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

Cant get in my car

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by MashinA, Aug 23, 2013.

  1. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hi guys, so i was away for about 40 days, and when i came back and tried to get in my car my remote control wont even open the door. I thought the fob battery had died so i changed it and still cant unlock my car. I tried to unlock it with the actual key that comes out of the fob but that doesnt seem to work. Any ideas on how to get in the car and also what might be wrong? Could the 12v battery be so dead that i cant even unlock the car with remote?
    Any help is appreciated, thanks!
     
    #1 MashinA, Aug 23, 2013
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,366
    49,710
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    yes, the 12v is dead. the mechanical key can take quite a bit of pressure to work.
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 23, 2013
  3. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    ok so i jumpstarted my car and drove around for a while and then the red triangle came up with the codes for bad hybrid battery...is this due to the bad 12v or is my hybrid battery messed up as well...this is not looking too good right now :(
     
    #3 MashinA, Aug 24, 2013
  4. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2006
    1,049
    192
    0
    Location:
    NH
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Relax, order an optima yellow top or go grab one, replace, restart, resume
     
    #4 ursle, Aug 24, 2013
  5. SteveLee

    SteveLee Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2012
    645
    180
    0
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    The 12V is likely toast at this point because it was allowed to fully discharge. You could try a smart trickle charger on it for a day or two but reviving it for any lengthy use is a long shot. A bad 12V can result in all kinds of strange readouts and occurrences. A good battery in use will eliminate that as a cause.

    Jumping...we are in hopes this was done correctly the first time with no reverse connection at all. Otherwise, it could be really bad and expensive news for the system.

    After the car is in READY you don't really have to drive it, It can just stay in READY and the system will work as needed. That is, the engine will cycle on to recharge the HV battery as needed, which works to charge the 12V. Is the engine cycling on and off? What does the battery indicator in the MFD look like?
     
    #5 SteveLee, Aug 24, 2013
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,366
    49,710
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    if it's the original 12v battery, just replace it. how many miles? how did you get in the car?
     
    #6 bisco, Aug 24, 2013
  7. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2012
    3,779
    1,282
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    If the 12v fully discharged it is toast. $300 including install at the dealer.
     
    #7 JMD, Aug 24, 2013
  8. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two

    What is the proper way and what is reverse connection? I just connected the jumper cables to the other cars battery and then to the positive terminal in the fuse box and a ground bolt on the prius and started the car. The engine did shut off after the hybrid battery was fully charded but then it discharged and it wouldnt charge again and thats when the triangle and the codes came up. Then i parked the car and after an hour tried to start again but the 12v was dead again.
     
    #8 MashinA, Aug 24, 2013
  9. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two

    not sure if its the original 12v i bought the car a year ago at 92k now its at 115k. I was able to use the key to open the door, had to put some more pressure on it as you said.
     
    #9 MashinA, Aug 24, 2013
  10. SteveLee

    SteveLee Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2012
    645
    180
    0
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Positive to positive and negative to negative is the right way. Reverse is negative to positive. That would be bad. First thing you have to do is replace the 12V battery. You will not know if there are other issues until that is done.
     
    #10 SteveLee, Aug 24, 2013
  11. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two

    ok yea i connected the cables properly. Im about to order a new battery from amazon and see what happens.
     
    #11 MashinA, Aug 24, 2013
  12. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2009
    1,302
    295
    0
    Location:
    California - SF Bay area
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    You can get a yellow Top battery for $175 from ELearnaid. That's probably less than Amazon.

    Correction: Price is now $180 shipped.
     
    #12 xpcman, Aug 24, 2013
  13. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Yea it was $169.99 shipped from amazon.
     
    #13 MashinA, Aug 24, 2013
  14. MashinA

    MashinA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2013
    32
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Ok guys so I got the 12v fixed and thats all fine however as I mentioned before now my hybrid battery isnt working and I got the code pa80 and the red triangle as well. Now I had issues with it a few months back and got some dead cells replaced at a shop, im wondering could the fact that I left it sitting for 40 days and let the 12v die be the cause of this hybrid battery issue or should I go back to the guy who worked on it before and and demand he fixes it again. Also is it ok to drive it like this? It drives ok but every once in a while it loses power and wont go and feels like its about to stall
     
    #14 MashinA, Sep 2, 2013
  15. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2011
    1,686
    340
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    It sounds like the cell replacements in your HV battery were perhaps not balanced properly. If you read the recent posts about those who DIY replaced their failing cells, there is good description of the careful charging and discharging cycles that are needed to insure that all the cells are at the same level of capacity and performance. Some have just thrown in a new cell and gotten away with it, but it is not the way to go for best reliability.

    If your mechanic gave you any sort of warranty, then I would go back to see him and get the cells at least measured to find out what is going on. Or get one of the scanners (like Torque) that can read all the cells for you. It might be that a round of cell balancing is all that is required.

    Also, make sure that your battery fan is keeping the battery as cool as possible. Check to make sure it is clean, if that was not done already.
     
    #15 nh7o, Sep 2, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)