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PiP Couldn't Power Up After 3.5yrs

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Witness, Aug 3, 2017.

  1. Witness

    Witness Active Member

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    Came home to do a quick charge and when I needed to pick up the kids, the dash lights were dim and it made a low whirring sound. Checked the charger, plugged back in and saw no charging light. Tried again and the same thing. Gave up for the time being and borrowed the neighbor's car.

    Coming home and perusing the boards, I thought maybe it was the 12v. Folks were saying to change it by year 4 to preempt being stranded, but given that my 2013 has 158k, the timing didn't quite apply to me. I used the jumper cable and the car booted right up. Drove around and everything is fine, that is until I turned it off. Check engine light came on and then it beeped at me. Soon after there was no power. I did some info gathering, so this post is really for the folks that encounters the same issue I did as kind of a guide.

    Crawling to release the trunk is no fun. The manual release is inside that little well at the end of the trunk. Pop the cover off and fell around for a little switch. I can't see it, but based on the two times I opened the trunk this way, it's a small lever I think you tilt sideways and is located what seemed like slightly lower than the opening. The 12v battery is located on the rear corner on the passenger side. You'll have to pull two plastic covers off and you'll need a 10mm socket wrench and a small 10mm wrench as well for the negative terminal - there's almost no space to work with. Pull off the negative first, then the positive terminal. Spend $189 on that pricey battery - I have that yellow top Optima. Install positive first, then negative. The dashboard should light up when you make the connection.

    It was a PITA doing something as simple as a battery change. Tight space, overly tightened nuts and dealing with those couple panels. It did make me think about a few things that happened prior to the battery dying.
    • That afternoon after using Chargepoint, I noticed that it didn't charge - only 0.05kw and then it stopped. I suppose it needs the 12v just to operate the electronics to accept the charge
    • I've gotten a couple of those dreaded "Check Hybrid System Stop The Vehicle, etc" messages which I attributed to malfunctioning Chargepoint ports. Perhaps this was a warning that the 12v was failing?
    Anyways, it's all fine now. I'm sad that it didn't retain my Trip Mileage which I use to track at every fill-up. Even more sad that the EV vs HV % also reset - it makes me happy to see how many miles I've driven by EV since I bought the car. Hope this post helps someone else.
     
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  2. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Yes to both. It uses the 12v to charge and a failing 12v throws random codes essentially. The car gave you warnings, they were ignored, then you got to spend extra time fiddling about. Oh well, lesson hopefully learned.

    When I read the title I was intrigued because I thought you let a PiP sit idle for 3.5 years and the HV battery discharged to where it wouldn't kick on the ICE. Oh well.
     
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  3. Witness

    Witness Active Member

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    I wouldn't say that that error immediately points to the 12v battery failing several weeks back. A full charge on my OEM charger cleared it. Well, now I know.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    well done! (y)btw, you can put 12v to the jump point under the hood and open the hatch.
    sorry you lost your data, i treasure that as well.
     
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  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    IIRC, charging the traction battery also charges the 12V.

    I suppose that Toyota could have programmed in a message telling the driver when the 12V goes low. Problem is, when the 12V goes low, the computers become like brains starved for oxygen and they say stupid stuff, so you can't trust the messages from power starved computers. You just say, "Hey, this car's acting weird. I'd better get it checked out." ;)
     
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  6. Witness

    Witness Active Member

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    Yep, it trickle charges the 12v when we plug in. I was thinking that a battery check, similar to what some in the forums have mentioned about the voltage would be nice. Then again, Toyota would like you to visit their Service Centers, so I'm pretty sure some of these things are by design. I bet this would have cost $500 for the diagnostic, battery and installation.

    Now that I know what to look for, I'll be able to help others here.
     
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  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    They definitely want us in the service centers. But it shouldn't cost $500. Last time I got a new battery, my car was in for other stuff, so I had one put in it. It was about $200 or so.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    $400. Seems to. E the lucky Prius battery number at a dealer.
    I'm just glad they were able to move the battery under the hood on gen four.
    That's why regular voltage checks are part of my maintenance routine.
     
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  9. Witness

    Witness Active Member

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    $200? What kind of battery are they putting in - that's only $20 more than the one I bought. San Francisco Bay Area though, so prices are definitely going vary.

    That's good. Battery in the rear is a pain in the rear...
     
  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's from memory. It may have been more like $250. It was the Toyota battery.
     
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not dealer installed?
     
  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Yes, dealer installed. This place is pretty reasonable. I'd have to dig up the receipt and that's over a year ago, but I think it was in the $250 range.
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that is an amazing price!
     
  14. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    They sell 0W20 Toyota synthetic for like $4/quart and the filter is less than Amazon.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, terrible dealers, but great service and parts prices?
     
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  16. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Never bought a car there. And I probably won't since I don't buy new and Todd's right down the road. But I've had good experience with the service & parts people. Took the wife's car in for the steering recall. The did the big inspection. Just pointed out that it was weeping slightly around the timing chain cover but said to not worry about it unless it drips and the noted that the brake pads were down to about half way. No attempt at all to sell me anything. They do tend to send a lot of mail, but I don't mind that.
     
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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mail is good, you don't have to argue with it before you throw it away.
     
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