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Newbie Battery Help

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Hal Waters, Jul 28, 2018.

  1. Hal Waters

    Hal Waters New Member

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    ----USA----
    Hello all, this is my first post and brand new to the Prius world. So this morning I ran into the store and when I came back to my car it was dead... prior to getting in the car to confirm this I did hear the FOB make a beep anyway, the door lights came on but nothing else. After a min or so of pushing the start button and brake the car came on. I drove it to work and when I went to lunch it wouldn't start again, the check engine light came on. Also, the FOB would not open or lock the car. Now, 3 hours later the car started back up and the FOB worked locking and unlocking the doors. I'm going to change the FOB battery prior to the 12V. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks for the help and I'll countinue to search the threads.
     
    #1 Hal Waters, Jul 28, 2018
  2. Hal Waters

    Hal Waters New Member

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    In addition, my FOB unlocked and locked my doors, however, it still will not start.
     
    #2 Hal Waters, Jul 28, 2018
  3. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    If you still have the original battery -- get a new one ASAP. The car will tell you when the key battery is going -- a warning comes up on the dash. There is no warning for the 12v .... except you now have been warned.
     
    #3 yeldogt, Jul 28, 2018
  4. Hal Waters

    Hal Waters New Member

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    Thank you! Will the 12v go in and out prior to it actually dying completely? Like I said, it wouldn't start, then it did start and I got it to work. A few hours later I was able to drive it home from work... now it sits in my driveway and wont start.
     
    #4 Hal Waters, Jul 28, 2018
  5. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    When this happens 100 out of 99 times, your 12 volt battery needs to be replaced.
     
    #5 Grit, Jul 28, 2018
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  6. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Welcome to Prius Chat (y).

    Some questions:
    • How many mile miles do you have on your Prius?
    • What are your normal trip lengths?
    • Did you try holding the Toyota logo on the fob up to the start button?
    • Ever drain your 12 volt battery down and have it jumped?
    Sounds like the 12 volt to me though;).

    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
    #6 Raytheeagle, Jul 28, 2018
  7. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    #7 bobzchemist, Jul 28, 2018
  8. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    Yes, the 12v will go in and out right before it dies. You can jump it to get it going, but chances aren't good that it will ever start without a jump now. There's no saving the battery. Jump it, and go straight to a parts store or the dealership.
     
    #8 bobzchemist, Jul 28, 2018
  9. Hal Waters

    Hal Waters New Member

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    Thank you guys! I will head over to Pep Boys and get that taken care of. @Raytheeagle... I have 105,000 currently on it. I bought it at 100,000 miles. It looks like the battery is a 2011. Also, I drive 100 miles a day!
     
    #9 Hal Waters, Jul 28, 2018
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  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    If that's the original 12V, you're definitely due for a new one.

    Just an fyi. A loose connection at one if the battery terminals or where the negative cable bolts to the car body can mimic a bad 12V, so you might want to check that before removing the old battery to install the new one.

    With a regular car where the 12V battery has to generate a ton of power to crank the engine, there's a pretty clear line where the battery can and can't do its job. In the Prius, it's just powering computers and a couple relays, so it can act pretty squirrelly before it gots low enough to not work at all.
     
    #10 jerrymildred, Jul 28, 2018
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  11. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    As I mention in another thread -- we replace our OE Prius batteries at the 4 year mark. We will see how the aftermarket ones hold up -- They do weigh more ..
     
    #11 yeldogt, Jul 28, 2018
  12. tweedle99

    tweedle99 Member

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    #12 tweedle99, Jul 28, 2018
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    at 105,000 miles, you should also look into egr circuit/intake manifold cleaning and oil catch can. how often do you check your oil?
     
    #13 bisco, Jul 28, 2018
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  14. Hal Waters

    Hal Waters New Member

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    ----USA----
    Yeldogt and Tweedle99 thank you for your input and the coupon code as well! You all have been a great deal of help. Bisco, I've had the car a very short time... I just took it 2 weeks ago for an oil change ( first one since I bought) I used the 20W synthetic... I've been told change it every 5,000 and some say every 10,000... what's the correct answer? This is my first hybrid car and so far I love it. I use to drive an SUV that sucked down the gas. Thank you all for the help thus far.
     
    #14 Hal Waters, Jul 28, 2018
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  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I believe the manual says to change oil every 10,000 miles or six months, whichever is first. All the maintenance schedule should be in the manual or one of the supplements.
     
    #15 jerrymildred, Jul 29, 2018
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