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Dead battery, or something else?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by wred, Apr 20, 2016.

  1. wred

    wred Junior Member

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    Brea, CA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
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    N/A
    Hi everyone, I apologize if this is a common problem that can be easily searched but I'm at work and pressed for time. Yesterday I was driving my 2004 prius when suddenly multiple diagnostic lights came on. Some of the lights next to the speedo came on: the large red exclamation mark inside a triangle, VSC, and the yellow exclamation mark inside the circle. On the large screen there's an image of a red car on the top left corner. Shortly after the lights came on the car started hesitating under acceleration until it just completely died. I noticed thereafter that the car would not go into drive anymore, only neutral and park. It seems to me that the hybrid battery died, but I'm not sure.

    I've been working on cars for a long time but don't have any experience with hybrids so I'm trying to decide whether or not to attempt fixing it myself. I have trust issues so I hate bringing my car to the shop but if that's the best option then so be it. What would be your best guess regarding this problem, as and it DIY fixable? Thanks.
     
    #1 wred, Apr 20, 2016
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    II
    Since you said the car died....it sounds like it might be something other than the battery. I suspect it might be the inverter pump, which is a pretty common failure at high mileage.

    To properly diagnose the problem, you would need to get the codes read on the car.
     
    #2 JC91006, Apr 20, 2016
  3. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Code reading options below in my signature. MiniVCI is the best option.
     
    #3 S Keith, Apr 20, 2016
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    This is a very likely issue and is simple enough to verify - just look for fluid turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir. If that is not present the pump is bad.

    As to DIY, I posted on how to replace that pump several years ago.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Apr 20, 2016
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome to priuschat, all the best!(y)
     
    #5 bisco, Apr 20, 2016
  6. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    BAD Owner! READ the owners manual so you know what the warning symbols are telling you. If you don't have the manulas, download from Toyota.

    Since you say you work on cars, get miniVCI to read codes. Don't bother with universal OBB-II readers. Many threads on miniVCI install help. Search using a search engine or search w/in PriusChat.
     
    #6 exstudent, Apr 21, 2016
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