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MFD Failure? NOT!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ScottY, Dec 18, 2006.

  1. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    Had a hard time deciding which forum to post this in (technical, mods, care and maintenance, or audio/electronics). But anyways, here's the story.

    I started up the car as usual on Sunday morning. The weather was extremely warm for middle of December in NY, it was around 60F. Once I started up, I noticed the MFD was a little dim. Then it showed the no AC connection message. When pressing the buttons, no beeps were heard, and the responses were very slow. No battery indicator, no MPG readout, no outside temp readout. Other than that, everything works. I could turn on the radio, but when I press on the Audio button, it says audio off. The AC works, I could change the temperate with the steering wheel buttons and feel the air coming out of the vents are changing temperate, but was not able to see that on the MFD climate section. I was thinking to myself, on crap, this finally happen to me. The dreaded MFD failure! My car has 37K miles since June of 2005. I was preparing to go to the dealer on Monday. Before doing that, I restarted the car couple of times to see if I have any luck. Nope, same thing happen every time. So I turn the display off and head off to my destination.

    After about hour and a half drive, I arrived at my destination. While waiting for the person to get ready, I decided to check if any of my mods caused this error. First I turn off the car, unplugged CAN-View and turn on the car again. Nothing changed. Then I unplugged DICE and turn on the car. I can use all the buttons on MFD and it's responding very fast, CAN-View works, everything works! Then I shut off the car and plug DICE back, and everything returned to normal.

    I tried to search the forum but did not see anything related to this. Seems like DICE caused the MFD to behave like it has the dreaded MFD failure documented in the other thread. Once I reset DICE by unplugging it from power, everything returns to normal. I just want to share this with the forum.

    This kind of bothers me, the DICE plugs to the back of the radio, not the MFD. How can DICE affect the MFD? Anybody has any idea?
     
    #1 ScottY, Dec 18, 2006
  2. aaf709

    aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan

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    Thanks for sharing this.

    My guess it's the MFD connection from the DICE to the MFD (via the radio connection). After all, you can control the iPod with the MFD.
     
    #2 aaf709, Dec 18, 2006
  3. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    i recall tideland prius had something similar happen with his dice unit. maybe he'll chime in here.
     
    #3 galaxee, Dec 18, 2006
  4. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    Thanks galaxee.

    Found the threads....

    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=22693

    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=22671

    Looks like this problem is pretty well documented. I gotta improve my searching skill with the PC search engine!

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ribbs @ Jul 29 2006, 02:54 AM) [snapback]294239[/snapback]</div>
    Looks like DICE still have not correct any problems. If this show up again, I can easily reset the DICE. I installed it behind the plastic hump under the radio, which is very easy to pull off.
     
    #4 ScottY, Dec 18, 2006
  5. cbs4

    cbs4 Member

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    What does "DICE" stand for?

    (And yes, I did follow the "DICE iPod Integration Units" link on the header of this webpage, and followed the link in that post to the Prius Chat store, but the explanatory text in both links seems to assume that the reader already knows what DICE is short for.)
     
    #5 cbs4, Dec 18, 2006
  6. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Dec 18 2006, 02:50 PM) [snapback]363956[/snapback]</div>
    Digital In-Car Entertainment
     
    #6 Bill Merchant, Dec 18, 2006
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Dec 18 2006, 01:41 PM) [snapback]363927[/snapback]</div>
    Your memory served you well.

    ScottY, I had the exact experience as you. I had the exact symptoms as the MFD failure. I initially thought it was because I kept powering on and off while waiting to cross the border. I fiddled around with the DICE connection (didn't unplug I think... but then again, I might have wiggled it such that it was unplugged).

    After checking that nothing was loose, I decided to turn on the car and check. To my surprise, everything was back to normal.

