HELP!!! Prius sometimes won't start, will after I fidget with it.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012.

  1. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    OK...so here's my problem. About 9 months ago I was in an accident. I got the car fixed and I don't trust the guy a lick who fixed it. He didn't put on the front quarter panel correctly, and he's one of those "hey bro" guys. If you're from LA, you know what that means....lol. So I noticed that every once and a while the car would more or less reset. All of my previous addresses used on the GPS, the area of the US, the keyboard layout all would go back to factory settings and the radio stations would go to presets as well. It happened a couple of times, but I paid not attention to it, as it happened pretty infrequently. This has gotten worse because it got more frequent. NOW, it's starting to not work at all when I try to open it. It has proximity locks and those won't work for a time, then I get in with the key, close the door, open it, it seems to turn back on, push a bunch of buttons, I get a few lights in the dash going, then it just magically works. I've noticed it really does this when it get's hot out. ANY ideas on what this can be? I thought it was the headlight that was causing it (I had that $200 bulb that would overheat and shut off, then you had to toggle the headlight switch to get it back on. I found $25 xenon bulbs on ebay. GET THEM.) But that is fixed now. WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY BABY? I love this car and it's clearly not happy. Thanks so much for your help!
     
    #1 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  2. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    Sounds like a failing 12 volt battery?, is it original?
     
    #2 IMkenNY, Sep 5, 2012
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  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yep. If it's the original 12 volt, it's toast. I have an 06 and replaced mine over a year ago.

    You can run the test at Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat after the car's been left overnight or for MANY hours. Tell us the voltages at each step. If it's the original, I'm sure the values will tell us that it's toast.

    If you had failing HID headlights, it wasn't overheating, it was failing. It was the subject of a class action lawsuit (Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat). Be careful about buying cheap random bulbs from Ebay. See Not all HID Bulbs are created equal | PriusChat. You might be in the market for them again in the near future vs. buying genuine Philips D4R bulbs...

    The Prius has no dedicated starter motor and the 12 volt doesn't start the engine. Thus, you will never have symptoms of a regular car w/a low 12 volt of slow cranking or starter not turning.
     
    #3 cwerdna, Sep 5, 2012
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  4. HaroldW

    HaroldW Active Member

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    Yes it sounds like the 12V is toast! H
     
    #4 HaroldW, Sep 5, 2012
  5. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    Thanks so much guys. Here's the thing though. It's an overcast, relatively cool day in SoCal and she's working fine. Does that change any of your opinions? Does heat affect the 12 v?
     
    #5 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  6. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    And yes, the 12v is original....so that's about 6 years now.
     
    #6 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  7. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    It's almost certainly toast. Please run the test and provide values at each step. I'm pretty sure the readings will confirm it's toast.
     
    #7 cwerdna, Sep 5, 2012
  8. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    Interesting...so I tested the battery. It was just a a regular load at 11.9v then 14.5v when I turned the car on. Does that help?
     
    #8 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    You left out he number for a step. Was the car left turned off overnight or MANY hours?

    The 14.5 volts at the end is already indicative of the charging system trying very hard to charge (for the lack of a better term) the 12 volt. I usually only see 14 volts. If I've left a map light on or a door open overnight and partly flattned my 12 volt, I see it going higher (I think to 14.3).

    The OEM 12 volt batteries don't seem to last longer than 4-6 years anyway. The age of your 12 volt and the symptoms again point to you needing a new one.
     
    #9 cwerdna, Sep 5, 2012
  10. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    Im betting that when your prius acts up the voltage is slightly lower.
    Heat/ load/ current charge state all factor in.
    6 years is an exceptional life for the battery in this vehicle, most owners replace it earlier.
     
    #10 IMkenNY, Sep 5, 2012
  11. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    Is that something I can replace on my own? I'm thinking this is not like replacing a battery on my old Ford Maverick...lol
     
    #11 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, your car needs a new 12V battery.

    There are many posts about how to replace the battery, so I suggest you look them up, then you can decide for yourself whether you can personally replace it. Good luck.
     
    #12 Patrick Wong, Sep 5, 2012
  13. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Alot of times after body work is done on the car they kill the 12 volt by leaving the door open or the radio on. And I think that maybe the reason so many people complain about low mileage after some dealer work has been done.
    Because they leave the damn doors open. You can do that on a regular car with a full size battery for quite a while but the little Prius battery cannot take much of that.
     
    #13 edthefox5, Sep 5, 2012
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  14. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    It doesn't look that hard to do, honestly. Changing the headlight...OMG....lol. But the battery is $200? I found one on Amazon for 150ish...does this sound right?
     
    #14 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  15. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    #15 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  16. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #16 cwerdna, Sep 5, 2012
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    One alternative is to purchase the GS Yuasa battery from your local Toyota dealer's parts dept.

    If you want to try Optima, this is the correct Optima battery priced at $190 which has the smaller terminals required:
    Optima Batteries 8171-767 Yellow Grp S46b24r 450cca : Amazon.com : Automotive

    The incorrect battery has standard-sized battery terminals so you will need to replace the positive and negative cable connections.
     
    #17 Patrick Wong, Sep 5, 2012
  18. NickBaker9

    NickBaker9 Junior Member

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    And I think someone asked if I left lights on. I do, on occasion, but that wasn't the cause of this acting funky. In the end, it always starts. It just freaks out before doing it.
     
    #18 NickBaker9, Sep 5, 2012
  19. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Doing so and running it low is what contributes to shortening the battery's life.

    I think you'd be a good candidate for an Optima Yellow Top. The direct fit version w/the smaller terminals (now that it exists) is a better choice and less work. It won't save you any $ upfront over the OEM Toyota battery though.
     
    #19 cwerdna, Sep 5, 2012
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