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2001 Prius honks and windshield wipers twitch when starting

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by romanlutsk, Jun 2, 2020.

  1. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    2002 Prius
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    N/A
    I wonder if anyone has come across something similar.

    When I turn the ignition key to ON position, nothing happens (no lights on the dashboard, etc). When I turn it all the way to IGNITION, the Prius gives a quick honk and the windshield wipers twitch.

    The engine starts, but the MFD shows various error messages (a symbol of a car with an exclamation mark, etc).

    The Techstream pulls P3108, P3109, B1100 codes.

    The car had a dead 12v battery, blown AM2 fuse and had to be towed (the towing company had to push the button on the steering column to disable the parking lock, I wonder if that had anything to do with it).

    I've put a good 12v battery and tried resetting the immobilizer (second post on 2003 Prius Won't Start after 12v Replacement | PriusChat ) several times, but the error persists.

    Any ideas/comments?

    Thank you!
     
    #1 romanlutsk, Jun 2, 2020
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I'm wildly speculating, but this sounds to me like maybe the Body ECU isn't getting power through its normal supply connections, and maybe getting some backfed power from the 'start' circuit when you turn the key that far.

    I might double check for an overlooked fuse somewhere, or get upside down with a multimeter and check the power source terminals of the ECU (the wiring diagram will show which terminals they are).

    Gen 1 had the ability to blink trouble codes on the dash from the Body ECU as well as from the brakes, airbags, etc. Body ECU codes blink on the 'door' light.

    I remember reading in the manual they even programmed it so if it knows it can't talk to the combination meter for whatever reason to blink the 'door' light, it will blink them on the dome light instead. :)

    So if you get the power supply sorted, or you find nothing wrong and think it is sorted, you might see if the Body ECU has any trouble codes for you. Or you might create a trouble code just to confirm you can get the ECU to blink it for you. (There's a code 41 that's convenient for testing that, because it's just there so you can find out if the driver's door lock position is being detected. It should be: driver door unlocked, no code 41. Driver door locked: code 41. It isn't really a 'trouble' code at all, more like the heater's 21 solar sensor code.)
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Jun 2, 2020
  3. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    That makes a lot of sense - thank you!

    I noticed that the key was bent and sometimes it wouldn't turn the cylinder until I straightened the key. Perhaps the driver was forcing the key to turn and damaged/short circuited the ignition switch?

    It would explain why the fuses suddenly blew. Should I take check the ignition switch first?
     
    #3 romanlutsk, Jun 3, 2020
  4. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Just a quick update on the situation. I finally had time to go over everything on the Prius again and noticed that the 100A DC-DC fuse/fusible link in the engine compartment fuse box was blown. Not sure how I missed it before.

    I couldn't figure out how to replace it, so just soldered the remaining leads in place and everything seems to work fine now.

    Does fusible link blow only if the polarity is reversed when trying to jump the car or could there be any other reason?
     
    #4 romanlutsk, Feb 9, 2021
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Rat chews through cable. Tree branch is kicked up from road. Some part gets replaced by aftermarket part with defect.

    A fuse often isn't needed for the event you predict it will protect you from, but for some other event you didn't predict.

    I would replace it. Car fires are trouble.
     
    #5 ChapmanF, Feb 9, 2021
    WHCSC likes this.
  6. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Thanks. I tried, but couldn't figure out how to replace a fusible link in a 2001 Prius. Spent about an hour trying to remove the whole fuse box, but short of taking out the inverter, couldn't find a way to do it. Couldn't find anything online for the 1st gen Prius. Plenty of details for the 2nd gen.

    Anyone knows how to replace a 100A DC-DC fusible link in a 2001 Prius?
     
    #6 romanlutsk, Feb 9, 2021
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