No Power whatsoever - Dead battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by badpenguin, May 5, 2009.

  1. badpenguin

    badpenguin Active Member

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    I have a 2001 Prius...I last drove it two weeks ago...and everything was hunky dory. This morning, I went to drive it and nothing. No lights, no dash, no clock, no nothing. Muerte!

    I opened up my manual and followed the directions on jumping the car using the battery in the trunk. I hooked it all up according to the manual...and still no power whatsoever. I tried checking all the fuses, and they look good. Although, the fuse in the red battery boot is hard to tell if it's broken all the way.

    I called the Toyota dealer and he said it sounded like a "shorted" battery. A new battery would cost $165, plus $90 to install it. That seemed a bit high.

    Does this seem right? Shouldn't I have been able to see some lights when trying to jump it? $90 to install a battery??? Especially if that may not be the problem?

    I did a quick search on here about dead batteries, but it seems as though everyone was able to jump start theirs.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 badpenguin, May 5, 2009
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    All I can suggest is a voltmeter to measure the battery voltage. If it's <10 vdc, yes, a cell could be internally shorted. Such a battery is impossible to jumpstart

    Not sure about your Gen1 Prius, but the Gen2 uses a sealed battery with unique sized posts, and provision for a vent tube. That adds to the cost.

    I guess they sense you're dead in the water, hence the high fee to hook it up

    I would remove the battery and try to charge it (Use appropriate caution, charging can be dangerous). Wait 6 hours and check the voltage again. If <12.8 vdc, the battery is bad

    If you do need a new battery, make sure to fully charge it before installing
     
    #2 jayman, May 5, 2009
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    $165 is around the going price for the correct 12V battery. If you can DIY the install then you can save the $90 labor charge.

    Do you have access to a digital voltmeter so that you can follow Jay's suggestions above?

    If not, how old is your battery? If it is more than 4 years old it would be reasonable to replace it without further thought.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, May 5, 2009
  4. badpenguin

    badpenguin Active Member

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    Thanks for the help guys..>I'll try to test it tonight. Hoping it's nothing major!
     
    #4 badpenguin, May 5, 2009
  5. badpenguin

    badpenguin Active Member

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    Well I put the battery on the charger...got it about 1/2 charged...put it back on...and now I got the dreaded Hybrid System Warning Light...manual says to take it to dealer.

    Quick search on people that had the same problem...doesn't sound good.

    My wife is now laughing at me for buying a hybrid, I am getting the classic, I told you so.

    Anyone have an idea how much I'm looking at to fix? Is it even worth it?
     
    #5 badpenguin, May 14, 2009
  6. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Without a diagnosis there's no way to know. Take it to a dealer.
     
    #6 richard schumacher, May 14, 2009
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    What does "1/2 charged" mean? Why can't you fully charge the battery? Did you disconnect the battery from the Prius before you started to charge it? (The correct answer is "yes".)

    If the battery will not hold a charge, you should replace it now. Once you have a battery in known excellent condition available, make sure that all 12V power has been disconnected from the Prius for several minutes to clear all existing DTC that have been logged.

    Until you have a 12V auxiliary battery in excellent condition installed, I would not assume that warning lights are due to the existence of other problems. Good luck.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, May 14, 2009
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  8. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Agree with Patrick, I still believe this is a simple 12v battery problem.
     
    #8 efusco, May 14, 2009
  9. badpenguin

    badpenguin Active Member

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    I hope you guys are right. I did take the battery completely out.

    I guess I better bite the bullet and take it to the dealer...I just don't trust them!
     
    #9 badpenguin, May 16, 2009
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Before you take the car to the dealer: what prevents you from first buying a new 12V battery from the Toyota dealer parts counter, charging the new battery if needed, installing it, then see what happens?
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, May 17, 2009
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