Battery issue if left at airport

You could do that. Just make sure negative is attached to the frame or engine block and positive attached to the tab under the red cover in the fuse box (jump point). Assuming you are using jumper cables here. Good plan.

Make sure all your interior lights are off when you leave the car.

 

Two weeks is not a problem unless you have a failing battery (or leave the lights on). Still, I carry a jump box in the back of my Prius. It's better to be prepared.

Tom

 

or, you could disconnect the battery so it doesn't drain while you're away. either way, you're gonna ve to crawl into the hatch area if it's dead when you get back. if the battery is healthy, you should be good for 6 weeks +.

 

Don't crawl into the hatch, jump from under the hood. That's why Prius have front jump points.

Tom

 

good point. keep the spare on floor for easy access.

 

It's a battery box. I have one with a light and air compressor. I mostly use it to top off my tires, but if I need to jump my Prius or another car it's there. I don't like to jump other cars from the Prius, given all of the expensive electronics. You can buy a nice one for under $50.

Tom

 

The battery can die even faster than in two weeks, it does depend how many miles you drive every day prior to leaving it on airport...Mine was dead in just few days after I left it on the parking, but I was driving it once a week prior 2-3 months. I am going to explain whole situation in separate thread as I am looking for a solution that will help me to avoid situations like this in the future. In the meantime, I keep my JNC300XL around

 

I parked for 27 days last summer, without issue. This sounds like something one shouldn't have to worry about with any car.

 

Just remember to keep the battery in the box charged. I have a similar unit, but have only used it to jump other people's cars as my Prius has always started with no problem (2004 at 215,000 miles).

JeffD

 

are you still on your original 12v jeff?

 

I put in a Optima 2 weeks ago, but the OE battery still holds a charge!

JeffD

 

that's pretty cool. it seems like they down graded the 12v over the years. i see a lot more problems reported here in later cars than i remember in the first few years of gen II.

 

I need some help with a Prius IV 2010, Navigation package. My Prius IV was originally purchased in Phoenix AZ, with it set up for the heat and dust storms known in that area. However, 2 years after my purchase with my driving the car every day during these 2 years, I moved to the foothills west of Reno, NV. At this point, it sits outside 24/7. This, due to medical issues on my part...my garage slot is currently storing my household goods. In the past 8 months, I have had to have AAA out to jump the car 3 times-hooking up their battery jumping equipment to the terminals under the hood. My issue is the long periods of time that the car has had to sit without being turned over and driven. This last period of no activity for the car was over the holiday, only 2 weeks of not being turned over. Now, the battery that turns over the car, I gather the 12V battery, does not have enough juice to start the car. My question is this: Has anyone had experience with a Trickle Charger or a Battery Minder on their Prius IV ? And/or, does this sound like a bad battery? Thank you for your comments.

 

:welcome: it sounds like a bad 12v battery and there are threads here that show you how to test it. a new 'optima' battery should be fine for long periods of time between starts.

 

That's probably the same unit that I have. I bought mine at Sam's Club.

You connect the positive lead to the jump point in the front electrical box, connect the negative to the body screw above the electrical box, switch on the jump box, and power up your Prius - no need to wait.

Tom

 

The 12V battery only powers up the computers. Physically turning over the engine is done by the big HV battery.

The years of abuse have killed your 12V battery. Get a new one before someone fries your Prius with a bad jump.

Tom

 

Having heard that the Prius can have battery issues if not driven for a couple weeks, I decided to ask someone at the Toyota dealership about this. However, I wanted someone that would tell me the truth. So I asked the Lot Man.

He told me that since they rarely have a Prius last in inventory for more than two weeks it would be tough to tell but that they are supposed to start all cars on the lot at least weekly, especially hybrids. I asked him if he ever had to jump start a Prius and he laughed. He said, that just after the holidays they had to jump start a brand new Prius to get it off the delivery truck.