Winter is coming -- 12V question

one good thing thats happened in the past 6 years.... lots of youtube videos nowadays about how to replace prius 12v battery step by step.

 

I don't see any mention of a vent tube connection. Absent that, it isn't truly "Plug & Play" for a Gen1-3 Prius.

 

The other thing to consider in these times of uncertainty is lead time. Some outlets are better than others. Just because the battery retails for 200 buck, doesn't mean its on the shelf.

 

Well the important thing is don't hurt yourself installing it. I would get some cushions you can kneel on and climb in the hatch and kneel close to that battery well and not extend your arm at all. That way you can use your left arm to drop it in. Its heavy.

Take a piece of sandpaper and clean both terminals till there shiny. Same with the inside of the battery clamps. Clean them & grease therm and bolt them up.

Bolt on that neg lead to the battery first before you install it. Like in my picture. Tape over the chassis end of that lead as you want to bolt that in last after the positive clamp is bolted on.

When done bolting it up install the 2 power leads push them in till they click. Done.

When you go to start it the first button push will show a dashboard full of obd lights. That's normal. Shut it off and then start it again.

Oh and take a voltmeter with you so when they slap it on the counter measure it. The closer to 12.6 the better. If its like 12 volts its been sitting a long time. Ask for a fresher battery.

Good Luck!

 

Numerous places have been doing that in recent years.

This is called market segmentation. On-line, they must compete against other on-line retailers. But for brick & mortar walk-in customers, considerably less so. This is the same reason walk-in customers for hotels/motels normally pay more than those who shop and book ahead. Same for airlines.

With vastly more "big data" collection, they are getting closer to being able to offer different prices to each individual person, depending on their price sensitivity and shopping urgency. They don't want to be offering too-low prices to folks willing to pay more.

 

My last yellow top was the same plus there was an online coupon. Check for coupon. Think I paid $165 out the door for my yellow top.
Took 3 battery's at the counter to find one with a decent charge on it.

Its now 3 years old and suspect lol....

 

You could check with Craig's list or a Auto Recycler..... but get cheap with a warranty if possible.

 

Having the hood up makes No difference.

 

Hood up? Not me.....

I always say measure the 12 volts at the front jump point and that’s under the hood but..

 

I kinda figured that.......

 

As long as your dreaming about me I’m good

 

You are not dreaming, someone (not me!) did mention it this year. The idea is that opening the driver side door triggers the brake accumulator pump to fire up, drawing a fairly large current for ten seconds or so, so the battery has no longer been truly at rest all night anymore. It doesn't make much difference, but it is some.

Popping the hood the previous day, or entering through a passenger door to pop the hood, avoids triggering this pump. Going through other doors will still turn on the cabin lights, but they are negligible compared to the brake pump.

 

If the battery was so bad that the pump for 7 seconds and a dome light made any difference there wouldn't be enough juice to start the car.

 

Umm, what car is that?

My experience is kind of limited to Prii over the last dozen years or so, where I've generally found as long as nothing pulls the battery into the low 7s during a start attempt, it'll end up starting. On multiple occasions I've turned an "oh, $@%&" into successfully driving away, by pulling the brake pump relays, starting the car, then putting them back.

Naturally, that last part is easier in the generations where those relays aren't inside the ECU....

... also, if the battery's that low, the pump run is going to be way longer than 7 seconds ... sounding like a dying windup toy.

 

I guess I'm out of the loop on this strategy. I fortunately have a load tester and test all my vehicles at least four times a year. I go out of town or into Houston quite often and don't want any battery surprises.

 

Yes, @bisco mentioned that, and I tested: checked battery voltage first thing in morning, with the hood pre-popped, and got 12.9~. Then opened/closed passenger door (min disturbance method needed to access hood release), then measured voltage again: down around 12.8~.

Moral of the story: observing voltage can effect voltage. Take-away: it's not the best indicator of battery "health".

Electronic load testers are better I think. Something like Solar BA9 is what I would get if buying such a tester now. Good to take along when buying too. Though a lot of battery retailers have sim pro level testers, are willing to demo battery's status for you.

Just voltage doesn't mean that much.