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Car won't start

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by newtothisprius, Apr 2, 2023.

  1. newtothisprius

    newtothisprius Junior Member

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    This car just keeps breaking on me. I really regret buying it.

    I went to the car today and it wouldn't start.

    I couldn't find a video on what to do but a Gen 3 video got me to hold the brake and hold the start button for 3 seconds. Nothing happened. Then i clicked the start button 2 times without pressing the brakes. Suddenly, the light above me turned on.

    Now I tried to start the car and it turned on but my fuel level is blinking as if it's empty.

    I had a gas tank that was nearly full. I'm wondering what's going on with this car. There are no error codes right now. Sometimes the mass air flow sensor error code comes on and off from time to time. Cleaning it doesn't fix it. Not sure if it's related.

    Thanks for any insight.
     
    #1 newtothisprius, Apr 2, 2023
  2. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    One blinking dot on the fuel gauge is indicative of a loss of 12v power. Perhaps your 12v battery is weak or has a bad connection.

    The fuel meter will return to normal indication after it recalibrates itself. May take 5 minutes or 5 hours. Typically closer to the short timeframe.
     
    #2 TMR-JWAP, Apr 2, 2023
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sorry to hear about your troubles. and old prius can get expensive if you don't have any car repair skills
     
    #3 bisco, Apr 2, 2023
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  4. newtothisprius

    newtothisprius Junior Member

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    I went to start it now. It made a noise as if it was going to turn on but now i just hear clicking. The start button is flashing orange slowly. Then suddenly the car turned on. All the dashboard lights are on. Start button is a solid orange.
     
    #4 newtothisprius, Apr 2, 2023
  5. newtothisprius

    newtothisprius Junior Member

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    I did the start procedure and it feels like the car is shaking a bit. I reversed out of my driveway and once the car was on even ground, the gas indicator normalized.

    Could the inclined driveway be an issue?
     
    #5 newtothisprius, Apr 2, 2023
  6. JohnPrius3005

    JohnPrius3005 Active Member

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    I'm no expert - far from it - but this is what I would do:
    Park in a secure place, preferably your garage.
    Get access to the 12v battery by taking out any interior parts necessary
    Get a cheap battery charger - Foxsur on Amazon
    Get a digital voltmeter
    Disconnect the negative terminal from the 12v bat
    Read the voltage
    Put the battery on charge with your charger for 24 hours
    Do not close the back hatch of your car - prop it open with a thick towel or a 2x4
    After 24 hours the charger will probably say "Ful"
    Disconnect the charger.
    Wait 30 minutes
    Read the bat voltage
    Reconnect the negative terminal
    Do not close the hatch
    Try to start the car
    Press the power button like normal
    Press the power button again after 10 seconds

    Report back whether the car started and what voltages you recorded.

    Good luck
     
    #6 JohnPrius3005, Apr 2, 2023
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  7. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    95% of the times when your symptoms occur, the solution is related to post 3.
    I'm speaking from experience of at one point having (7) Gen 2s in my family that I took care of. I'm currently down to 5. Not to mention the several dozen Gen 2s I've worked on outside the family.
    You need to verify 12v battery voltage and all the connections between the 12v battery and the car, on both the (+) and (-) terminals.
    If the battery needs to be charged, then charge it. If it needs to be replaced, then replace it. If there's a loose connection, tighten it.

    The other 5% of times is a bit more involved.
    The inclination of the car should have zero impact on starting.
     
    #7 TMR-JWAP, Apr 2, 2023
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  8. newtothisprius

    newtothisprius Junior Member

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    Tomorrow I'll have access to a volt meter. A neighbor came over to jump start my car. It turned on and i let it sit for 5 minutes as they told me to do. The issue is that the engine turns off fairly quickly so I'm not sure if that was still charging. I decided to drive around the block for a bit and when I turned the car off, it won't turn back on again.

    I guess i need to YouTube how to check if the battery is dead? Do I need to buy something that will charge the battery?
     
    #8 newtothisprius, Apr 3, 2023
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    There's one thing you needn't worry about. In a Prius, as long as you see READY lighted up on the dash, the 12 volt battery is getting charged, whether the engine is running or not.
     
    #9 ChapmanF, Apr 3, 2023
  10. prius_newb66

    prius_newb66 Junior Member

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    It sounds like the 12v battery was drained. I would get a charger from Amazon, then consider a new battery
     
    #10 prius_newb66, Apr 5, 2023
  11. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    If you had a low or no 12v situation, then any stored codes would've been erased.
    What was the measured voltage at the jump points under the hood?

    How old is the existing 12v battery, and how many hours per week do you currently drive now?
     
    #11 SFO, Apr 6, 2023
  12. newtothisprius

    newtothisprius Junior Member

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    I calculated my car's age and it would make sense that the battery would be bad. I used a friend's trickle charger and it said it's a bad battery.

    I went to Toyota and spent $300. 2 days later, I get PTSD from the ABS, VSC and brake lights. The brakes weren't working. I floored it and they disappeared.

    I drove to AutoZone and the error codes recommended replacing the battery. I'm very confused as to how that could be the issue.

    C1202, C1241 and C1242 are the error codes.
     
    #12 newtothisprius, Apr 10, 2023
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  13. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Hopefully the $300 was not spent on a fuel system cleaning. If it was a new battery and it is now discharged enough the car won't go to Ready, odds are good something is draining the battery overnight. Discounting a neighbor kid playing around, it could be a light left on. Like the hatch light. Or a hundred other things causing a parasitic draw.

    If you did blow the $300 on something other than a new 12v battery, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
    IMG_1863.jpeg

    Autozone. The only autosupply pillaged by the same vulture capitalist that took down Kmart, Autonation and Sears. Before Sears folded in my area, the once proud "Amazon and Walmart" predecessor was reduced to clerks who could not lead you to a Phillips Head much less spell JIS. Same goes for Autozone's expertise after Lampert. Try an OReillys, Napa or better yet the guy who sold (?) you the battery.
     
    #13 rjparker, Apr 10, 2023
  14. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Those DTCs both have associated INFs (sub codes or detailed codes), knowing them may help track down the issue faster

    Here is the workup for DTC C1202 with detailed codes 511 and 512 : https://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/Repair%20Manual/04pruisr/05/21avn/cic12026.pdf

    Here is the work up for C1241 and C1242 (with various detailed codes): https://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/Prius%20Service%20Manuals%202004/%E4%BF%AE%E7%90%86%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8C/04pruisr/05/21avn/cic12414.pdf
     
    #14 SFO, Apr 11, 2023
  15. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    FYI, C1241 and C1242 do not mean your 12 V battery is bad. It means the power source voltage for the skid control ECU drops or the voltage for the ABS No.1, ABS No.2 relay operation drops below the specified threshold. You need to find out why that is.
     
    #15 dolj, Apr 11, 2023
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