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Multiple warning symbols, car won't go to "Ready" for starting

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by gcarl, Jun 26, 2016.

  1. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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    Thursday afternoon I drove about 120 miles total in my 2004. At about 40 miles I left my wife to shop and drove on to 3-4 other stops for myself and then came back to pick her up for the 40 mile drive home. When she got into the passenger seat, she found that the carpet & mat on the floor were sopping wet, so we put some heavy towels over the wet area to protect her shoes. When we got home (with NO operational issues), I removed the passenger floor mat, put several thicknesses of more heavy towels on the carpet and placed 2 concrete blocks on the towels to soak up the water. On Friday, I changed the towels and did not use the car. Saturday, I removed the towels, concrete blocks, and went to start the car so I could see if there was water dripping from under the dash from a plugged condensate drain, since I had not driven in rain or water on Thursday. The dash displayed every warning light imaginable including "check engine", hybrid system warning, slip indicator, brake system warning, Master warning (!), VSC, Maint reqd. Now it is Sunday and I still cannot get to the "Ready" light so I can start the car. My traction battery condition was solid green yesterday, solid blue today. The radio, interior lights, A/C fan, door locks, etc. all work.
    Could there be anything under the passenger carpeting (or behind the dash which might have gotten wet which could be causing these problems/codes?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many miles on her?

    how old is the 12v?

    if it's a plugged condensate line, not likely causing codes.

    you need to have them read.
     
  3. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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    There are no stored codes according to my Scanguage II. The Optima battery is about 5 years old, but accessories wouldn't work if it was bad, and they are fine. I know that a plugged condensate line would not in itself cause any problems/codes, but I thought that something hidden might have gotten wet.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    scan gauge doesn't read all the codes. anythings possible, i've just never heard it before. are you saying the battery went from full to empty, in an unusual manner?
     
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The only logical thing that can cause your lights and no start is a bad battery. Check your 12v voltage and maybe replace the Optima now that it's 5 years old.

    Not sure what caused the water leak
     
  6. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Please don't argue based on incorrect assumptions (highlighted above in bold). IMHO, Optimas are shite. They used to be a premium product, but now they are all made by Johnson Controls like every other battery from Walmart or Autozone, and the only thing that sets them apart is their price.

    The Yuasa OEM battery is about $200. It is a WAY better battery than the Optima yellow top.

    Please provide evidence that your 12V is good. Either have it load tested at an auto parts shop. Alternatively, you can pop the hood before you go to bed. Leave your key fob in the house and measure your 12V at the jump points under the hood in the morning (>10 hours after you parked it). Anything under 12.6 is suspect.

    Please confirm your 12V health is good, so we may help you.

    Steve
     
    #6 S Keith, Jun 26, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2016
  7. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Occam's razor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    A 5 year old battery likely needs to be replaced. That much water in the passenger carpet likely caused by spilled liquids and nothing else. Perhaps a water bottle that didn't have its cap completely tightened.
     
  8. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Have you checked the spare tire and 12 V compartments for water?
     
  9. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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    Thanks to ALL who have posted suggestions/questions.
    My 12V Optima tests 12V on the terminals AND at the jump point in the fuse box. Remember, this car has not been started/charged since I shut it off Thursday evening, so I would think that it could drop a bit in nearly 4 days of inactivity other than me turning on the radio and A/C & fan. It has NOT gone down anymore since I checked it Sunday PM. I also connected a fully charged (12V) Cobra Jumpack) at the jump point this morning and I am still getting all the error symbols. There were NO spilled liquids in the passenger foot well. There is no sign of moisture in the tire well, hatch, the 12V battery area, or UNDER the passenger seat. There is no corrosion on the 12V terminals. I have NOT yet removed the 12V for a load test, but have just connected a 2 Amp charger to the12V battery to see if it will go above 12V. The information screen shows the SOC for the traction battery to be 6 blue bars. Saturday PM it was 7 bars of green. The car has 79,800K miles.
     
  10. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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  11. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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    Update!!!
    I had the battery tested at an auto supply store and their test machine showed "slightly low charge", so they put it on their bigger machine which charged the battery for one hour, then load tested it. It ended up with a 12V charge(reading) and passed the load testing. Re-installed in my Prius and everything is still the same: lots of error symbols, no "Ready" choice. Any more ideas?
     
  12. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Thank you for confirming the 12V is working. 12V at the terminals or the jump points is nearly dead.

    Per Bisco's posts #2 and #4 above, you need to read codes.

    Options in my signature.
     
    #12 S Keith, Jun 27, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2016
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  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Check your fuses, see if any are blown from the mysterious liquid. I would think that would be the reason you can't get it started after a 12v reset.

    I've read fuse #14, stop light switch can be suspect
     
  14. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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    UPDATE: After replacing the aux. battery and trying every other suggestion, I searched for a company which could service the traction battery at my home. I found one in Orlando, about 100 miles away. They had a flat price to remove the traction battery, test the aux. battery (which was good), test all modules and attached computer, replace any corroded buss bars, bad modules, and/or attached computer, all for $1295. Their service tech arrived at the appointed time the next day and was blindingly fast! He removed the rear seats to access the battery, removed the battery, computer, and buss bars, tested each module (all were good). He showed me corrosion & "burn" discoloring on the buss bars and computer, replaced the offending buss bars and the computer, reassembled everything (with the assurance that he didn't need to test for operation before reassembling because he was confident that it would work) and, in 35 minutes total, all was reassembled, all trouble lights were gone, and the car instantly started. He force charged the traction battery in Drive with his foot on the brake, which took a minute or so since there was a pretty good charge from when my problems began. I have since driven some 400 miles with no issues. The repairs are guaranteed one year. I could have saved $250 by going with a six month guarantee, but am awaiting an on order Tesla and decided to opt for a guarantee which might correspond with my hoped for delivery of the Tesla.

    BTW: I pulled the condensate drain hose up out of the floor and blew it out with a compressor several times. The first time resulted in a RUSH of dirty water/debris. Subsequent air applications have not resulted in much or any water, even after driving several miles. I have now driven over 400 miles, so I may drive a few miles and blow it out again. I may even crush a "Pro-Treat" or Sludgebuster condensate pan treatment tablet and blow the resulting powder up into the condensate pan/evaporator coil to retard algae growth.

    Thanks for all who offered suggestions. For those in the Southeast US, the company I used is: Hybridbatteryexperts.com. Ph:1.855.522-8837.
     
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  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats, all the best!(y)
     
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You paid $1295 and you have your original battery? For 35 minutes of service?
     
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  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The service tech had to drive 200 miles round trip, so 3-4 hours or so. Also, there is the promise that return visits would be at no charge for one year...
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's a whole new paradigm in battery repair. will be interesting to see how it plays out vs rebuilts like dorman.
     
  19. gcarl

    gcarl Junior Member

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    Having the guarantee, which was verified as being generous by another of their customers, made it worth not having to ship, install, and ship back my old battery to a re-builder like Dorman in another state was worth it to me. Besides, watching this ambidextrous technician work 2 cordless drill/drivers with different sized sockets simultaneously to disassemble/reassemble everything in such short order was very impressive & entertaining. Obviously, he had done this many, many times over the 7+ years he has been doing it and could probably do it all blindfolded. BTW, all my modules tested 7.82-7.85 volts after being idle for over a week, which I thought was pretty good.
     
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