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Prius V not starting all dash lights stay on, flashing P

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Shizzy, Nov 4, 2022.

  1. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    Help Prius V i-tech 2013 wont start. First time this has happened and everything was working fine. Seems the battery is good and charged and there is fuel in the car, but when I press the start button all the lights that usually come up the dash which are meant to then soon disappear still stay on and I cannot seem to get the car into any gear as the flashing P comes with a beep noise, The reverse gear does not seem to even show when I shift the knob ( from how the car is parked I need to reverse to get out).

    Any ideas on how to solve? Its parked outside a community function hall 30km from home, I had to leave but will go back there later in the night, worse case it can be parked there, while I figure out what to do.
     

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  2. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    I did try many combinations of things to try start e.g. press park button, press on/off start button with and without brake pressed, open close all doors. It seems to display same behaviour, car not fully getting into start mode and suck on accessory mode if that's what you call it. Perhaps some sequence problem? I also tried to disconnect 12v battery for a minute to reset things, also jump start with lithium iron 12v battery even though I knew battery is good, still same issue. I have now disconnected the negative battery cable and will return in a few hours to reconnect and try start. Please let me know if anybody experienced and what can be done or what should be done now thanks?
     
  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Codes would help but common issues include a 12v battery that really is bad, inverter failure (defective from factory in many cases and warranted for 15 years in the US) or a blown 125a fuse (hard to access) from a momentary reverse polarity jump.

    8622B05C-4D02-4464-863E-7BF8980957E1.png
     

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  4. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    Thanks for pointing me to some options which I will have keep doing my research and since it's weekend here I'll have to call Toyota next week. The 12v battery is only 6 months old so I highly doubt it's that and I've already tried jumping it still same issue. It could be the inverter or the fuse. The obd scanner I used does not pick up any codes either. My car did not stop working in the middle of a drive, issue started from parked and nothing like this has ever happened before.

    I've probably tried to start it 100 times now and it still won't go into ready mode, seems to not get past accessory mode. If I press my foot on brake the start button will light up green, but when I press it the dash lights that come on will not disappear and the ready sign will not come on. When I try to put into a gear the flashing P light will come on possibly indicating you cannot drive while in accessory or not ready mode and the power button will turn orange. If I keep my foot on brake and press the power button again it won't do anything. The only way to turn off the car is to take foot off brake and press the power button to turn off.

    Hopefully if it is the inverter we Aussies can get 15 year warranty too. From research so far looks like we have to fight for getting Toyota to fix any major failures.
     
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    The best thing to do with the 12v is to measure it at the engine fuse box jump point. And again with the headlights on. Batteries can fail where they load down a jump box. Usually you need 11.5v or better to Ready the car. Most want 12.2 or better. Inverter fail can be sudden and has happened to me. The 125a fuse can be visually inspected with a light.
     
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  6. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    measured 12v at the fuse box and 11.6v with the lights turned on. It seems to be impossible to check the 125amp fuse. If any ideas let me know Im trying one more thing which is to take the whole battery out and charge it with a charger. Next steps will be to call the dealer next week and see if it's an inverter issue.
     

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  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The 125 amp fuse is very difficult to access, but there are easy test points you can reach with a meter probe from the top. If voltage is there with the car off (or if there is continuity from there to the jump point) the fuse is ok. Stick a meter probe down into the square opening with the green arrow here, or (even easier), touch it to the green-indicated test points on any of those three fuses directly above it. (Isn't it handy these blade fuses have test points on top?)

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    Thanks I'll have to try it next time though as I'm home now from where my vehicle is parked and stranded. Taking the whole 12v battery out charging it up a bit and putting it back in didn't work. Its 6 months old and healthy.

    However I was able to get some codes using my Bluetooth elm 327 reader. The traditional autel maxiscan obd reader didn't pickup anything yesterday but this Bluetooth one was able to pickup couple of codes. If anyone has ideas now I've got some codes let me know thanks.
     
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The P3004 looks like a good one to start with.

    I am looking at a 2010 liftback repair manual PDF that somebody somewhere put together by doing print-to-file on nearly all the sections of the online manual. I can see references to the P3004 code, and it being about the high-voltage power cabling (or the relay junction block inside the battery, or other related bits), but the section that actually gives the details and troubleshooting steps was one of the sections left out of this copy. So it might be necessary to go to the real manual online for that.

    Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat

    I'm not sure which options are available in Sydney.
     
  10. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    Thanks I think my best bet it call the Toyota service centre and get it towed there. It's early Monday morning now so I can start making some calls soon. I'm guessing unless it's a blown fuse or relay it's the dreaded inverter failure.
     
  11. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Just the beginning of your $$$$$ problems
     
  12. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    The Toyota service center couldn't inspect my car until the week after (this week), which gave me time to test more and think. All the fuses look and test good. I happen to search a Prius V wrecking post which had an inverter for sale which I bought. I towed the car home and will try the inverter swap as a first instance.

    In order to work on the Inverter and HV connections safely I would need to remove the orange plug for the HV battery. The location of the HV battery seems to be in the center console. Does anybody have instructions on how to remove the cover and get to this plug?
     
  13. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    That battery is behind the rear seat. There are some videos showing access to the battery and the service plug.
     
  14. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    It's not going to work........if the inveter is blown it covered......
    Do you have techstream to add the inveter to the cars bus...... I'm 99.9% this will not work....
    I got a free repair when mine blew.......
     
  15. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    I don't think that's true for my car, its a 7 seater so its just seats in the back. A battery pack there would make it unable to fit the last 2 seats and/or get head height. From the research I've come across its in the center console and I'm guessing I would need to take out this cover. I will tinker with it but it would be handy if there were instructions.
     
  16. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    I don't have techstream. So your saying there's some programming to do if you swap an inverter? I don't think the 15 year warranty applies in Australia so I'll be up for costs from Toyota to diagnose and fix.
     
  17. Shizzy

    Shizzy Junior Member

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    Update: After almost 7 weeks idle, DIY with many ups and downs. A lot of researching and reaching out to the right people I was able to get it working. Thanks to a couple of members (rjparker and chapmanf) on this forum for pointing me in the right direction.

    After I swapped the Inverter it was still the same issue. I got advise from a local hybrid specialist that one of the relays in the high voltage junction box also needs to be swapped as once the inverter blows a particular relay also blows. The Panasonic relay is not easy to source and Toyota does not sell individually, they only sell the whole junction box, and wreckers only sell the junction box together with the hybrid battery. The other problem is getting to this junction box is a pain, and you have to take out the whole box as the relay is hard to come off as its clipped in to the box.

    Finally by some luck the local specialist was able to source a relay and helped me put it in, cleared the codes. Also one of the connection cables to the inverter I did not clip in properly, that was also fixed and Presto, the vehicle was able to go into Ready Mode.
     
    #17 Shizzy, Dec 22, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2022
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