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Prius won't start - (Not a bad battery)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015.

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  1. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    My wife was driving her 2008 Gen II Prius and stopped at an intersection. The car died.
    She had it towed back home, and I have been able to do all of the following:
    1) Checked 12v battery voltage. Battery was bad - approx. 10.4 volts.
    2) Switched battery with my other Prius (checked voltage first, and that battery was 12.4v and other Prius starts fine).
    Car won't start.
    3) Pressed brake "very hard" and pushed Start button. --- Car won't start. No lights on dashboard.
    4) Checked voltage of battery again with digital volt meter -- 12.4v
    5) Checked headlights -- Very bright.
    6) Checked dome light -- Very bright.
    7) Checked door locks -- Locks & unlocks rapidly.
    8) Checked emergency flashers -- All lights blink/flash brightly.
    9) Made sure all features listed above are off, pressed brake pedal, pushed Start button again -- Car won't start. No lights on dashboard.
    10 Checked voltage of battery again -- 12.4v
    11) Tried other key FOB -- Car won't start. No lights on dashboard.
    12) Replaced battery on key FOB -- Car won't start. No lights on dashboard.
    13) Pushed Start button without depressing brake (to try to initiate accessory mode) -- No accessory mode. No lights on dashboard.
    14) Checked voltage of battery again -- 12.4v

    ??? Is there a fuse or a relay or something that I should check? EVERYTHING powered by the 12v battery seems to work very well (since I switched batteries with my other Prius). Why won't the car start?

    Keep in mind, my wife was actually driving the car, and stopped at an intersection when the car died. Does this piece of information point to anything in particular (like a fuse or something)?
    HELP !!!
     
    #1 SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Wow what a lot of time spent. Are there warning lights? You can read the codes and find your problem.

    A guess would be the car ran out of gas or the inverter pump failed.
     
    #2 JC91006, Aug 25, 2015
  3. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    Thanks for the input JC.

    No, there are warning lights. ... No lights on the dashboard at all. If I push the emergency flasher button, then both the left-turn arrow and the right-turn arrow flash on & off as the exterior turn signal lights flash. But other than that, no lights on dashboard. ... So that includes no warning lights.

    Car has gas.

    I don't know what an inverter pump is. Do these symptoms sound like an inverter pump?
     
    #3 SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    An inverter pump failure would have a warning light. This is very odd for the car to just die. You s sure it has at least 5 gallons of fuel in it?
     
    #4 JC91006, Aug 25, 2015
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Actually before you changed the battery, were there any warning lights on? Once you changed the battery, it would erase the codes on the car's memory
     
    #5 JC91006, Aug 25, 2015
  6. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    I don't know if it has 5 gallons, but it isn't empty. Is there something special about having at least 5 gallons when replacing a dead battery? Besides, the car shouldn't just die at an intersection just because the fuel tank is at about half.

    Granted, I tested the 12v battery with a digital volt meter, and it was essentially dead (barely over 10v). But after installing a good battery, I get nothing. Not a single light on the dash when pressing the Start Button.
     
    #6 SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015
  7. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    I don't know if there were any codes before changing the battery. My wife was driving the car, and by the time I came home from work and gave it a try, nothing would light up on the dashboard.
     
    #7 SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Do your headlights turn on?

    If you run out of fuel, the car needs 5 gallons in there before it'll start.

    You can also check the negative cable that bolts to the car body from your 12v battery, make sure that's rust free and tightly bolted

    If all checks out, then you probably have a bad combination meter. That would shut down all your odometer lights, as if the car had died but didn't really die (cause it's running on battery and quiet)
     
    #8 JC91006, Aug 25, 2015
  9. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    Already checked the negative (ground) cable. It's in like-new condition, perfectly shiny, and tightly connected to the car.
     
    #9 SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I think there's a clue, in that the original battery was near dead. Other'n that I'm clueless.
     
    #10 Mendel Leisk, Aug 25, 2015
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's your combination meter
     
    #11 JC91006, Aug 25, 2015
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    A bad battery won't stop the car while it's running
     
    #12 JC91006, Aug 25, 2015
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  13. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    I just tried jumper cables to another car (Jeep). I was VERY careful not to reverse polarity. Same results.
    It's definitely NOT a dead battery issue.
     
    #13 SilverHCIC, Aug 25, 2015
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Turn it around: maybe something happening in the car drained the battery?
     
    #14 Mendel Leisk, Aug 26, 2015
  15. roamerr

    roamerr Member

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    It's not 12v battery. Could be combo meter but that would not stop the info/radio display from coming on. Take it to your dealer. That's about the only way unless you can read the codes (which may now be reset). You can always just have dealer diagnosis.


    iPhone ?
     
    #15 roamerr, Aug 26, 2015
  16. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    Have you tried with the fob put into the slot? Does your Prius have the keyless start system? Does the security indicator red light flash?
     
    #16 valde3, Aug 26, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2015
  17. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    what happens if you just push the start button with no brake? Then try putting the fob in the house and try to start the car normally with no fob in the car. Does it throw the yellow "no key" icon?

    Sounds like an immobilizer ecu failure.

    Has car ever been repaired after an accident? And lastly has car ever had mouse infestation (lots of reports of mouse infestation with wire damage) Pull the cabin air filter out and look for mouse stuff then take the cover off the engine air cleaner and look in there.
     
    #17 edthefox5, Aug 26, 2015
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    are you going to try to fix this yourself? if so, get a mini vci from amazon and an old windows laptop.
     
    #18 bisco, Aug 26, 2015
  19. SilverHCIC

    SilverHCIC Junior Member

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    Hi valde3,
    Yes, I tried putting the key in the slot (my Prius is older, and the FOB must be in the slot).
    Yes, the small red security light flashes like usual.

    I also tried pushing the Start button without the FOB in the slot -- Same result. Car won't start. No lights on dashboard.
    I do not get a yellow "no key" icon. When I insert the FOB into the slot, the little green leds on both sides of the key slot light up. I think the key FOB is being recognized fine.
    What is an immobilizer ecu failure?
     
    #19 SilverHCIC, Aug 26, 2015
  20. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    Do you get the no key light without the key in the slot?
     
    #20 valde3, Aug 26, 2015
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