[melgish]

I'm at 24,000 miles.

This morning as I was going for the parking brake, I kicked (not hard) the dash above it. The MFD reset.

I repeated the process just to be sure, and yes, I've got a loose connection (bad) or a short (worse) somewhere immediately above the parking break. (anyone else care to try)

So I'll be taking it in this week (or today if I get warning lights on the way home) to have it looked at. Since this is a 'dashboard problem' I should probably remvoe the EV mod and Auto door-lock mod, but I didn't install them myself, so I'm not clear on the details. How tough will they be to remove?

Me and my big damn feet.

 

[richard schumacher]

*ahem* It would be better (more ethical and more effective) to take it to the installer of the aftermarket mods for repair. More ethical because it seems likely that they created the problem, and more effective since they'll know right where to look.

 

[melgish]

As I said in my message, the 'reset' of the MFD happened when my foot bumped the dashboard immediately above the parking brake

The mods in question are behind the side panel on the opposite side of the car. They were installed by Coastal Dave himself, which is why I never got a set of instructions for putting them in (which could then be read backwards to get them out)

They are not the cause of the problem...but they could be used as an excuse if my friendly neighborhood dealership were to pull the entire dash out, and find them...If I can avoid that excuse by spending 5-10 minutes removing the mods, great... Otherwise I'll leave them in and see just how "ethical" the dealership is.

 

[Hobbit]

Are you willing to be the test case everyone's waiting
for? If you ask the dealer "prove to me how these minor and
essentially Toyota-supported mods have ANYTHING
to do with the current problem" and fight the
inevitable fight that ensues, then the community will have
a better idea of how anyone will fare in that setting.
_
It should not be up to the individual dealer, either; it
should all stem from clearly stated Toyota corporate
policy, and that's what we don't really have yet.
_
_H*

 

[melgish]

I don't think it will come to that, but I've had issues with our local dealer before, so they may give me a hassle just to get even

I don't think they'll need to pull apart the whole dashboard either... If it's a loose connection, they just find and tighten it. If it's an exposed wire making contact with something it shouldn't, then it could be more involved...

Has anyone else smacked theirs to see if the same thing happens? It could be a design flaw...

As far as being the poster-child for warranty work...as long as I believe I'm right, then I'll fight tooth and nail to make them own up. If they can convince me otherwise, well then I'll pay up...

 

[DanMan32]

I have hit big bumps and the radio changed channel. It is possible I bumped the mode or preset up/down on the steering wheel during those bumps, but I don't think so. I think the MFD screen has changed at times too.

 

[Thomme]

Removing everything for the mods could indeed be a bloody pain (literally), but I wonder if it would be worth it to just disconnect the mod chips from the wire taps, but leave the wire taps in place. This would be a lot easier, and TECHNICALLY, you would then not have any currently installed mods.

 

[richard schumacher]

And did Dave remove the dashboard when he installed the mods? Tugging on a wiring harness here can loosen a connection over there.

This is the sort of FUD that a dealer and Toyota are likely to throw back at you. I do wish you well, but mods void the warranty, as anyone who reads the owner's manual knows.

 

[melgish]

I'd say the harnes would have to be pretty damn tight for that to happen. I don't think he did anything at all on that side of the car. I could be mistaken... I watched the install, but like my entire school life, watching didn't mean I was paying attention...

Since I left my container of fresh fruit in on the passenger side floorboard this morning, I took the opportunity to poke around a bit during my lunch break. There's a junction box right above the break pedal, with a 'mass' of wires going into it. I'd lay odds that's where the problem lies, but some gentle probing didn't re-create the problem...

thumping and prodding the dash in that area didn't re-create the problem either.... now i'm really puzzled... I've got a sheduled service comming up next week...if the problem stays away I will get it on record, and leave it at that.

 

[BIF]

The EV mod and the door lock mod are both connected to the junction box on the FAR RIGHT (passenger) side of the dashboard, and are hidden behind the kick panel and the far right ventilation trim panel (vertical silver or brown(?) trim).

I didn't see any pieces/parts/cables/whatever that might make me believe that there's a wire going from the far driver's side to the far passenger's side of the car. Therefore, I highly doubt that the installation of the mods could be blamed for this type of short.

Mel, I think the warranty voidance would be arguable if plugging in the devices caused a direct short or a fire or something. But this is not the case. Your problem is likely a loose connection or bad harness connected to a junction box at or near the spot where you planted your foot, not the location where the mods lie.

It's possible that the harness on the driver's side just needs to be firmly reseated. DanMan can probably confirm this for us with his service manual, but I think the technician should know this.

Removing the mods would not be difficult for somebody who knows where they are. In fact, they may not even need to be removed from the car. Disconnecting the power cable (I believe it's the black and white striped cable) from the tap would probably be sufficient to disable both mods.

But you might want to give Coastal a call, and ask them if they have any advice for you. Maybe they've had some experience with people getting warranty work done after the mods have been installed.

 

[melgish]

Well, since I've not been able to get it to happen again, my current plan is to mention during my scheduled maintentance visit next week, and get them to do 'take a quick look' ... At least then it will be documented in case it gets worse.

I did realize on the way home this wasn't an imagined occurance, because I also got the 'bluetooth' message after the second reset. Something happened...but now I'm thinking cosmic rays.

Damnit, I got bumped from behind on the way to work today. Getting off the east west onto I-4 some jerk/jerkess (I couldn't see for the sunshine) pulling into the lane at the last minute gave me a tap. I pulled over, but they kept going... It looks like there's a 1/4" long 'knife cut' in the top-center of my rear bumper, but I didn't see anything else wrong. It's not very deep so I'm hoping some epoxy and touch up paint will see it right...

 

[Sanny]

...Damnit, I got bumped from behind on the way to work today.... It looks like there's a 1/4" long 'knife cut' in the top-center of my rear bumper, but I didn't see anything else wrong. It's not very deep so I'm hoping some epoxy and touch up paint will see it right...

[ ::: ] a band aid for the little Prius. So sad. I'm sorry that happened. What a nasty feeling that is.

 

[DanMan32]

It's possible that the harness on the driver's side just needs to be firmly reseated. DanMan can probably confirm this for us with his service manual, but I think the technician should know this.

I would agree, the mods shouldn't have anything to do with the problem, though a fustrated tech might try and pin it on anything. Admittedly, sometimes I do when clients call for server or network problems.

There indeed is a massive junction/fuse/Body ECU box somewhere behind the dash on the driver side, might even be two. Never got the whole driver dash apart, though someday I will so I can try and make a bypass for the fog lamps to operate without headlights, though it will require taillights. As an aside, it will probably just be a diode jumping 2 pins on that junction box.

I don't recall a junction box on the passenger side, but several of the ECUs are there, making it look like a junction box.

 

[Hobbit]

In some poking around the ECUs today, I noticed that
one or two wires in a couple of the plugs are
stretched *very* taut -- simply because they're a little
shorter as they come out of the harnesses, and take up
the strain first. I could easily see how that in
combination with a not-quite-tight crimp could begin
pulling wires out of ECU pins. Or worse, put
enough strain on the ECU connector itself that the
solder joints start loosening.
_
Careful probing to try and narrow down the problem
repro is probably worthwhile, because as good as any
dealer service department may be, they're unlikely to take
time to go down to that level. "Replace wiring
harness", my butt..
_
_H*