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New Optima Battery DOA (almost); And Getting Worse

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012.

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  1. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    I have a 2008 Prius with 80K miles. The original battery voltage has been on a slow decline for several months. In December, 2011 (last month!) I ordered an Optima Battery Kit from eLearnaid.com. This is my second battery from them; the first was in my wife’s 2006 Prius, back in December 2010.

    The battery arrived in its usual protective shipping container. After unpackaging, I checked the voltage and it was 11.1 volts and 44% of charge. I went ahead and installed it and put it on a 2 amp charge overnight. I send eLearnaid.com an email and explained the battery’s condition upon receipt.

    Bernard Littman responded to my email and said that “You are the second person who has reported this to me. I am not sure what is going on.†He requested that I send him the serial number off the sticker, located on the side of the battery. The sticker was not visible and would require removal of the battery to view it. I advised Mr. Littman that it would be several weeks before I would have the opportunity to remove the battery, get the number and reinstall the battery…

    I was able to pull the battery this morning. I took some pictures that show the static voltage in the 11’s. I also put the Prius into diagnostic mode to use its onboard voltage/signal checker. There are two readings, 11.4 with nothing turned on and 10.8 with the headlights on (they are HID, so they draw less voltage than a halogen system). I failed to click a picture, but when applying the brakes the voltage dropped to 10.4.

    After removing the battery, I attached my load tester and got 11.8 volts static. With a load it dropped to 9.5 volts.

    I sent Mr. Littman an email a few minutes ago, with pictures attached. I explained that this is not acceptable and that I needed another battery. I will update this thread as I receive info from him.
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012
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  2. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

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    Sorry to hear of your troubles - by the sound of the response that you got from eLearnaid there is likely some sort of problem with a batch of batteries. Now that you have been able to get them the serial number hopefully they will step in and make it right, whether that be by getting you a replacement or some other way. Let us know what happens.
     
    #2 stevemcelroy, Jan 19, 2012
  3. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    Thanks Steve,

    I just got a phone call from Mr. Littman at eLearnaid.com. They are shipping me a new battery! YEA!!!!! That is what I call excellent customer service.

    I would recommend to anyone purchasing a new battery to check the voltage and state of charge before installing. Had I not done that, I would not have known that I was starting with a defective battery, albeit a new one!
     
    #3 FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012
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  4. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    I also bought one from them in December --IF there is a problem with a series of bad batteries -- I would hope they would try to narrow down the number sequence and let us all know - I sure as heck didn't check the voltage on mine - just put it on a charger prior to installation and put it in. It has worked flawlessly SO FAR.
     
    #4 tv4fish, Jan 19, 2012
  5. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    Have you checked your voltage after it has sat overnight? The Prius battery can really be in sad shape and as long as it has enough power to start the computer...you may never know. Well...until either it won't start the computer or other strange things start happening.
     
    #5 FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012
  6. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    Not yet -- But I have a Scangauge II on its way............ :)
     
    #6 tv4fish, Jan 19, 2012
  7. High Mileage Geezer

    High Mileage Geezer New Member

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    I bought an Optima battery from eLearnAid on 1/9/12. It arrived on 1/11/12. I checked the voltage when I unpacked it - 12.85 volts.
     
    #7 High Mileage Geezer, Jan 19, 2012
  8. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    You can check the voltage through the MFD. With everything off (including the lights) push the start button two times (without using the brake). Hold down the Info button and turn your parking lights on/off three times. That will bring up a menu. You are looking for the Vehicle Signal Check (I think that is the correct wording). When finished, his hit the Start button again to shut it down.
     
    #8 FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012
  9. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    Geezer,
    I think the first one I bought (year ago) was around 12.6 when it arrived. Excellent battery! ...except mine! :)
     
    #9 FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012
  10. Red09

    Red09 Junior Member

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    Just got mine today. It reads 12.4 out of the box. Is it ok to install?
     
