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Hybrid System Warning Light On - Car won't go

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by larkydoo, Feb 13, 2008.

  1. larkydoo

    larkydoo New Member

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    I recently purchased a 2003 Prius Sedan from a friend and it sat in the garage for a couple of weeks while I worked on selling my Corolla and getting the insurance worked out. This past weekend I went to get something out of it and the key fob didn't work. I figured out pretty quickly that none of the power worked, so put it on a 12V/2Amp charger for the day. I still wasn't insured so at the end of the day I disconnected the charger and the key fob was working and so I figured all was good with the world.

    Fast forward to Monday, when I finally get the insurance in place, and I went out to take a celebratory drive and it wouldn't start. The screen went blue with no symbols on it, then when I put the key to On it made a vibrating sound which seemed to come from the engine, just in front of the dash, and when I went to start it nothing happened. I tried a few times and then walked away.

    So I figure I just hadn't charged it enough so today I charged it all day and as soon as I disconnected the charger and hooked the ground wire back up I tried to start the motor, and voila, it started. But then the engine quit. I tried this a couple of times and the same thing happened. I was able to get the car to back up about 4 feet before it stalled, then pulled it back into the garage on the next start and there it sits.

    The clincher is that when I try to start it, I get the lovely Hybrid System Warning Light. I'm a little panicked about this and hope it still has something to do with the 12V and not the Hybrid battery. Any ideas to help me troubleshoot this would be much appreciated. I'd like to try what I can before I get it into the dealer for repairs (before I've even had a chance to drive the thing!).

    Thanks!

    Laurie

    p.s. FYI: I'm in Minnesota, where our temps have run the gamut from -15 to 30 in the past couple of weeks.
     
    #1 larkydoo, Feb 13, 2008
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Bummer. One should always pay a technician to thoroughly check out a used car before buying it, especially with a complicated car such as a Prius. At this point I'd say you just need to drag it to a certified Prius tech (most of them are at Toyota dealers) and let them diagnose it.
     
    #2 richard schumacher, Feb 13, 2008
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    2006 Prius
    This is most likely a 12V battery problem. The Prius has a very small 12V battery, which is only used to boot the computers and run accessories when the car isn't running. If your 2003 has never had the battery replaced, then it is long overdue. Charging brought it up enough to get started, but it's probably not holding a charge, and in fact may be dragging down your 12V system. I would put a new battery in it, which should cost you less than $200.

    Tom
     
    #3 qbee42, Feb 13, 2008
  4. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Defintely start with the 12 volt battery as gbee42 says. The original one has smallish lead posts and a vent tube, which most folks regard as appropriate. This means your compatible choices are limited.

    If Toyota will sell you theirs for $150 or so that's probably a good deal. You can get a very similar battery and adapter fittings from elearnaid (maybe $120 complete?), or the battery direct from MK battery (maybe $100?).

    Since you want to get on the road soonest, you could use a U1 size, sealed "wheelchair" battery locally for about $60 I suppose. It will not be vented and also require a little ingenuity to manage the connections.

    If you are in the small minority unconcerned that your Prius trunk might ever fill with hydrogen gas, you could stay with such an unvented battery ove the long term.

    Whatever battery you use, having it firmly secured is very important. We assume that Toyota would see to this for you, but if you DIY, it's your job.
     
    #4 tochatihu, Feb 13, 2008
  5. larkydoo

    larkydoo New Member

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    Thanks. I have the mazda battery on order. In the meantime, I was able to get the car to start last night and drove it around the block for 20 minutes (with the Hybrid System Warning Light on), then around the neighborhood for another 20. I was able to get into the battery screen and it indicated between 11.4 and 11.9 volts without drawing any additional power from it. I know the optimal is more in the 12-13 range. At any rate, after all that driving the Hybrid System Warning Light didn't come back on, which I'm taking as a good sign. Today I may actually drive it around town a bit. Wish me luck!

    Thanks, all!

    Laurie
     
    #5 larkydoo, Feb 14, 2008
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