Kept Car Warming Too Long, Battery Died

Good morning,

Last night during the East Coast's snow storm, I left my 2004 Prius warming for 10 minutes in park. I have a newborn and wanted the car warm for her. When I got back outside to leave, the Prius had died. The check engine light was on, but that was on before because I need to get the oil changed.

I went to jump start it, but when I opened the hood, I could hear that the engine seemed to still be running - it sounded like the belts were still going. So I was nervous to jump start it with the engine still seemingly on. I waited 30 minutes and that noise stopped.

When I tried to jump start it, I couldn't get the fuse box cover off after an hour of trying at 10PM, in the snow and rain. So I gave up and will try again later today.

Can anyone tell me if the hybrid battery died or the 12v? I'm hoping a quick jump start will fix it, but I stayed up all night fearing the worse.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

jhinsc,

I tried turning the car off and on, and nothing happened. All the lights had died by the time I got out (the dashboard was no longer on, the screen was off, etc.). The electronic locks were also not working. All signs indicated a battery (not sure which one) died. Though I could be off. Unfortunately, I'm not the best with cars.

 

Good morning,

Last night during the East Coast's snow storm, I left my 2004 Prius warming for 10 minutes in park. I have a newborn and wanted the car warm for her. When I got back outside to leave, the Prius had died. The check engine light was on, but that was on before because I need to get the oil changed.

I went to jump start it, but when I opened the hood, I could hear that the engine seemed to still be running - it sounded like the belts were still going. So I was nervous to jump start it with the engine still seemingly on. I waited 30 minutes and that noise stopped.

When I tried to jump start it, I couldn't get the fuse box cover off after an hour of trying at 10PM, in the snow and rain. So I gave up and will try again later today.

Can anyone tell me if the hybrid battery died or the 12v? I'm hoping a quick jump start will fix it, but I stayed up all night fearing the worse.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

rjparker and jhinsc: Thank you for your help! What would I do at Toyota? Just ask them to check the batteries?

I got the fuse box open finally. I was trying to pull up, not press in.

I apologize for posting in the wrong forum. If a mod wants to close this thread, please do so. I have reposted my question on the appropriate forum

 

*sigh* I just noticed that, too. Stress is messing with my mind! Sorry mods!

The check engine light was on because I needed to get an oil change. And yes, it worked perfectly fine when I started it. And it had 3/4s a tanks of gas, so it shouldn't be that.

I figured it was because the battery ran out. I notice that if I sit idle for too long, the battery drops to two bars or so. So I figured it emptied and died because nothing was wrong beforehand. And the 12v battery dying didn't make sense because the car was turned on; should it run out of something is on (like a light) but the car isn't on?

So my big fear is the hybrid battery died somehow. I called the local Toyota dealer and asked their service tech for his two cents. He said he couldn't offer me any unless I took it in. I'm broke, so I'm hoping it doesn't come down to that.

 

Yes, the car turned on and worked perfectly. I left it in idle, came out 10/15 mins later and it had died. I'm going to try to jump start when I get home.

Yes, the check engine light was on, but nothing else was: not the screen, the dashboard (except the check engine light), etc, though the headlights were on. The light on the ignition button was off. So I tried turning it on (or off depending on how you look at it), and nothing happened.

Sorry for putting this in the wrong thread. This is actually my second attempt at putting it in the right spot. Unfortunately, I was up all night thinking about this and my mind appears to be elsewhere.

 

Gotcha, thanks for the explanation. A friend has a battery gauge that I can use on the 12v to see if it's that one.

I assume it was in Park since I just turned it on, and had left it in Park when I parked it earlier in the day.

I'll update this thread once I have tried jump starting it tonight so if someone else runs across this problem, there's a conclusion - one way or the other.

Thanks again for your help!

 

Paradox - Thanks for moving!

Patrick Wong: Sorry for the confusion. The check engine light was on when I got back to the car. You're right, the maintenance required light was not on.

The symptoms I saw that made me think it died are: The dashboard (except for the check engine light) was dark and the screen was dark (like the car was off); the fans from my heater were off when they were on before; and finally I tried turning it on (just to see what would happen) and nothing happened. All those things happened BUT the headlights were on.

I heard a buzz like a belt, but I did not know where to look to find the belt. After 30 minutes, that sound became silent.

I put my foot on the break and pressed the ignition button. The car turned on and the fans started. I got out of the car and shut the door. I scrapped my car and went back inside for five minutes and the car was like how I described.

I'm not sure how to put it in IG-ON v READY.