12 volt battery dead

[BobA]

it's been a while since I posted here.. I love my Prius and hav had NO problems.. until today

ok that said I know there is a member of the group who knows how to fix my
dilemma... I went to the store and came home.. parked in the drive way as I
needed to fix a light in the opener.. I did that and went back to the car.. foot
on the break I pushed the Start button... NOTHING.. no lights on the dash.. I
hit the button again... the shift pattern and gas gauge blink.. another push on
the start button and the light in the parking break button blinks.. I know it's
Halloween .. but my Prius is haunted... and Saturday as well.. I quickly called
my dealer and talked to a service guy.. he agreed with my thought that I have a
dead battery.. my Prius is an '04... this was at 3 something.. knowing that I
had until 5 before the dealer closed and chose to just have it towed to them.. I
don't need a car until they came in on Monday and thought the car would be
better there than in my driveway.. since the driveway is on a slope I thought I
really couldn't push it.. the tow arrived the guy said 'will it roll?' duh I
hadn't thought about that.. nope.. I know you all know that.. he said he'd call
for a hook truck.. with my window of having a person at the dealer to receive
the car I said no.. I called the dealer and found that they did have a battery
in stock.. I decided that I could go and get a battery and put it in myself.. I
was sold a battery.. in a 2 foot cube box.. which I haven't opened.. I got home
looked at the book and am not sure that I know where where the battery really
is.. I went to the back of the car removed everything and got to the spare..
removed the cover on the right side and think I'm seeing the battery.. that is
as far as I got.. not sure how to proceed..



my questions are..



am I at the battery?

is it a job for a novice?

is there a way to unlock the transmission and move the car?

because the garage is in front of the car I can't see how they get the hook on
it..

and lastly.. I locked all doors.. now is there a way to open the hatch?



I know you all are all are a knowledgeable group.. and am sure this has happened
to at least one of you.. if you are in Denver and can help hands on I'll take
any I can get.. PLEASE help me

Bob

[djasonw]

I have the same year Prius and my car's 12v battery died primarily due to neglect. I had the car in storage and my friend was supposed to drive it every few weeks but there were times he wasn't able. Long story short, the battery finally died and would NOT take a trickle charge. My friend did the installation and it is a little tricky if you're not that handy (I'm not). The battery is in the rear hatch passenger side. If you feel uncomfortable doing it, just bring it to a reputable mechanic. He'll probably have it done in 1/2 hour.

What did Toyota charge you for the battery? I bought mine online from a dealership in the midwest and with shipping it was less than $120.

[BobA]

thanks djasonw.. I drive the car almost every day.. it isn't due to a lack of driving.. I don't think.. I haven't done any maintence to it either.. I think my dealer charge was $130.. I didn't argue or price shop.. some how thought it would be an easy fix.. bought a battery for my '51 nad was running in about 15 minutes..

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by BobA

am I at the battery?

is it a job for a novice?

is there a way to unlock the transmission and move the car?

because the garage is in front of the car I can't see how they get the hook on
it..

and lastly.. I locked all doors.. now is there a way to open the hatch?

Hi Bob,

$130 is a good price at the dealer.

You are in the vicinity of the 12V battery. Can you see the red plastic cover over the positive terminal of the battery?

To get into the hatch, you have to unlock the driver's door with the mechanical key hidden in the fob. Then crawl into the hatch. Remove the folding hatch panel and the black plastic tray on top of the spare tire. Find the little lever that will unlock the hatch lock on the hatch floor. Then you can raise up the hatch.

There is no way to unlock the parking pawl in the transaxle, without first restoring 12V power to the car.

You'll need a set of metric sockets (10, 12 mm sizes) and a ratchet wrench. You'll also need a box wrench to remove the battery terminal connectors (9mm or maybe 10 mm, I forget which).

You will have to remove the traction battery ventilation duct that runs over the 12V battery, and also remove the brake power supply that is next to the 12V battery, in order to gain access. No need to remove the wiring harness connector that attaches to the power supply.

Once you get to the 12V battery, you'll have to remove the battery cable negative terminal where it attaches to the body of the car (easier than trying to remove the cable at the negative terminal) and then lift up the red plastic cover while removing the positive terminal connector. Then remove the 12V battery bracket. The positive terminal connector and fuse block are attached to the bracket with a plastic pin, you can remove both parts as one assembly.

Work carefully and pay attention to what hardware is coming from what location so that you can replace everything. Note how much force you are using to remove the hardware and try to exert similar force when tightening. Good luck.

BTW, to reduce the incidence of emergencies such as the one you've faced, I suggest owners should replace their 12V battery based upon time in service rather than wait for a failure.

[BobA]

thanks Patrick.. I always forget the battery.. both here and my '51.. I watch the fluids but never think of what else is making the car run.. so much for being a Gear Head or in the case of the Prii.. a Gear Techie..

Bob

[alanh]

If you don't want to climb into the back area, you can also jump start the car from the jump point under the hood. Once the car is started, you can open the hatch as normal.