12 volt batt adventure

FL_Prius_Driver · 11-21-2007, 07:12 PM

Strange as it may seem, salt corrosion in FL has been much less than what I experienced in Virgina Beach. It turns out that the stronger winds of the northeast stir up and spread the salt air to a much greater degree than the usually very calm conditions of the FL seacoast.

Also keep in mind that a loose battery connection/dissimilar metals is a corrosion magnet. Once started, the oxides propagate so that over time a battery connection either stays nice or gets ugly in a hurry.

statultra · 11-22-2007, 09:55 PM

btw its not flood salvage, i believe its the lack of contact witht hte body that caused corrosion

jayman · 11-23-2007, 10:55 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(statultra @ Nov 22 2007, 09:55 PM) [snapback]543066[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

btw its not flood salvage, i believe its the lack of contact witht hte body that caused corrosion
[/b]

Yes, I have seen the same phenomenon in Motor Control Centers that have loose bus bar ties and bolts. Even very minute arcing - invisible to the naked eye - can cause dramatic corrosion events around the contact area

In the industrial setting, the best way to find loose bolts/ties is to use a FLIR camera. The loose connection is usually 5-15 degrees warmer than the rest of the bus bar.

rigormortis · 11-23-2007, 02:09 PM

has anyone had any luck on getting the starting battery replaced or repaired under the standard warranty or extended warranties ?

my cars been reporting 10 volts a lot on acc/ig on and 14 volts on ready
and i have an appointment with a prius specialist next week

07 prius, touring, 20k miles

jayman · 11-23-2007, 06:13 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rigormortis @ Nov 23 2007, 02:09 PM) [snapback]543290[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

has anyone had any luck on getting the starting battery replaced or repaired under the standard warranty or extended warranties ?[/b]

Well, they will try to do a load test on the aux battery. If it fails, they will charge the battery and then retest it. Depending on the results, they may or may not replace the battery

I use VDC Battery Minder's on all my equipment now, and they really do make a difference in how the battery performs. Not sure if it's worth +$60 to you, I have 3 of the older models - purchased at auction for a good price - and 2 of the new ones.

It really isn't a "starting" battery as it's only function is to close a few relays, run the coolant transfer pump, and brake boost pump. The other things run off 12 vdc are the wipers, headlights and tailights, HVAC blower motor, radio, and electric defrost.

The ICE is started with the 208 vdc NiMH battery. The A/C compressor is run of high voltage too.

rigormortis · 11-25-2007, 04:32 AM

ive had to be jumped at least once and another time came pretty close to being stranded just for leaving a couple lights on for 20 or so minutes

and the red flag comes up with no messages a lot

and the window run slowly when the ice isnt running so im gunna try
my luck and see if i can get a free battery

rigormortis · 12-03-2007, 06:03 AM

so i took my 2007 prius with 20,000 miles to the dealer and
complained about the low battery voltage, the mfd was reporting 10.9
volts, and the windows would be slow going up and down when the
car was not in ready mode, well anyway you could just tell it wasn't
a good battery.

and the dealer gave me a new battery for free of charge and even a free business card giving me a free detail, it took about 3 hours for them to
diagnose the battery and get a new one

the prius specialist gave me a hard time about the diagnostic codes in the mfd, no one at toyota seems to want to tell me what those codes mean
and tell me to stay away from internet sites because i might lose my climate control system or a nav, if i had one. heh

i think i might be getting an occasional time out when talking to the amplifier/radio because once in a blue moon, like twice since ive owned this car, it has forgotten the radio presets but not the clock

the only things i lost as a result of the 12v being disconnected it seems was the back up beep is back, average mpg and trip meters. i was
really worried about losing my phone book, but the phone book survives
the battery being disconnected, which is cool

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11-21-2007, 07:12 PM	#11
FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 1,227 My Car: 2001 Prius Package: N/A Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Strange as it may seem, salt corrosion in FL has been much less than what I experienced in Virgina Beach. It turns out that the stronger winds of the northeast stir up and spread the salt air to a much greater degree than the usually very calm conditions of the FL seacoast. Also keep in mind that a loose battery connection/dissimilar metals is a corrosion magnet. Once started, the oxides propagate so that over time a battery connection either stays nice or gets ugly in a hurry.

11-22-2007, 09:55 PM	#12
statultra uber-Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: cape coral, FL Posts: 575 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	btw its not flood salvage, i believe its the lack of contact witht hte body that caused corrosion

11-23-2007, 02:09 PM	#14
rigormortis Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: san jose, ca Posts: 1,174 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Touring Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	has anyone had any luck on getting the starting battery replaced or repaired under the standard warranty or extended warranties ? my cars been reporting 10 volts a lot on acc/ig on and 14 volts on ready and i have an appointment with a prius specialist next week 07 prius, touring, 20k miles

11-25-2007, 04:32 AM	#16
rigormortis Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: san jose, ca Posts: 1,174 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Touring Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	ive had to be jumped at least once and another time came pretty close to being stranded just for leaving a couple lights on for 20 or so minutes and the red flag comes up with no messages a lot and the window run slowly when the ice isnt running so im gunna try my luck and see if i can get a free battery

12-03-2007, 06:03 AM	#17
rigormortis Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: san jose, ca Posts: 1,174 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Touring Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	so i took my 2007 prius with 20,000 miles to the dealer and complained about the low battery voltage, the mfd was reporting 10.9 volts, and the windows would be slow going up and down when the car was not in ready mode, well anyway you could just tell it wasn't a good battery. and the dealer gave me a new battery for free of charge and even a free business card giving me a free detail, it took about 3 hours for them to diagnose the battery and get a new one the prius specialist gave me a hard time about the diagnostic codes in the mfd, no one at toyota seems to want to tell me what those codes mean and tell me to stay away from internet sites because i might lose my climate control system or a nav, if i had one. heh i think i might be getting an occasional time out when talking to the amplifier/radio because once in a blue moon, like twice since ive owned this car, it has forgotten the radio presets but not the clock the only things i lost as a result of the 12v being disconnected it seems was the back up beep is back, average mpg and trip meters. i was really worried about losing my phone book, but the phone book survives the battery being disconnected, which is cool