1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

New 12 volt, no lights, no jump start, need help

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Brett Martz, Sep 1, 2022.

  1. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I’m in a jam. 2005 Prius 155,000 miles. Replaced hybrid three years ago with green bean battery. It has a lifetime warranty. Recently I started having trouble with 12 volt. I noticed there was water leaking in. Sometimes it would not start not after tightening 12 volt connections it would start fine. Then last Friday it stopped for good. I had battery tested and they said there was a bad cell. I purchased a new 12 volt and installed but car still will not start. I let it sit with battery in all night and the next day was able to start it. I even put in reverse and drive and then turned off. I have not been able to start it again. I also found evidence of mouse infestation. I pulled out all interior and dash and did not see any evidence of mouse damage other than cabin air filter. And some foam insulation. I am going to try and see if I can get it started again and try to run a scanner to catch codes. The exclamation point was on while I if it running the brief time. I am purchasing a voltmeter and renting a scanner tonight. Are you able to help me solve my problem? I can answer any questions and upload any pics needed. Thank you. First time here, really need help.
     
  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    7,448
    3,751
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Double-check the connections at the 12 V battery. There are three connection points to check – the two terminals on the battery itself and where the negative connects to the car body. These all should be clean and tight. If any are loose again, undo the bolt so it is really loose then force the clamp open with a screwdriver or a pry bay then reattach to the battery terminal and ensure the clamp slides all the way to the bottom of the terminal post. Use a socket or the closed end of a box wrench to tighten the clamp up good and tight and make sure you don't lever the clamp off/up from the bottom of the terminal post.

    Use a volt meter while you're there and measure the voltage of the battery. What is the voltage with everything off? What is it when you switch the headlight on to high beam?

    Report back what you find.
     
    #2 dolj, Sep 2, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2022
  3. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2020
    3,206
    1,339
    0
    Location:
    NJ-USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    If the car sounded "like it was running" for about 10 seconds then stopped- it was probably never running. Prius uses the MG1 motor in the transaxle to spin the engine at 1000rpm when it wants to start.

    Lots of things can prevent the engine from running. Out of gas, bad fuel pump, dirty throttle body or MAF sensor, etc.

    If you keep trying to get the engine running without finding and fixing the problem, then you will discharge the HV battery and you'll be really stuck.

    You should have a scantool that can pull codes from all the 15+ ecu's on a gen2 prius.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Connections look good. Voltmeter reads 12.38 on the battery with and without lights turned on with high beams. I also don’t see any lights. Only sound I get is the repeated underlying humming the Prius normally does after being shut off or before being turned on.

    The only trouble light that was on the car before it stopped was mainly read because I need to do an oil change. I change with full synthetic every 5,000 miles. There is an 02 sensor that flashes a light when it rains but other than that things have been good. I cleaned mafp sensor not long ago.

    I’m almost positive I had is started for a second as I heard the gas motor start up. There is plenty of fresh gas.

    I have tried plenty of times. I have a scanner but cannot run it unless I get the pc on. I did not have the scanner until after I got it running for a minute yesterday or I would have plugged it in then.
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I found this broken fuse. Could this be my whole issue? Can I replace?
     
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    7,797
    1,349
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    He has 12.3 you're good lights on or off whatever when the car's on and ready then you should see about 13 and a half 14 and a half somewhere in there generally looking for the high side of 13 to 14.5. so something else is going on I believe you probably did hear the gas motor and if it shut right back off that's pretty normal sitting in the driveway but actually maybe not with as long as yours has been off mine that stays relatively charged all the time if I go out and start it in the driveway and don't move it it'll shut right off practically it's an '09.
     
  7. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    7,797
    1,349
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Boy I tell you when I got it started and was backing up I would have slapped that bad boy into drive and had to go to the stop sign and back at least. Because sound something sounds fishy as h a l e. But I'm sure you will get to the bottom of it . Ohio car should be relatively in decent shape I would think no big rust blowouts or anything like that?
     
  8. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,058
    5,783
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Interesting to see it's been converted to a standard 12v battery Group 51?
    Try checking the "12v" voltage at the underhood fuse box, that's where the 12v battery cable connects. Make certain it's good there.

    When you say you're unable to start it, do you mean the dash lights up but you're not able to get it to ready? Is the 'exclamation point' the red triangle?

    Try unplugging the big quick connect at the + terminal of the 12v battery for a minute, reconnect it and see what the car does.
    If you had the red triangle, and it's due to a P0AA6 code, it will only let you start the car one time, then locks it out. That can be reset by disconnecting the 12v battery.

    I have tried plenty of times. I have a scanner but cannot run it unless I get the pc on. I did not have the scanner until after I got it running for a minute yesterday or I would have plugged it in then.

    I'm a bit confused by your description of symptoms. Does the above statement mean that even your dashboard is not turning on? You get in the car, put your foot on the brake, press the power button and nothing at all happens?
     
  9. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Yes, nothing is turning on even my dashboard. The only sound I hear is the brake assembly I believe getting power. I found a broken and corroded main fuse. I uploaded a pic but it is waiting for moderator approval to post. I have been trying a couple days on the same battery now so I wonder if I have drained the 12 volt some as well as the other problems because I had lights when I first started trying.

    I know. I should have driven it when I got it running! That was not smart to just turn it back off.

    No big rust spots. There was water leaking in trunk battery compartment and in hood and there was a mouse nest in the cabin air filter and spare tire bay. I pulled out interior, dash, and looked underneath at wiring. The blown main fuse is the only thing I saw. I have ordered another fusible link block assembly $80 and will install on arrival this Wednesday.

