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Camry/Avalon Hybrids 12 volt battery problems and lifespan

Discussion in 'Toyota Hybrids and EVs' started by Munpot42, Oct 31, 2018.

  1. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    My 5 year old Avalon Hybrid is beginning to do some unusual things and the mileage is dropping, going to invest in a volt meter and check the 12 volt out. How long should I expect it to last? The car has only 45k miles.
     
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  2. Anthony Poli

    Anthony Poli Junior Member

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    The battery life span is dependent upon weather the battery is regularly allowed to discharge too deeply. Since hybrid 12v batteries aren’t like normal car batteries and they get charged at a lower rate. So if your battery is low, it could take upto 18 hours to fully charge.

    My previous hybrid was probably on its original battery and 8 years later it wasn’t showing any signs of dying. The car was always used for commuting.



    iPad ?
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Is the battery under the hood, Orin the trunk?

    Normally, I expect 8-10. Years on a daily driver. Warmer climes may be less. 5 years on a Prius battery isn’t uncommon, but they are tiny
     
  4. Anthony Poli

    Anthony Poli Junior Member

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    In the trunk or under the rear seat.


    iPhone ? Pro
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Hycam in the trunk, you’d think there would be space under the hood of such large cars
     
  6. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Absolutely wrong.
    They are exactly like "normal" car batteries only a bit smaller.

    And 8-10 years for a battery that is actually used is higher than "normal".
    Seems like most start getting weak around 5 to 7 years; the hotter the environment, the quicker they go.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    I can’t understand why toyota would use smaller batteries, other than ‘they can’
     
  8. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Think about what you said for a minute.

    Why put a bigger battery in anything than it really needs ?

    Why did Kawasaki put a smaller battery in my motorcycle ??
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    But hybrids have room enough for a battery that would withstand the draining from leaving a door ajar, and also for using a more common size, read: less expensive
     
  11. Anthony Poli

    Anthony Poli Junior Member

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    Hybrid batteries are AGM and not flooded, chosen for safety and there is no 12v starter motor. Mg 1 starts the ice and that's driven from the hybrid system.
    The 12v battery only powers the alarm, central locking and dash.



    iPhone ? Pro
     
  12. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    TiresPlus-Battery-BatteryExpectancyZone (1).jpg
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    which means what?

    can't be larger and more powerful?

    can't use a more common cost effective model?

    other?
     
  14. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Well then I guess you DO understand it.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    on a motorcycle, definitely, not on an avalon, the thing is a boat
     
  16. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Companies are not usually required to design their products to protect the consumer from all possible forms of his own stupidity.
    They also generally don't care what he has to pay for replacement parts.
    That is pretty obvious to anybody who has gone to a dealer to get a $5 part and found that it is only available as a $500 "assembly".

    AND.....in an era when gas mileage is paramount, every pound adds up against you.
     
  17. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Starter batteries and deep cycle ones, like hybrids use, are physically different before getting into whether they are liquid, gel, or AGM.

    Lead is quite heavy.
    Many probably wouldn't care about the extra weight of a bigger battery, but Toyota is working under tests in which deleting the rear wiper from the Two Eco helps.
    A few years ago, a mother and child were killed when the wrong battery was used in their Porsche, and it flooded the cabin with hydrogen sulfide, which doesn't need a lot to reach lethal levels.

    AGM and gel batteries might be less likely to produce the gas, but any type of lead acid one mounted in the cabin or trunk needs to be a vented type that can have any out gassing directed outside. Since most cars mount the battery in the engine bay, vented batteries simply aren't common no matter the size and type, and will cost more. That's why the gen4 moving the battery to the engine bay is a big deal.
     
  18. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Are the batteries in all models of Prius......and other hybrids......really of the "deep cycle" construction ?
    First I've heard of that.
    And I see no reason for that either.....since they are heavier AND the voltage drops pretty much just like a conventional battery as they discharge.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    unfortunately, gen 4 battery in engine bay turned out to be a marketing ploy.

    still highly unreliable, and expensive
     
  20. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Booting up the computer, and flipping the traction battery relays doesn't require the short burst power draw that a starter battery is required to deliver. Then there are the secondary systems, like the SKS, that need power while the car is off. Deep cycle would be a better choice for this. Considering the battery's size, I don't see the weight different being that big. A starter has thinner lead plates, but there are more of them, and a major car manufacturer isn't likely to source a deep discharge battery using pure lead plates.

    But then people's experience with batteries here probably means Toyota cheaped out with the battery, like they did with the ATF, and just used a starter type.
    It is likely a gel or AGM battery, those cost more, but should be better in terms of safety and life span. Of course, if the battery is too 'small' for powering all the secondary systems while the car is parked, deep discharging of any lead-acid battery type will shorten its life.

    Don't know about GM's current start/stop systems, but the first one in the Malibu had a starter battery and a deep cycle one for powering things while the engine was off.