12V battery going bad? SOLVED

welcome to priuschat! yes, you need a new battery, no, it shouldn't drop that low. 5 years insn't a bad run tho. all the best!

 

Agreed, 10 volts is too low. Time for a new one. Jump starting is risky business in a Prius. Best to replace it ASAP.

Best of luck to you and "Welcome to Prius Chat!"

 

the older ones are probably better. there is an sks battery and a non sks battery. prices seem to hover a little under $200. there are some better aftermarket options such as optima yellowtop. in any case, make sure you get a fresh one mfg'd in the last 6 months or less. and bring your voltmeter with you to make sure it's fully charged or tricklecharge it before installing.

 

pleasure. there are plenty of battery threads here if you want to read up some more.

 

Toyota Fan, does your car have the SKS on it? Also what is your location?

 

That sounds great. You shouldn't have any problems doing the swap. Car's without the SKS have problems when they put in the new battery cause the hold down clamp doesn't work with the bigger battery. Have to change the tray or mod the clamp to make it work.

Look in my signature below. Second link, post #8 in that string details what I did when I changed ours last year.

You might want to update your profile to show your location.

I recommend the OEM Toyota True Start Battery. Others will recommend the "Yellow Top" and or the Exide. I think O'Reilly has a drop in battery also.

Here's a link for the Yellow Top. You can get it shipped to you or you can pick one up at your local Advanced Auto Supply or Auto Zone.

Optima DS46B24R Optima battery direct fit replacement for Prius 2004 + , Prius V & Plug-in Prius with Instructions

Like bisco said, check the voltage of the new one. Should measure a minimum of 12.8 volts when fully charged when using a digital voltage meter measuring at the posts with NO load applied. Any thing less is NOT fully charged.

If you are mechanically inclined, I would suggest you DIY the battery yourself. As mentioned earlier, the price varies and starts around $175 and goes up from there. Labor to install could be anywhere from $50 to $200 depending on the source.

Part # on the OEM I used is 00544-21171-325

Hope all of this helps you and again "Welcome to Prius Chat!"

 

Advance Auto parts online has some discount codes to get you an Optima yellow top for around $170 plus tax shipped to your door. Check the site and RetailMeNot for details.

 

It is simple. If you want more info, take a look at the file attached here. Note: some instructions differ from the technique I used.

 

They carry them, they just won't ship them. I got mine thru AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway Parts Since they are local here in town, I got Jake to write up the order for me and drove over there and picked it up. Paid less than $170 with tax. Was real happy with it and still am today. Any of the local Toyota dealers up there should have it on the shelf.

cyberpriusII got one from a Oregon dealer and just put it in her Prius. She paid $199 IIRC. See her post here complete with pretty pictures... Replacement Battery Pix | PriusChat