More BATTERY trouble!

[dbascher]

Well gang, I thought I'd be okay with this odd 2 battery situation, but I picked up my 2005 Prius from the dealer on a Monday, didn't drive the car for three days, and on Wednesday night it was dead. Had to call Toyota roadside assitance for a jump.

Someone mentioned disconnecting the "Master Fuse" if I'm not going to be driving the Prius for a week or more - can anyone give me more details about that?

And someone else said I could disconnect the negative battery terminal. Any ideas on that one?

If I can't find a solution while leaving the car when I'm away, I'll have to break the lease and return it!! Boo hoo...

[wb9tyj]

well, to start with, sounds like the dealer may not have initially charged the battery prior to delivery, or you have a current draw somewhere, discharging the 12vdc...they need to check for shorts or something drawing the battery down, btw, leaving the prius for only a week shouldnt draw it dead...people have gone a month with no problems...just my 2cents worth

[paprius4030]

Also when you leave the car for over a week if you have smart entry don't forget to turn the sks switch off under the steering wheel

[DaveG]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbascher\";p=\"51539)</div>

Well gang, I thought I'd be okay with this odd 2 battery situation, but I picked up my 2005 Prius from the dealer on a Monday, didn't drive the car for three days, and on Wednesday night it was dead. Had to call Toyota roadside assitance for a jump.

Someone mentioned disconnecting the \"Master Fuse\" if I'm not going to be driving the Prius for a week or more - can anyone give me more details about that?

And someone else said I could disconnect the negative battery terminal. Any ideas on that one?

If I can't find a solution while leaving the car when I'm away, I'll have to break the lease and return it!! Boo hoo...[/b]

I wouldn't worry about the master fuse, that's definate overkill for short lengths of time. Toyota has said that as long as you get someone to start the car every couple of months (and disable the smartkey system if you have that option), it will be fine in storage. Even 6 months should be just fine without starting it.

The most common cause for the battery being drained is one of the interior lights being on - that's the first thing I'd look for. Also a possibility if any modifications have been made to the car that would draw 12v from the battery.

Dave

[Frank Hudon]

and get the dealer to replace the 12volt battery before returning the car to you. When these new batterys are drawn down to that level they never recover to full charge status.

[bruceha_2000]

No way the 12V should die in 3 days, not unless you left accessories on and the car was in ACC. You should be able to leave it a MINIMUM of 2 weeks. As posted earlier, if you have it, turn off the SKS with the switch under the steering wheel as it does do an active scan for the fob all the time. Day to day or 3 days, or 5, etc, you should not need to do anything.

I'm surprised that this is still happening since people were reporting the problem with just delivered cars since way back. Several people have posted that the dealer just replaced the battery under warranty.

[GeoffM]

See this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/battery-dead-a...ays-vt5141.html

I sure hope your dealer does a better job than mine. Two days in the shop and I still have a broken car.

Geoff

[dbascher]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I will have the dealer (Toyota of Hollywood, CA) replace the 12v Battery and check all connections, like the sunroof we had put in, etc. I do NOT have the SmartKey but will have them check everything related anyway.
If 6 months is possible...heck if 2 months are possible, then I can rest easy and keep this amazing vehicle!

[DanMan32]

I can definitely vouch for the fact the car can be left alone for at least a week. I just returned from a 7 day cruise. Last drive was Thursday night, November 11, drove it to work this past Monday, November 22. Nobody touched it during this time.

I did give myself a scare though on Monday morning. To conserve battery power, I did turn of the SKS, but forgot about it. dome lights lit normally, but nothing happened when I pushed the power button. Drat, battery dead? Oh wait, turn on SKS. Bingo, we have power.