Y'all probably can't help, I just wanna complain

I'm dying over here. Mostly from the heat, and my bad back bending over this short car, but I've never seen anything like I'm going through with this 100a DC/DC fuse.

I got it all out - PITA, but I got it. Reached underneath to disconnect all the connectors, trusting that they'd only go back in one way because you can't see anything. Toyota charged me $16 for a 50cent fuse.

So, I'm putting it all back together and get all the connectors in easily, except one. It's black with a single blade. It's pointing right at a socket that looks like it should fit, right in front of the 100a fuse block, but I've been trying for two hours to make it go in the hole.

There is another socket with nothing in it, and it fits in that hole easily, but that one is way on the other side, up against the firewall and there's no way the wire for this connector will stretch that far. I got it to by removing the 100a, removing the fuse box, and turning it around so that connector could reach it. I've checked for slack as far back as the wire goes, and there's not any. And, again, the way it's been shaped from being in the car, it's a natural fit for that socket, pointed right at it.

Why the heck does Toyota not put slack in those wires? There should be enough slack to connect everything, then wiggle the entire fuse box back in its place. They do the same thing with the inverter pump hoses. Just adding a few inches of extra hose would make that job way easier. Is there really such a cost savings that they can't add a little extra length.

So, does anyone know where that single-blade connector fits? Is there any chance that it's just a loose wire, and doesn't connect to anything? I didn't count how many connectors I unplugged, and there is at least one extra socket, unless I've lost a connector somewhere.

Of course, the last thing I want to do is plug it in the wrong socket. I thought these would only go in one socket each, but if this one goes in the socket it's pointed at, that means it will fit in two sockets.

I guess I have to go through the PITA to remove the fuse box from one of my parts cars, just to confirm where that wire goes. I've connected a lot of wires in my time, and had problems with many connectors - usually in removing them - but never anything like this.

 

Did I just escape dying somehow? I didn't pull the HV battery plug when doing this, just disconnected the 12v. Still haven't got it back together, but the new 100a is installed, and I don't really see how I can get shocked just plugging the connectors back in.

 

Well, I've always admitted being stupid and senile. That black connector goes into the bottom of the 100a fuse block. Since there were already wires going to it, I didn't think about it, and the socket is way up inside where you can't see it.

So, everything is fixed except my brake issue. I'm assuming I've burnt one of the relays, since I've checked all the fuses, but I'm going to look at the wiring diagram and check them all again, then sway in relays from my parts car. Almost there!

 

Don't be trying to make me think I'm no more stupid than the average guy, lol. I have too much evidence backing me up.

 

Success! There was one fuse I didn't check. On the left side of the engine compartment, it's tucked in so close to those bigger fuses with the window that I couldn't get it with the needle nose I was using. That was it. Car is running beautifully, new strut fixed the rattle. Now to deliver it to my buyer and get paid.

Thanks everyone! I still have an issue with coolant loss on my 03 to resolve, but the 3190 has never come back. I'm sure it's lurking out there, just waiting for the worst possible moment to strand me miles from nowhere.

 

Yeah, I can't take it more than 30-45 minutes at a time. Not a kid anymore. I've read some of your posts about Palm Springs' temps, but I think it's the humidity here that makes it hard. It's actually hard to breathe, like you're not getting oxygen.

In hindsight, the only real hard part was that back bolt on the fuse box, and only because I don't have a swivel after all my tools got stolen. I got it with a regular wrench, 1/8th of a turn at a time until I could turn it with my fingers. I had to take the box out of my parts car to figure out where that connector went, and the second time around, it went pretty fast. Would help if I had smaller hands. Still wish they put extra slack on the wires; that's just mean.

 

I thought the screwdriver trick was in the service manual. I've done that several times, and on these Prii.

I'm not usually a complainer, which is surprising because I have so much I could have complained about in my life - 8 cars stolen, my house burglarized and cleaned out 3 times, robbed at gunpoint twice, Salesman of the Year for 4 companies and they all fired me - 3 without paying me, one hosed me for $450k (I sued and settled for that, about half), another for about $40k, wife runs off with 22-year old and forges my name to steal about $30k and my bass boat (showed up as they were loading up my motorcycle and saved it), my best friend of 45 years hoses me out of $4k, a Baptist preacher I loaned money to for about $7k (he got cancer, wasn't intentional).

And then, there's my own stupidity. Blew up a cherry ambulance I bought for $10k by leaving the radiator cap off, another one is in my backyard - was running fine, drove it to Tx from Minnesota, until I tried to swap in a new oil cooler. Had it sold for a $7k profit, but it never started again. Three techs have looked at it, including a dealership, all say it should start according to all the data, but no. My F450, trailer and tools stolen last month...there's probably a few more major setbacks I'm forgetting, and so many minor ones, I can't count.

I've always just kept plugging away, always in a positive mood. But, this getting old crap is testing me. I lived in Houston most my life, endured many summers. Now, they're killing me. So hard to breathe with this humidity, and sweating like a pig.

All these protesters, they don't got nothing on me. Ron's Life Matters! lol

Thanks for the kind words and helpful advice. The people on these forums (this one and my Ford diesel forum) are amazing, volunteering their time and knowledge. I've probably saved more than $20k in tech bills with all the help I've gotten. Try to pay it forward, but I just ain't that smart.