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Starter Battery

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by SR-71, Jan 25, 2021.

  1. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Wait, you read instructions? ;)
     
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  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Oops! Did I say that out loud? :eek:
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah looks to have a female cig lighter socket, which the memory saver cables could plug into. (y)
     
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  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Another inept ignorant "technician". Imagine that.
    If the vehicle is OFF during the whole process, it is HIGHLY unlikely that any electronics will be damaged; approaching impossible.
    Unless maybe you reverse the polarity during the process.
     
  6. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yap, that's how I used it on our other cars. It also becomes handy to use it for the portable 12v compressor I have. The compressor has a 12A max draw and if I plug it into the car cig lighter socket, it blows a fuse. I have done it several times, and it was a pita to change the fuse. Using alligator clips, I could connect it directly to the 12v battery terminal under the hood, but as long as a 120v outlet is nearby, using an extension cord and this converter is easier.
     
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  7. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    I thought all of this would be a simple job to clip some large clamps to the cables of the battery while it is being swapped. Nope. There really is no spot to clamp to (except maybe ground somewhere in the engine bay). In fact it gets weirder than that. From one terminal, there are 5 wires that attach to one terminal, and only one large wire to the other terminal. So six wires connect to the battery in normal operation? Why?
     
  8. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    It still might be.
    IF.....you have a "jump point" in the engine bay, that will work.
     
  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Unfortunately, there is no jump point in the engine bay for Gen4 and PP. The 12v battery is in the engine bay under the hood.
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    In past I’ve connected a small trickle charger prior to doing a battery replacement: I secured it’s positive ring terminal to an auxiliary bolt on the side of the positive battery cable clamp.
     
  11. AldoON

    AldoON Member

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    What I'm suspecting regarding the Toyota tech saying not to use it is that he was being overly cautious for liability reasons.

    Maybe there's a scenario where if you're using a battery saver and you try turning on the car or do something with you could cause damage?

    How many of you have used a battery saver on a Gen 4 Prime or other hybrid?

    I have a battery saver and used it before by connecting it to the cigarette lighter of another car while connecting it to the obd of my old car (Toyota Matrix) and changing its battery.
     
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  12. geguia

    geguia Active Member

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    I have been receiving "Dealer Maintenance is required" notification for the past week or so. Thought that was attributed to a scheduled oil change but i believe it's the battery now. This morning my wife had the emergency flashers going with the car off. Car would not start - "Low 12-Volt Batter Apply Parking Brake Securely While Parking See Owner's Manual". I plugged the car in and the car started up after 30 minutes. Rather than going the battery tender direction do i need to replace my battery? it's a 2017 (nov 2016) model. Sounds like I need to pick up this battery and call it a day? https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBP75140R?ref=MA==
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    without any data, it is impossible to know. if money is no object, and you don't have or want to buy the tools, just replace it.
    but make sure it is fully charged before installing. i'm kinda surprised that it wouldn't start, but would take a charge.
     
  14. geguia

    geguia Active Member

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    the 12 v battery fully charged or the battery? I just purchased an ODB 2 reader and battery tender so i will try this route before updating the battery. Figured that the car is nearly 5 years old that it's about time.
     
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  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    12v battery. a lot of places let them sit and discharge, then sell them without charging
     
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  16. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    There are several possible “Visit Your Dealer” messages, but if the one you saw was “Maintenance Required Visit Your Dealer,” that’s triggered only by the time or distance since the maintenance reminder was last reset. The “Low 12-Volt Battery Apply Parking Brake Securely” message is completely unrelated.
    NAPA’s type 140R battery is the correct size, but if there was a known reason for the existing battery to have become discharged—such as the prolonged use of four-way flashers with the car not in READY—I’d suggest giving it a fair chance to recover through recharging, before replacing it out of hand.
     
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  17. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    The message "Key Battery is Low" might be another sign of the 12v's health. Before my last Prius had a bad 12v battery crash incident, I got that message often. As both the key batteries were new, I suspected the real cause for the message was the lower ability of the car's key sensor to detect the key due to the lower voltage on the 12v. This is now happening with my '17 Prime.
     
  18. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Depending on the "normal" usage.......or lack of, you probably need to do BOTH or else you will need another new one in about 3 years.
    Which is about half of what is considered normal.

    Note: replacing parts based only on a wild guess is NOT a good idea.
    Some simple checks and tests should be done first. Maybe a battery cable is loose.
     
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  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Or hey, might mean the key battery is low, lol. I appreciate there’s a lot of wildly off messages, but I’ve got that one, and a new fob battery dismissed it.
     
  20. geguia

    geguia Active Member

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    plugged in the OBD 2 reader and had a few codes - two appear related to the battery. The 1st code i believe was from when i purchased the car and there was bad gas that threw an engine light ...

    ============1==============
    P0136(13)
    Raw code: 013613
    ECU: Engine control unit #2[Archive (inactive)]
    Status: Test failed since last DTC clear, Test not completed during this operation cycle
    OBDII: Heated oxygen sensor (HO2S) 2, bank 1 - circuit malfunction
    Toyota: Oxygen Sensor Bank 1 Sensor 2 Malfunction

    ============2==============
    C1241
    Raw code: 5241
    ECU: ABS control unit #2
    Status: Confirmed
    Toyota: IG Power Source Circuit (MR, Cel.)

    ============3==============
    P000C
    Raw code: 000C
    ECU: Rain sensor
    Status: Confirmed
    OBDII: Intake camshaft position A, bank 2 - slow response