowing, no hood light nor interior lights come on.

I'm going with the assumption you have 12v at the underhood jump point, so you may want to verify that.

With the car completely off, and you have your charger connected to the underhood jump point is the red flashing key visible on the dash? If you open the driver door, does the door ajar light come on?

If the answer is yes, then check the AM2 fuse again. It's the second 15A fuse from the top on the driverside of the underhood fuse box.
If the answer is no, then it's likley the dome fuse is smoked.

If it ends up being the AM2 fuse, then you've likely experienced an inverter cooling water pump failure, which blows that fuse about 50% of the time. Disconnect the pump before you replace the fuse or it will probably just blow again.

 

Following on from TMR-JWAP's excellent post, when checking fuses, don't just look at them to decide if they're good or not. Use a DMM (digital (or can be analog) multimeter) on the resistance (Ω) setting; use this to check for continuity. This same meter, set to the 20 VDC scale, will be handy to check voltage at various places, including at the jump point in the front and at the actual battery in the back.

Here are some pictures:

This is the AM2 fuse:


This is the connector to disconnect to isolate the inverter cooling water pump (ICWP):


This is where the ICWP is located.


All the best.

 

There has been times where I had to replace the fuse panel. Because the main fuse burned out or the whole unit burned out.

 

What....? Are you saying you've had to replace the entire underhood fuse box multiple times?

If that's correct, you have a serious situation going on with your car(s). What kind of situation/symptoms were you experiencing?

 

Not for my own car but for cars I fixed for customers. Sometimes the fusible link burns out or gets damaged possibly somehow related to the AM2 Fuse. Usually when the fusible link burns out it’s easy just to swap out the fuse panel

 

That is usually due to a reversed (or otherwise incorrect) jump procedure and doesn't usually require the replacement of the entire fuse box and board, just replacement of the fusible link.

 

If you can't test the 12v battery yourself, then take it to NAPA and hopefully they will be able to test it for you.

Which part of Alaska are you in or near?

How will you get to NAPA if not driving the Prius?

The AM2 fuse would cost less than a new battery.

 

When you previously connected a jump to the car, where did you connect it? To the battery or to the underhood jump point in the fusebox? Connect a jump pack or other 12v source to the underhood jump point. That should allow you to open the trunk.

 

You can open the trunk from the inside, though it involves folding the backseats down and removing some stuff to get at the lever.