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2005 Prius Starting Problems

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Cade Didrickson, Nov 5, 2021.

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  1. Cade Didrickson

    Cade Didrickson New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I was having an issue over the summer where the prius would completely die every few times i went to start it, the first few times i had the issue, I just jumped it and it would get back to working like normal again, but then when fiddling around with it one time, I unplugged one of the cables going into the little relay on top of the battery and it turned on the dash lights, and i was able to start it right up. I did that a few times until it finally just completely died, so I installed a new 12v battery and everything was back to normal... until this week, where it just died, no cable fiddling worked, so I jumped it, drove it around, parked it, and its still 100% dead. I'm almost completely sure i didnt leave any lights or anything on. Any clue what my issue could be?
     
    #1 Cade Didrickson, Nov 5, 2021
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    it could be one of several things.

    1) you got a defective battery

    2) you got a battery that was not fully charged, and the car does not do a good job charging a low battery unless you drive it for hours or let it sit all day in ready.

    3) there is a quiescent drain happening while the car is off.

    4) you have a connection issue at the battery or body ground.

    to determine the issue, you will need a volt meter to do some testing
     
    #2 bisco, Nov 6, 2021
    SFO likes this.
  3. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Welcome to PriusChat!!

    How many miles are on the vehicle?

    How many hours per week are you driving?

    No warning lights on the dash, or known OBD2 codes worth sharing?

    After replacing the 12v battery did you clean the MAF, including the throttle body and butterfly valve?
    Please elaborate a little, does the engine actually turn over for 5 or 10 seconds and then quit running?
    As @bisco mentioned above, check for 12v health, and look for corrosion at the contact point where the ground strap meets the body.

    Assuming 12v is being measure at the jump points under the hood (front of the car), then it may be a failing combination meter.

    How to removal the dash video : Combination Meter removal - how to video | PriusChat

    Here is a DIY combination meter fix thread : combination meter repair - DIY | PriusChat

    Or you can buy a lifetime warranty replacement with the 299k fix : Prius Speedometer Replacement

    Not around the corner, but nearby is @PriusCamper who can likely help with any of the above.

    FYI : you're moderated until you've posted 5 times.
     
    #3 SFO, Nov 6, 2021
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hi Cade, I'm an hour south of you and am currently having the same problem... Lol...

    Combination meter wasn't a problem but I had a bad trunk latch that kept draining my 9 year old 55amphour 12v down so I finally replaced 12v battery a week ago and then replaced the faulty trunk latch day before yesterday and was still experiencing electrical weirdness but that finally went away. Then tonight when it was time to come home combination meter and all dash lights except blinker lights are gone. Will update once I look into it further late tonight.
     
    #4 PriusCamper, Nov 6, 2021
  5. Cade Didrickson

    Cade Didrickson New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2021
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    Location:
    98008
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thanks for the help so far!! I’ve got 175k miles, I honestly wasn’t driving that much maybe a few hours a week. There was never any check engine codes or anything of that nature, it would just be completely dead when I’d go to start it. Once I jumped it, it would run fine, and then when I’d get back home after driving it a while everything would just go black. I ended up purchasing a trickle battery charger, and charged up the battery last night, and put it back in today, and everything is working fine so far. However, when I went to take the battery out last night, there was about 2-3 inches of standing water in the compartment. Weirdly enough I know this is a somewhat new issue because there was not standing water 2 weeks ago, I found the holes in the roof and sealed those up, and cleaned all the water and gunk up. The battery didn’t seem to have any damage, and I know it’s meant to be completely waterproof, there’s also no corrosion at either of the connection points. Would the water have anything to with my electrical issues maybe short circuiting a relay or something in that area? I have a feeling that it’s just something draining my battery while I’m not driving, or I’m just not getting it back to full charge when I’m driving. Thanks for help!!
     
    #5 Cade Didrickson, Nov 14, 2021
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    no, the water just corrodes the body work under the battery until the battery eventually falls out. it doesn't touch any electrical connections.
    you need to test the battery and current draw with the car off.
     
    #6 bisco, Nov 15, 2021
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