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Gen 2 sat undriven 3 years now dead

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Brother of owner, Nov 20, 2017.

  1. Brother of owner

    Brother of owner New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
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    N/A
    I have a rather unique situation I am asking for general guidance on. My brother is in a terrible financial situation and is on the verge of being evicted. He has slowly lost his vision over the past several years, and has been unemployed.

    He owns a generation 2 Prius, and I'm sorry I don't know the model year. It has sat undriven for 3 years, and reportedly the battery is completely depleted.

    The car needs to be sold quickly to raise funds for his rent. I would like to investigate the car in person tomorrow, and hopefully get it started.

    I know almost nothing about hybrid cars in regards to how it affects this situation. Is ist possible to jump start the car and run it on gas power for awhile to see if the hybrid battery will recharge? Are there any special precautions needed to jump start it? Does it use a separate battery for starting than the hybrid battery pack?

    For what it's worth, the car has only 30,000 miles on it.

    Thanks for any help you can provide me, and sorry about the uninformed nature of my questions.
     
    #1 Brother of owner, Nov 20, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome!

    1) no. there is a 12 volt battery that boots the computers, you can jump that.

    2) yes. do not cross polarize the positive and negative, that can fry the inverter.

    3) yes. see #1, then you need the hybrid battery to turn over the engine. but after 3 years, it is probably dead as well.

    4) when you jump it, do not start the donor car, just hook up the cables. the 12v battery is under the floor in the hatch, on the right rear corner. you need to remove the floor panels to get to it, they just lift out.
    there is a jump point under the hood in the fuse box. you can use that instead.

    5) at 30k, it might be easier to put it up for sale as is, should move quickly.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Nov 20, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2017
    jerrymildred likes this.
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I've attached an excerpt from a second generation Owner's Manual, the jump start instruction. That may be all of the starting problems, ie, the hybrid battery may still be good. But 3 years is a long time, hard to tell.

    Starting problems aside, the tires will likely be seriously flat-spotted, and low on air. Also, the brakes may be rust-glued, or close to it.

    The gas may have deteriorated too, the sooner you can burn through what's in there and refill the better.

    Take it one step at a time.
     

    Attached Files:

    #3 Mendel Leisk, Nov 20, 2017
    bisco likes this.
  4. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
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    Contact Matt from Texas Hybrid Batteries. Texas Prius Battery Replacement
    There's no one close to you that knows these cars better.
     
    #4 strawbrad, Nov 20, 2017
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  5. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Yes, do this.
     
    #5 fotomoto, Nov 20, 2017
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