    Should I take the 12 volt off and get it charged to make sure I am ready to start when the fuse arrives?

    Yes, I recently changed to the Size 51 12 volt as the old battery had a bad call but was not that old. Could the corrosion have caused the issue in my old battery. I only switched to the 51 to save money.
     
    #9 Brett Martz, Sep 2, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2022
  10. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    6B0BF46D-79AF-4A9E-850C-0B436F7E3971.jpeg image.jpg Here is the pic of the broken fuse I found.
     
    #10 Brett Martz, Sep 2, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2022
  11. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    7,797
    1,349
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    That looks like moisture or water or the terrarium effect has happened under your fuse box cover or maybe you'll tell me the fuse box cover's been missing for years so you see in each one of those holes the square ones not the rectangular ones there's an eyeball or a blob of snot of metal that will burn up when that section goes bad I think on mine there's a clear plastic cover over all that so that you can lift the fuse box up and look at all the main fuses right there and see that they're all good if one is burnt that blob of stuff will be melted and gone
     
  12. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    7,797
    1,349
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    It looks like I'm not trying it with mine but I'm out here looking at mine and I see a nut down by the row of many fuses and then the plastic cover that's on mine that's missing on yours so mine is clean inside it looks like this whole thing could lift up if you had the nut undone or the bolt over here undone which is directly across from the yellow plug on the inverter there's a bolt and then this whole thing of fusible links and if you take the nut under the red cover off and move the copper piece up and back this whole white piece will come out it looks like I haven't tried it but I have an extra fuse box here if you need that part I should be able to ⁰
     
  13. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Yes, water has definitely been in the fuse box and I will seal it and the hood where water is coming in going forward. I ordered one on Amazon for $80 but it doesn’t come until Wednesday. I found this video on YouTube that seems pretty straightforward to change it out.(I can’t post the link from YouTube yet because I’ve only been a member one day)

    should I do anything else to prepare for the part swap?
     
    bisco likes this.
  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,478
    4,374
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    The car uses electric only in Reverse. That fuse box looks like it has been underwater. Was the car driven through high water or recently purchased?

    A momentary reversed polarity jump will blow the main fuse and many others. Fuses don't just blow for no reason or because of age. Something happened and should be remedied.
     
    #14 rjparker, Sep 2, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2022
  15. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    7,797
    1,349
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    There's that and then you could use your DVOM to check across all those master fuses in that white thing real quickly just to see how many are blown I would want to know that just because and then maybe try to trace down why is there not a cover on the fuse box maybe it was left in the trunk for a length of time and you know I mean water can get under the hood of a Prius without a big problem it doesn't hurt the one NZ system at all The fuse box doesn't need to be sealed it naturally will not take on water that happened by the cover being off or somebody filling the cover with water and forgetting and just sticking it on the fuse box quickly and letting the water just fall into the box directly because they're not very bright I mean I don't know but I live in North Carolina which seems like worse than Oregon rain here now it rains and rains and rains in the humidity is higher and higher and it rains more trees fall out of the ground by the roots because the ground so wet none of my fuse boxes are electronics get wet none of the interiors of my cars get wet. But do check the plug back in the right rear corner just above the ductwork for the cooling fan that plug back there likes to rot need to make sure that's direct wired fixed correctly whatever
     
  16. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,058
    5,783
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    That fusible link is the one that blows when you connect a battery or jumper cables backwards......every time.
    Kind of coincidental the battery was recently worked on..?
    I have 12 of those sitting on the shelf 3 feet away from me, lol.

    It also typically pops two more fuses in the fuse box, so you should check them all.

    you really need to get a cover on that fuse box, but it may already be too late. It looks a mess.....
     
  17. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2019
    1,331
    405
    0
    Location:
    Southern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Check the ground strap from the 12V battery to the frame. If that is corroded or loose you can measure "12V" here and there, but it may not be able to sustain enough current to do what a 12V battery needs to do.

    Also, given the extensive corrosion in your fuse box, it would also be a good idea to examine the other wiring in that vicinity and under the hood in general. Some of the ground straps may consist mostly of powdered oxidized copper which is only held in place by the "wire's" rubber insulation.
     
  18. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,058
    5,783
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    The noise you hear is the ABS pump running non-stop due to the blown fusible link and whatever other fuses are blown in the underhood fuse box. I'm telling you this FROM EXPERIENCE, not guess work or I think.. That pump is going to drain your 12v battery very very quickly. You need to pull the two ABS relays to get the pump to stop running or just disconnect the 12v battery until you get the fusible link fixed and any other fuses replaced.
     
  19. Brett Martz

    Brett Martz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2022
    20
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thank you. Can you instruct me how to check all fuses?
     
  20. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    7,448
    3,751
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Set your DMV to the resistance position. Pull out a fuse (do them one at a time so they come out of and go back into the right slot) and check the resistance by placing the meter probes one on each tab of the fuse. A good fuse will have zero (or close to) Ohms (Ω) resistance. A blown fuse (also called an open fuse) will have infinite Ω resistance. While you are there, check you have battery voltage at the fuse. To do this, set your DCM to the volt position and select the 20 V range. Place the black probe on a bare metal part of the car body (one of the strut bolts to the rear of the fuse box is perfect for this) and probe where the fuse tabs go in. One side should show battery voltage. If both of these tests show OK, then replace the fuse and test the next one. Rinse and repeat until you've tested all fuses.

    Hope that helps.