    #10 Red09, Jan 19, 2012
  11. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Yes! Go ahead and install it.
    The service you received from eLearnaid is nothing short of what I would expect, after dealing with them. Excellent company.

    You know the saying, sometimes ka ka happens. ;)
     
    #11 David Beale, Jan 19, 2012
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  12. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Yeah it could be a bit higher, but I don't think it will be any problem. The exact voltage will depend upon how long it's been sitting. At 12.4 it might have been sitting for a while, but still it's far from flat. It will soon charge to a higher voltage once installed in the Prius.
     
    #12 uart, Jan 19, 2012
  13. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    Red,
    12.4 should be fine. Most strong batteries will be between 12.4 & 12.7 after being off charge for a day. ...some a little more, some a little less. Then there is exactly how accurate the meter is, etc, etc. Had mine been 12.4 I wouldn't have even given it a second thought! Go for it!

    Oh, me personally... I like to put a new battery on a slow charge overnight before putting it into service. Not necessary... just me.
     
    #13 FlyboyTR, Jan 19, 2012
  14. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    A fully-charged AGM battery measures 12.9V and 12.4V represents ~50-60% charged. I would make the effort to charge the battery overnight before installing it.

    Some owners appear to think that 20 minutes of READY time is sufficient to fully-charge the 12V battery. In fact the battery needs 8 hours or more, so unless you are about to embark on a long driving trip, give your battery a break and have it start its service with a full charge.
     
    #14 Patrick Wong, Jan 20, 2012
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  15. Red09

    Red09 Junior Member

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    Thanks every one. It's definitely better than the 11.9 my old one in the car sits at when I get in to go.

    I will charge it before I replace the old one with it.

    Thanks again.

    You guys have a great site here.
     
    #15 Red09, Jan 20, 2012
  16. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    Patrick,
    Thanks for correcting my numbers. I was not aware the AGM type batteries would hold a surface charge that high. That's good to know. ...appreciated!
     
    #16 FlyboyTR, Jan 20, 2012
  17. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Yeah that will work fine. Do you have a charger?

    One other thing regarding voltage, the relation between voltage and state of charge is temperature dependent . So if it's pretty cold up there in BC you're likely to measure a slightly lower voltage for the same state of charge.

    BTW. You didn't say how many hours you drive per week. Personally, unless it was under about three hours per week, then I'd just install that battery straight into that car and let the Prius charge it.
     
    #17 uart, Jan 20, 2012
  18. OptimaJim

    OptimaJim Member

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    FlyboyTR, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you had with your battery. 11.1 volts on a YellowTop is actually more than 90% discharged. Fully-charged our YellowTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts, while our RedTops will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts. All batteries will slowly discharge over time and it is always good practice to measure battery voltage before installing it in a vehicle and fully-charge it with a battery charger, if necessary. Whenever a battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state, sulfation will begin to diminish both lifespan and capacity. We haven't heard of any issues on our end, with batteries arriving at retailers deeply-discharged, but I did inform my supervisor of this thread and we will be monitoring the situation closely.


    Jim McIlvaine
    eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
    www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
     
    #18 OptimaJim, Jan 20, 2012
  19. FlyboyTR

    FlyboyTR Member

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    Jim,
    Thank you for your concern. Since eLearnaid.com is a reseller of your product...I will have to say it again... I was very impressed with their level of customer service. My original email to them about the battery's condition was met and responded to in a very prompt and professional manner. That level of service is hard to come by these days.

    When my new battery arrives I will post it's condition on this tread. Thanks again!
     
    #19 FlyboyTR, Jan 20, 2012
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  20. Red09

    Red09 Junior Member

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    Well we were not this cold when I first got the car and measured the voltage we were just around freezing.

    I did buy me a trickle charger (up to 3amps it says) that I connect each night with the block heater until I get my new battery installed. My charger has a setting for small batteries like a motor cycle, does the Prius Optima battery fall in this category?

    I drive about 20 to 30 minutes each way.
     
    #20 Red09, Jan 20, 2012
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