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Prius won’t start after charging

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Lura Jackson, Apr 7, 2020.

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  1. Lura Jackson

    Lura Jackson New Member

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    2008 Prius
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    ----USA----
    Hello!

    After leaving our 2008 Prius off for two weeks (and inadvertently leaving the rear hatch slightly open due to a tarp stuck in the opening), we charged the 12 volt with a battery charger (which indicated that the battery was holding a charge, and that it had charged fully).

    When attempting to start it, however, the engine doesn’t engage. The computer console and all indicators start (and it shows the hybrid battery at 3/4 of a charge). There is a single clicking noise from the rear battery when I press the power button in.

    Any suggestions? We haven’t had any issues with it previously other than the key remote suddenly not working last time we used it (two weeks ago; it had been dormant for two weeks prior as well).

    Thank you in advance!
     
    #1 Lura Jackson, Apr 7, 2020
  2. George W

    George W Active Member

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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
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    Welcome to Priuschat. I would pull your 12 volt battery and have it load-tested at the local auto parts store. You may have a bad cell.
     
    #2 George W, Apr 7, 2020
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Lura,

    I'm guessing after 2 weeks, the 12v was completely drained. The prius 12v is an AGM style battery should be charged not exceeding ~4 amps. This typically takes a full 24 hours for a full charge. Most home chargers are the type used for regular "wet" lead acid batteries and charge at an initial rate ~16 amps. This can damage the Prius AGM style battery.

    Did anyone touch anything else, at all, other than the 12v battery?
     
    #3 TMR-JWAP, Apr 7, 2020
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    ... tried a jump start, for example?
     
    #4 dolj, Apr 8, 2020
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you don't have a second vehicle available, one of these might be worthwhile, save the cost of cab and removal:



    (above amazon link will likely require ad block turn off)

    A good first (and cheapest) step would be to just check the voltage with a digital multimeter ($20~). If it's at-rest voltage is under 12.0 it's debatable if it's even worth charging. Under 11.0 I definitely wouldn't bother, just replace.

    How old is the battery btw?
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Apr 8, 2020
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