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Prius V 2013 will not start - I have tried many things

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by HelpMeFixMyPriusV2013, Oct 9, 2021.

  1. HelpMeFixMyPriusV2013

    Joined:
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    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    N/A
    Let me explain my situation with my Prius V 2013.

    I went to pick it up after it had been left in a parking garage. Unfortunately, the person who I was picking it up from left on the back interior light. The battery died. Full dead. I had someone come and jump the car, in this parking garage, and it gave it just enough juice to display it in accessory mode. No luck, it did not turn over. A second person came to jump it, and we left the jumpers on the battery for about 15 minutes in hopes of charging it or giving it enough juice. Still, it did not give. I even walked miles to grab a few gallons of gas, because the person I was picking it up from seems to have left no gas in it and left the light on. Even with gas it still did not turn over. It is stuck in a tight parking garage 50 miles away from me. So a typical tow truck cannot fit into the garage. I will need a wheel lift variety of tow truck to get it out. But I am not ready to do that until I have tried everything.

    This all was on September 14th. I returned a week later and fully replaced the battery with a brand new one. Now, when I put my foot on the break, as I would do to ignite and start the engine, I only can get into accessory mode. The engine will not start. There were no prior issues with the car. I concede it was left in a parking garage inactive for 7 days with the light draining the battery and no gas, and this seems to have definitely caused a problem with the car being able to ignite and turn over.

    This is where I ask for help.

    So, the Prius has a brand new battery, the tank has enough gasoline in it. But will not turn over.

    If anyone can give me troubleshooting suggestions to try before I return to try and fix it, I would be so appreciative. I am willing to try anything.

    I will make a list of things to try before I resort to towing it. I am praying the fix is not major and that I can fix this for less than it will cost to tow.

    Thanks.
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    This might be a place to ask for more details, because ordinarily, when you want accessory mode, that isn't how you get it. Accessory mode is where you are if you leave your foot off the brake, and press the power button one time.

    You can confirm you're in accessory mode because the radio should work then.

    There is another mode, ON mode, that you get to with a second push of the power button, still with your foot off the brake. In ON mode, you should be able to see some dash lights, use the turn signals, and such.

    You can probably sense where I'm going with this: it would be good to know if you really can get to accessory mode (the official way), and from there to ON mode (the official way). Neither of those is the same as READY mode (where you push the button with your foot on the brake), but it will be helpful to pin down which modes will work, and which ones won't, and precisely what does happen when you try the ones that won't.
     
  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Vehicle:
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    Three
    You really need Ready mode, the system won't start the engine immediately although it will usually within a minute of Ready. If you can't get Ready nothing else will happen. Sometimes it takes several tries to get Ready after a battery change.

    1. What is the 12v voltage at the engine fuse box jump point?

    2. Do the Stop lights work?

    Those two answers tell a lot about the electrical system.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    could this person of interest, who left a light on and no gas have done any other damage?
     
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Almost sounds like they left the car in Ready and left. Its not easy unless they left the car unlocked, but the engine will usually be off when you park. Then the engine burns through the gas.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    good point, very easy to do when unfamiliar with hybrids. might need more gas, 3 gallon minimum maybe?
     
  7. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Let's assume for a moment that the person who left the car at the parking garage actually did leave the car parked in "Ready Mode". Eventually the car would run out of gas. I think at that point the Hybrid Battery would try to keep the 12 volt battery alive. Eventually, the Hybrid Battery might also reach zero. If the Hybrid battery does reach zero, the car is a brick until the high voltage Hybrid battery has enough juice in it to "turn over" the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Without the ICE running, the Hybrid Battery won't charge. The OP would then need a 200 volt jumpstart.

    I also would like to raise the possibility that the first attempt to jumpstart the Prius may have been done incorrectly, causing damage to the car itself (to the inverter?). Old school cars could take a momentary jolt at reverse polarity, but not a Prius. That is why Jump boxes (that detect wrong polarity) are recommended. Hoping this is not the case.

    As for towing, now that the car has a charged 12 volt battery, it can probably be put into Neutral, even if you don't have Ready mode. You will need to if you have your foot on the brake as you move the shifter to Neutral. Doing this would allow the car to be pushed to a part of the garage where the tow truck can winch it onto its bed. I know this the hard way, because of my misfortune on Thursday Night with my 2013 Prius V, when its Hybrid Battery went to zero.