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Touch screen monitor malfunctioning

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by plastermaster, Apr 5, 2015.

  1. plastermaster

    plastermaster Junior Member

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    I had my 07 prius detailed today and it looks real nice BUT, I started it up afterwards and the touchscreen was in diagnostic mode and the warning lights on the dash were acting up. The warning lights seem to be OK now except that the tire pressure indicator flickers like it is partially shorted. The issue with the touch screen is that it alternates every 10-15 seconds between diagnostic mode and the regular display but only when the ICE is running. If I am just sitting in shutdown idle ( like at a stop light) it behaves fine.

    I did a battery diagnostic and the battery reads 12.3
    When I press the power again to power it up fully in accessory mode (foot not on brake) the battery drops down to 12.1. So it seems the battery is OK so far.
    When I power on completely with foot on the brake I should get another reading of 13.6 to 14.4 but what happens is the display goes out of diagnostic mode so I cant get that reading. My reason for checking the battery was that the detailer had the doors open for a few hours and also it was a way to get into diagnostic mode to see if that alone would straighten things out. Which it didn't

    I assume the detailer either pressed different buttons in a way that screwed things up with some weird command, or else he got some water where it shouldn't be. I don't think he sprayed water in the engine bay, because I saw him using air, but perhaps he did later or maybe used steam.

    I took it out on the freeway for about 10-15 minutes but that had no effect on things.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks
    Ron
     
    #1 plastermaster, Apr 5, 2015
  2. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    Unhook the 12v and hope it drops out of the modes it's shifting around in after you hook it up again.
     
    #2 ursle, Apr 5, 2015
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did you wash the engine bay? also, those 12v readings sound sketchy.
     
    #3 bisco, Apr 5, 2015
  4. plastermaster

    plastermaster Junior Member

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    From what I have gathered the battery readings are on the sketchy side of normal. I believe the first reading should have been at least 12.4 rather than .3, but also the doors had been open for a few hours while being worked on. This is the original 12 V and I have 185K on it.

    I was thinking of disconnecting it but also thought if that didn't work it might be better to have the codes uncleared for diagnostic at the dealer if this doesn't go away on its own. I assume there has been water where it shouldn't have been.
     
    #4 plastermaster, Apr 5, 2015
  5. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    The battery diagnostics via MFD isn't accurate, but it gives one an idea. Yup its on the low side: 12.3V, then 12.1V as you reported. Recharge the battery if you have an appropriate charger. If you don't have one, you should consider getting one, as long as you plan to operate a car. Can't go wrong w/ either charger below:

    Ctek makes a solid charger and its ideal for AGM batteries (like the Prius): compact size, 4.3amp charge rate, battery clamps, permanent pigtail battery post attachment, manufacture says its 8 step recharging process is able to desulfate and recondition, and fully automatic. It can charge traditional wet cell 12V batterys, but the charge rate of 4.3amps is too low/slow for my liking. Can recharge the same types of batteries (wet/agm/gel) like the Schumacher below. Prices have come down a lot too; close to $100 when I bought my Schumacher instead.


    I got this Schumacher SSC-1500a-ca b/c I felt it was more versatile (larger charge rate of 15amp) and cheaper then the Ctek at time of purchase ($50 vs <$100). Fully automatic, supposedly able to desulfate, 3amp/15amp charge rate, wet/agm/gell battery types.

    Assuming you bought the car in 2007, given the model year of 2007, your battery is 8 years old. You should plan to replace soon. Look for dealer %off coupons. Hooman Toyota (Long Beach, CA) has regular 20/15/10/5% off coupons, and dealers say they will meet/beat other dealer prices. Parts Specials - Toyota Specials serves Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Lakewood, Westminster - Hooman Toyota of Long Beach
    Another PriusChat member reminded me about the Costco, 15% off Toyota parts at select dealerships. I'm sure AAA has a similar program.

    You can also try getting a local dealer who has an online presence to price match or significantly drop their price on the 12V battery. You can read my story here: 12V Battery Upgrade: non-Smart Key (35A h) to Smart Key (45A h) | PriusChat

    If you don't have SKS, it will be cheaper to still buy the SKS battery (45Amp hr) and a new battery tray vs non-SKS battery (35Amp hr). You could make this upgrade even cheaper by cutting the bottom battery tray tie down, to accommodate the larger size of the 45Amp hr. I completely forgot that Briprius did this for his battery upgrade using a mobility AGM battery (60Amp hr).
     
    #5 exstudent, Apr 5, 2015
  6. plastermaster

    plastermaster Junior Member

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    I don't have much to go on to know what the voltage SHOULD read. The extent of my research on battery diagnostics is this you tube link:


    This recommends the battery be at least 12.4 unloaded, but in the vid shows his new battery being 12.3 so its a little confusing. It all makes more sense though in light of Exstudents posting that the MFD isn't really accurate.

    I'm about to see how its behaving after sitting all night and I will disconnect the battery if it is still switching back and forth.

    Thanks for the recommendations on battery replacements and chargers. I will look into that more.
     
    #6 plastermaster, Apr 5, 2015
  7. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Get a DVM (Digital Volt Meter); buy or borrow one. Get a reading at the battery terminals (most accurate, but a little inconvenient), or at the jump points in the engine compartment (a little less accurate, but convenient).

    Get these three readings when the car has sat for some time, or overnight:
    1) no load reading
    2) accessory reading (small load)- NO depressed brake pedal, Power button pressed once.
    3) IG-ON reading (greater load) - NO depressed brake pedal, Power Button pressed a second time from #2 above.
     
    #7 exstudent, Apr 5, 2015
  8. plastermaster

    plastermaster Junior Member

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    I was going to disconnect the battery to reset things today but when I powered up all was well after sitting all night. More indication that it was just water problems.

    I do have a multimeter at home and will check it out when I get back in a couple days. I was a able to get a charging reading today on the touchscreen, and it read 14.4 I'm pretty amazed that my battery is still doing its job even if I am on borrowed time and with lowish readings. With money being tight at this time I am wondering if there are indications that warn of impending battery doom or what they might be. The only time I remember replacing batteries in any of my past cars was due to sudden failure from leaving lights on or in the case of my old diesel truck, my glow plugs would wear out and work the battery to death with excessive use of the starter motor.

    One other thing I noticed with all this is that the digital speedometer, gas gauge, and gear indicator display is now appearing with pin cushion distortion. Any idea what could cause this? I remember it happening once b4 a few years ago, but it went away on its own. I figure it is another malfunction from low voltage or else the plastic lens moved somehow and is distorting the image behind.
     
    #8 plastermaster, Apr 5, 2015
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    my daughters '08 read 12.2 this morning, after sitting all night, and everything works fine. i told her she should get a new battery before winter, as cold weather could be the death knell. at low 12's, you're just an incident away from not starting. is it causing your display problems? possible, but no way to know.
     
    #9 bisco, Apr 5, 2015
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