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Pleasant 12V battery charging surprise for PiP

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by [email protected], Nov 12, 2017.

  1. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    Yes, Think of a dead battery as either a dead short or totally open, Not good for the rest of the car. I’m not speaking of a battery that measures ~ 10-12 volts that’s still recoverable, ......(maybe)
     
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  2. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    Questions on Prius maintenance and operation are covered very professionally on Patrick Wong’s sites on Generation 2/3, research these.
     
  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Thanks, Andy. That almost reminds me of a diesel but for obviously different reasons. My old Nissan Frontier would run w/o the battery once it was started. I guess that makes sense since, once the Prius is in Ready mode, the DC/DC converter is putting out power to charge the 12V, which would be available to the rest of the 12V system. It's interesting to hear from someone who actually tried it.
     
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  4. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    I also threw in a small 12V alarm battery, it worked fine, as a temp fix.
     
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  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Cool! I figured one of the 7AH UPS batteries would work in a pinch. In fact, I think I've heard of that being done. I wasn't sure that one of those little ones for alarm systems would provide enough current to boot up everything. That really says a lot about how little the Prius demands of the 12V battery.
     
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  6. John F

    John F Junior Member

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    So I had a gen 2 Prius and jumped the battery no problem. Is there anything different when jumping my 2012 PiP? In a gas car I would drive it around the block to charge the battery up well before parking /turning off again.
     
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  7. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    Just plug it in :)
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That will do very little charging, lol. If you have a seriously depleted 12 volt battery, a full charging session with a decent quality smart charger is the way to go. It'll take somwhere between 6~12 hours. For 3rd gen, you want to keep it around 3~4 amp max spec'd charger, check the manual.
     
    #28 Mendel Leisk, Aug 12, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2019
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  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Assuming that the 12V isn't too dead to start up the traction battery charger. ;)

    The above is true, but to directly answer your question, you wold jump or charge the 12V in a PiP just like any other Prius. As always, be absolutely sure the polarity is right. Also, iirc, the PiP & Gen 3 positive jump terminals under the hood only have one metal side. Some jumper cable also only have one metal side. That has cause consternation when people don't notice it and connect metal to plastic.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!

    if it is original, just replace it. if not, try all of the above.