    I just assumed that the DICE plug/wires might've interfered with that other neighbouring plug/wires.
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Dec 18, 2006
  8. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    Hey Tideland, I don't think the problem I had was related to DICE plug interfering with neighbor plugs. Because I disconnect the plug on the DICE side, not on the back of the head unit. I used to have the ice:link Plus, which is the presuccessor of DICE. That unit needs to be power reseted every time it locks up, which is quite often (almost once a week). Looks like the DICE has the same problem, only this time, the lock up affects the MFD but less often.
     
    #8 ScottY, Dec 19, 2006
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Dec 19 2006, 06:38 AM) [snapback]364120[/snapback]</div>
    ahh. Yeah, I fiddled with the radio side plug. Didn't think of unplugging the DICE side lol.
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Dec 19, 2006
  10. cbs4

    cbs4 Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Dec 18 2006, 04:03 PM) [snapback]363980[/snapback]</div>

    Thanks Bill. I'd have never deduced that one! Wow, who comes up with this lingo? Last year, I read this forum for a week or two thinking that ICE was some sort of cooling system for the hybrid batteries or drive system. Now we have DICE. I'm glad I asked before letting imagination take hold.
     
    #10 cbs4, Dec 19, 2006
  11. MegansPrius

    MegansPrius GoogleMeister, AKA bongokitty

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Dec 19 2006, 10:38 AM) [snapback]364120[/snapback]</div>
    I would have to chime in that I don't think this is a DICE problem, in that we experienced something very similar on Dec 22nd and do not have DICE installed. After an hour of driving, we plugged an ipod into the aux jack. We have done this many times -- Megan often listens to an audiobook on her commute -- but this time the reaction was very different. The audio went away. Pressing the audio button showed the "audio off" screen. Pressing the power button on the audio unit did not change this. Pushing the climate button revealed the "Check connection to air conditioner" screen you described. The info button revealed an energy screen with no arrows of any kind -- this while traveling down the highway at 70 mph. The consumption screen showed our mileage jumping from an expected 42 mpg at 70 mph in 30 degree weather to an somewhat frightening 90 mpg. We kept driving, and the consumption continued to update at five minute intervals at the 90 mpg. However, the screens did also seem incomplete -- steering wheel adjustments done to volume or temperature did not update anywhere on the MFD.

    The only correlation between the two instances seems having something plugged into the aux jack.

    Our car is about a month old with 2500 miles on it, no mods, 2007 package 3, using the bluetooth for our phone. I called our dealer and their service tech had the less than helpful response of "I don't drive a prius so I don't know." Is this something we should worry about? Do we need to get our MFD replaced? Is this one instance a precursor to a greater failure, or do we likely just have a loosely plugged wire in there?
     
    #11 MegansPrius, Dec 26, 2006
  12. billheimer10@yahoo.com

    [email protected] wayneb

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    Re: MFD Failure? NOT!

    I have a 2005 Prius with just under 36,000 miles on it and I've gotten the dreaded MFD failure. Touch screen doesn't work, Audio says not connected even though the radio plays, and AC isn't connected even though it works. And very slow to power up. I've taken it to the dealer, they've said it will cost $900 for a new unit and that its a known problem. I've protested with the dealer, and I've also gone to the Toyota customer service, etc to complain about it. It seems that there have been some posters who have had success with their dealerships, any specific things I could say? I'm under 36k but they're claiming that the warranty ended earlier this year.

    Also, I do have a DICE unit, it seems like unplugging it/plugging it back in might solve the problem, but the dealership didn't mention that at all.

    Any help would be much appreciated!

    Thanks
     
    #12 [email protected], Dec 3, 2008
  13. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Re: MFD Failure? NOT!

    Just a little cracked solder on a plug.
    You could use the search function to find more on the MFD failure or look here http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/33923-mfd-issues-04-05-prius.html

    Read the whole thread.
    My repair cost $25 Australian but I took the MFD out, dismantled it then took the offending part with instructions from PC to a computer tech who soldered the plug for me.
     
    #13 patsparks, Dec 3, 2008
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