1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

the car was working great in AM and bricked in PM. please help!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by jack black, Jan 8, 2021.

  1. jack black

    jack black Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2018
    225
    142
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    I got out of work and the car was completely dead. not responding to the wireless fob whatsoever. i opened it using the manual key and nothing. no cabin light, no green power button light when pressing brakes. my son came to rescue me. i connected the booster cable myself making sure no reversed polarity. nothing, no spark, not cabin light inside, no response to brake or power button. we waited quite a while with the cable connected and his car running waiting for a miracle that didn't happen.

    at the same time, i know i left no light on, and there is no reason the battery drained by itself. i'm thinking it's some major but random electrical fault. the battery was replaced 2 years ago, because the OEM was getting old (8 years) but still good.

    tomorrow, i'll bring the old good battery to swap. and i'll check all the fuses. it was too cold and too dark to do it today. any other ideas before i give up and tow it somewhere?

    for the record, it's 2010 with near 126,000 miles. it's was a super reliable car and never gave me a problem till now when it seems bricked in a big way.

    Thanks for listening!
     
  2. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2016
    1,057
    789
    0
    Location:
    Washington State, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    To clarify, did you connect the booster cable at the jump points under the hood or the battery in the back? It would be useful to know the voltage reading at the front jump points, if you are able to get hold of a multi-meter. That would also be useful for checking all the fuses, as you have said you will do.
     
    jack black likes this.
  3. jack black

    jack black Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2018
    225
    142
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Thanks Dave! I tried to jump at the post, as the hatch was locked. I'll unlock it tomorrow and I'll bring a multimeter too.
     
    davecook89t likes this.
  4. jack black

    jack black Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2018
    225
    142
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    update: i revived it this morning. i came well prepared with a bunch of tools, a charged spare battery, multimeters, cables, and info how to take the fuse box apart in case a hidden fusable link is dead: Reverse Polarity Jump Start - Gen3 Prius wont Start | PriusChat

    the car surprised me. i expected it completely dead, but it opened with the wireless fob. i opened the hood and checked the voltage. it was 12.0V, completely discharged, but not completely dead. i attempted to start it, but it produced only dashboard lights and no ready. then i looked at the battery itself and measured the voltage at the posts. 12.0V again. but i noticed a loose nut. the one on connecting positive wire. i finger tightened it and the car started and went to ready with no problem. i made sure not to turn it off and took it back home. after running it for about 30 minutes, the battery is at 12.6V, not fully charged and i put it on a charger.

    i suspect the problem was an intermittent connection at the battery and it never fully charged. last night the connection was totally gone and hence the car was completely dead. it doesn't explain why i could not get it jump start with several different attempts. before my son came, i got a security guy with a portable jumper (of course i connected the leads myself), but i assumed that thing was faulty. when i couldn't jump it with my son connecting it to his car, that made me think a lot. i need to check if his jumper cable is operational and if the crocodile teeth are working only one sided. last night, i completely forgot about it as a possibility.

    when the battery is fully charged, i'll load test it and report back.
     
    #4 jack black, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
    davecook89t and jerrymildred like this.
  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2018
    5,834
    3,136
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Why was the nut loose? Though it should not really matter. The terminal usually fits
    snug on the post.
    Maybe it was loose enough and caused enough resistance that it wasn't charging the battery enough.
    Since the battery is only 2 years out, a complete charge should bring it back to life.
    Then you should remove the terminals clean the posts and terminals to make sure they are all
    clean and free of any corrosion. And of course make sure the bolts are tight. :)
    You may want to check where the ground cable connects to the frame and remove and clean it.

    After all that, hopefully you have resolved the poroblem. :)
     
    #5 ASRDogman, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
    jack black likes this.
  6. jack black

    jack black Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2018
    225
    142
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    yeah, the loose nut surprised me. it was tight for sure when i put the new battery in over 2 years ago. maybe it wasn't tight enough? i didn't know what torque was needed for that. BTW, the battery tested OK on the analog load charger. exactly the same as it did when new (i keep notes on batteries on my cars).

    thank you both for the support!

    The whole thing illustrates the design flaws in this generation of prius. if you put the battery in the trunk, you need a manual release cable for the trunk and not just an electric lock. then the jumping post under the hood should be 2 sides metal. i suspect the reversed jumping accidents may happen when people connect the leads correctly, nothing happens, and then they get confused and reverse the leads. pure speculation, but makes you think. i thought i was mechanically savvy, but yet i got confused by the whole thing. YMMV
     
    #6 jack black, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
    ASRDogman likes this.
  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Loose terminals happen. A few months ago, I was going to follow a friend to the car rental place to bring him back to my house for his airport ride. He stopped at our house for breakfast and when he tried to start the car to head over to the rental place, it was dead. I grabbed my battery boost pack and when I clamped the negative to his negative terminal, the clamp spun freely. I thought, "Well there's your problem right there!" After tightening it, I clamped onto it again. And then guess what. Show 'nuff! The positive clamp was a spinner, too. The day before, he had driven the car over to Disney World & back with no problem. While there, he proposed to his fiancée, who did say, "Yes," if you're wondering. Loose terminals might have taken a lot of the shine off of that day for them.
     
    #7 jerrymildred, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
    ASRDogman and jack black like this.
  8. jack black

    jack black Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2018
    225
    142
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    i just tested my son's jump cable. sure enough, it conducts electricity only on one side of the teeth.
     
    jerrymildred and davecook89t like this.
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,064
    14,970
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Your choice of words didn't leave much to wonder about. :)

    Ten, twenty years ago I might have wondered about the number of 'e's, but this is 2021....
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Nice catch!! I went back and fixed it. Glad you noticed before the edit time expired. It wasn't a choice. It just auto completed as I typed and I went with right on typing. I'm so straight I didn't even know there was another word. :ROFLMAO:
     
  11. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,103
    4,032
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    o_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_Oo_O
     
  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Nope. No cable. Just a lever. :D
    Screen Shot 2021-01-09 at 9.02.30 PM.png
     
    ASRDogman likes this.
  13. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,064
    14,970
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Hmm, glad nobody thinks I know there's another word!

    Wait....
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  14. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Well, now we both know. But let's not tell anyone. :sneaky: :whistle: