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ev button install problem

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by autocross72, May 21, 2009.

  1. autocross72

    autocross72 Junior Member

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    I have done a lot of reading, but I haven't come accross anyone who has had the same problem I have, so I am just going to ask instead of spending another hour looking for an answer.

    I have a 2008 and I am trying to install the Sigma EV button. I got the button to light up so I think that part is ok. In ran the wire over and installed the pin (from the flasher harness) into #27 When I started the car, the "check engine" light was on. I immediately turned it off, checked that I indeed had the pin in #27 and tried again. The light was still on, but I closed the doors and shifted into reverse to try it out anyway. The ICE was already running when I pushed the button. A message came up on the screen that said something like, EV mode can not be engaged now, which is exactly what it should have done since the ICE was running. When I came to a stop light I pushed the button when the ICE wasn't running and no EV light came on up on the dash, but when I drove around for a while, the engine never came on. When I hit 35, the car beeped and the ICE kicked in. The "check engine" light was still on, so I pulled out the pin on the ECU and drove around again. The light was off and the ICE came one where it hadn't before.

    I distorted the pin a bit when I crimped the two sharp parts around the wire, but I straightend it and made sure the solder was as smooth as possible. Still, I had a hard time getting the pin in the last milimeter or two. I am not entirely sure I got it in all the way and I don't think the pin lock was all the way down on that side (I pushed on it, but it didn't move). Could that be the cause of the "Check engine" light?

    Sorry for the long post, but my wife will kill me if I screw up her car.

    Thanks for any help! :)
     
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  2. autocross72

    autocross72 Junior Member

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    Bummer! 159 views and no suggestions as to what could be going on here. I accidentally came accross another 2008 owner who had exactly the same issue, but I couldont find out what he did about it. Have any other 2008 owners encountered difficulty? For that matter have any 2008 owners been successful?

    Tomorrow I will have time to go out and mess around with it agian. If I can't get it to work with out the "check engine" light though, I am not going to use it.

    Pete
     
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  3. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    If you turned on the car when you had the wire harness unplugged that would cause the error. It will take about 3-5 restarts to clear the warning. It sounds like you EV button is working fine. Leave your installation alone and do 3-5 full restarts and see if that fixes your warning problem.
     
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  4. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Oddly, this is the first time I've seen this post.

    I agree with Force. Though I have to admit that I did not do my own installation and the Check Engine light never came on. But my first thought was exactly what he said. Cycle power 3-5 times. Or just drive the car like usual and after the 3rd or 5th trip the light should go off.
     
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  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Ditto above, never noticed the thread...I may have assumed it was the same other problem with EV button install you'd posted previously.

    But it sounds like everything is fine. Shut down and restart 3 times and your code should clear.
     
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  6. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    I've seen several rather mangled H14 connector shells by now,
    some of which border on beyond recovery.
    .
    _H*
     
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  7. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Is it because people try to pry out the white retainer clip thing or is it because of something else?
     
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  8. autocross72

    autocross72 Junior Member

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    You guys nailed it. I was listening to the radio when I was running the wires, but then forgot to turn the car off when I plugged it in to the ecu. Immediately after I did it, I couldn't believe my stupidity and I worried that I had damaged the ECU. The car worked perfectly, however, except the light. When I unplugged the EV button, the light went off, so I assumed that was the problem. It works perfectly now though.

    I saw on one of the web sites that an EV light actually turned on up on the dash when EV mode is engaged. My car doesn't do that though. Did US cars come without that bulb installed?

    Thanks for all your help! We live at the top of a large hill and once at the bottom we enter the freeway, so keeping the ICE off until we get on the on ramp seems to make sense.

    Thanks for all your help!!
    Pete
     
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  9. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Since we did no get the EV button we did not get the EV light in the dash. I tried to poke around to see if it was possible to install one but I think something more than an LED and diode are needed to get it working.
     
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  10. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Actually it doesn't make sense to wait until a high acceleration
    demand to light the engine, because then you'll either be solely
    on the battery at high discharge currents or you'll short-circuit
    the mandatory warmup cycle and put a load on a cold engine.
    Best to light it in advance, go through the first minute of
    warmup over a very *light* load stretch, and then it'll be ready
    to sing once you hit the ramp.
    .
    _H*
     
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