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Oops: car will not turn on after DIY maintenance

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by SageBrush, Dec 10, 2010.

  1. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    2012 Prius v wagon
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    Symptom: pressing the power button has no effect

    What did I do ?
    Changed the serpentine belt
    Changed the ATF
    Drained the inverter coolant
    Put in a new inverter coolant pump

    As part of the coolant replacement procedure I filled up the plastic container and opened the bleeder valve a couple of times. Then I went to put the car in IG-ON for a few seconds as recommended -- and no response. I looked at the fuse relay box and did not see any coolant contamination, and my 12v looks ok without any corrosion. The battery is about a year old. I also rechecked that the inverter pump's electrics are seated securely. My SKS fob does not work to open the hatch, and manual insertion into the key slot does not fix the problem. In case it matters, the car sat overnight without coolant. I had to wait for sunlight this morning.

    The car is acting like the 12v is dead, or a major fuse is tripped.

    Ideas ? Thanks!
     
    #1 SageBrush, Dec 10, 2010
  2. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    Sounds like you ran the battery down? Try jumping it.You know the procedure! H
     
    #2 Hal W, Dec 10, 2010
  3. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Right you were Hal. I was able to complete the air purging from the coolant just be hooking up cables between the Prius and our Subaru. I kept the Subaru off as a precaution. Surprising to me, I was able to start the Prius after I finished purging without turning on the Subaru.

    I am not sure what caused the Prius 12v to run down; the last drive was only 3 days ago and I did not find any other phantom drains. I'll have to check the 12v health this week.
     
    #3 SageBrush, Dec 10, 2010
  4. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    If you need to get a new battery, I would recommend Wal-Mart EverStart Maxx. Also, check the manufacturing date and make sure that it's a fresh one.
     
    #4 Gokhan, Dec 10, 2010
  5. BAllanJ

    BAllanJ Active Member

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    Which won't fit a prius. People here recommend the elearnaid yellowtop or the toyota one. If you think you might want to try charging it by running it for a while, just leave the car in ready mode for many hours, no need to drive around.
     
    #5 BAllanJ, Dec 10, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  6. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Thanks. The Japanese S46B24R battery equivalent is a Size 51 battery. Sears has it but I don't know if Wal-Mart would have it. Also, the OEM battery has a peculiar ventilation hose attached to it.
     
    #6 Gokhan, Dec 10, 2010
  7. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    And I'd bet that the posts are a different size.
     
    #7 richard schumacher, Dec 12, 2010
  8. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    This an actual recommendation for jump starting a motorcycle from a car.
     
    #8 fotomoto, Dec 12, 2010
  9. born2pdl

    born2pdl Junior Member

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    Why didn't you have the dealer change the pump. If I understand it correctly, there is a new service campaign where toyota will change the inverter pump at no cost to you.
     
    #9 born2pdl, Dec 13, 2010
  10. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    I think they are the same, as Toyota uses both Japanese and US batteries. Besides battery-post clamps are more or less adjustable.
     
    #10 Gokhan, Dec 13, 2010
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Prius is manufactured in Japan, so the 12V batteries come from a Japanese manufacturer. Those batteries have post terminals that have a much smaller diameter than a "normal" battery.

    The Prius battery clamps will not fit a "normal" battery, that is why it is necessary to replace the battery terminal connectors if an owner wishes to install a non-standard battery.
     
    #11 Patrick Wong, Dec 13, 2010
  12. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    I could have, but I had the pump already and saw little reason to enrich the dealer at Toyota's expense. Also, I enjoy little DIY car projects with the Prius. This is the first car I have started to maintain myself rather than pay others, and each job teaches me a little. I am of course still quite the hopeless noob without a *lot* of help from this site as this thread demonstrates, but getting better.
     
    #12 SageBrush, Dec 13, 2010
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    None of us were born knowing how to service the Prius. I am impressed by those members who have selected the Prius as their first car to work on, as its hybrid drivetrain is not the easiest to understand.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, Dec 13, 2010
  14. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Well, in my noob defense, I have stayed far away from the hybrid components lol.
    It is true though that intense interest in understanding the Prius engineering was the motivation that encouraged me to start maintaining the car. I might pop up that inverter cover yet.
     
    #14 SageBrush, Dec 14, 2010
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