Prius 2008 won't start with a jump, dashboard flashed

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by konriar, Aug 16, 2020.

  1. konriar

    konriar New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2020
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    Location:
    New York
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Prius won't start, battery held up great for a day after charging yesterday, but drained during troubleshooting today. Will not start with a jump. There was strange behavior in the dashboard flashing before it went dark.



    FIRST FIX YESTERDAY:
    Just bought Prius 2008. Worked fine during test drives, just had to insert the key since it wasn't programmed to work without inserting. After a couple days in my driveway, would not start.
    • Heard the starter clicking but the engine wouldn't turn on. The key got stuck, power button flashed orange, and eventually released the key (after I released the brake).
    • Jump-started and charged battery, which held at ~14.8V for the next 24hrs at rest, according to the onboard diagnostics.

    CURRENT PROBLEM TODAY:
    • Attempted to program the key remotes in order to let them work to start the car without having to insert them.
      • Went through a sequence of inserting/removing the fob and opening/closing the door that a forum said was supposed to put the Prius in "Key programming mode".
      • Nothing indicated that had worked, nothing happened after this
    • Tried to start the car
      • Whole dashboard lit up and flashed (see video)
      • Engine would not start
      • Windows would go down/up very SLOWLY but drivers window would not move
    • Tested battery
      • Tested voltage directly on battery; read at (maybe the meter is wonky but it jumped up from 0 and held steady
      • Tested via charging panel in the front; jumped inconsistently between 0 and 25v
    • Tried to start the car
      • No more dashboard flashing
      • Orange light on power button
      • Starter clicked numerous times
      • No engine start
      • Key fobs would still lock/unlock doors
    • Jumped the battery
      • Prius would still not start, no change in behavior
    • Tried to start Prius on its own
      • Will not start. Power light does not turn on. "Parking" button light blinks green even when key not in slot.

    What went wrong here? I can replace the battery but I'm concerned something else might be wrong since it held charge fine yesterday, and now will not start with a jump.

    What is happening on the dashboard in this video?
     
    #1 konriar, Aug 16, 2020
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You check can the battery health with a load test, if it fails a load test, it's time to buy a new battery. Whenever you are troubleshooting or doing something that requires the doors to be opened, the battery will drain. If you have an older weaker battery, it won't take long for it to fail (again)
     
    #2 JC91006, Aug 16, 2020
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    14.8 just means the inverter is working and the battery is taking a charge. but it won't tell you if it will hold a charge.
    after charging, with the car off, put a 12v on the jump point and turn the headlights on. record the voltage every minute for 5 min.
     
    #3 bisco, Aug 16, 2020
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