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Another battery for the Prius.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Britprius, Jun 13, 2012.

  1. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Looking on Ebay USA I came accros this AGM deep cycle battery that will fit the Prius with no mods to the carrier. At first glance the price might seem high, but look at the amp/hr capacity and it begins to make sense. 65 amp/hr for $179.99.

    This capacity should take care of those parking at airport and other long no use occasions.

    Sorry I can't post a link but that area is greyed out on my computer since the new format.

    See Ebay Item No 270777983177. Vmaxtank golfcart 12v agm dry cell battery MB96-1300
     
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  2. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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  3. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Thanks for the link.
    For further information the battery has 44% more capacity than the OEM and 86% more than the OPtima so as you say in the US a lot of bang for your buck.
     
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  4. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Yet another battery for the Prius.

    Exide edge battery agm deep cycle FP-AGM51JIS
    Strait fit in the Prius correct size, posts and vent. Better amp/hr and specification than the Optima, with a 4year free replacement guarantee.

    I believe this is available at Sears as in the UK we are getting adds for these on the internet for delivery to the UK from the US. Also available at Battery Service Corporation and Remy Battery. $20 coupon online if you search.

    More details at Exide.com/media/files.
     
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the recommendation! I just bought this battery from Batteries Plus in Tucson, AZ, for $164.99 plus sales tax. P5210001.JPG P5210002.JPG P5210004.JPG Compare to the two local Toyota dealers which offer the replacement battery at $214.

    The voltage of the battery was 12.37V when purchased so I am currently charging it with a 2A lab power supply set to 13.8V. The battery was manufactured in January 2013 and shipped in April 2013. A new, fully-charged 12V AGM battery should measure 12.9V. (The two 12V AGM batteries that I've bought in the past from local Toyota dealers were fully-charged upon purchase.)

    This is yet another example of a newly-purchased 12V battery which is partially discharged, hence I again recommend that owners fully-charge their new 12V batteries before installation.

    The reason that I bought this battery is for use as a preventive install on my daughter's 2007. The battery in her car was fully-discharged 2x (due to driver error.) Although it is still working, I don't want her to run unneeded risk of a no-start situation.
     

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  6. boppo

    boppo Active Member

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    Pat, do that battery have a vent tube?
    Thanks
     
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    The Exide part number for a AGM battery with an external vent and JIS posts is S46B24R


    Exide AGM Car Battery (Group S46B24R)


    I did not see that the ebay battery had either external venting or JIS posts.
     
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Both ends of the battery have a vent hole that hopefully will accept the black plastic vent fitting. The end near the positive terminal currently has a rubber plug in the hole while the end near the negative terminal has no plug. I need to move the plug to the hole near the negative terminal, since the vent tube plugs in on the side near the positive terminal.

    This battery has the small JIS-sized terminals, in case that is not clear from the photos.

    I've been charging the battery for two hours and 20 minutes as of this writing, and the charging has just now transitioned from constant-current (at 2A) to constant voltage (at 13.8V). So it looks like it will take a fairly long time to fully-charge the battery. I want to see what the final charging current will be at 13.8V, hopefully it will be less than 100 mA.

    Edits reporting current flows as time elapses:

    After four charging hours at 13.8V, current flow reduced to 1A.
    Six charging hours, current flow is 0.61A.
    Eight charging hours, current flow is 0.3A.
    13.5 charging hours, current flow is 0.2A.
    17 charging hours, current flow is 0.15A.
    19 charging hours, current flow is 0.14A.
    21 charging hours, current flow is 0.12A.
    24 charging hours, current flow is 0.12A.

    Have now increased voltage to 14.2V after 24 hours, current flow increased to 0.60A.
    25.5 charging hours, current flow is 0.37A.
    27 charging hours, current flow is 0.35A.
    28 charging hours, current flow is 0.33A.
    37 charging hours, current flow is 0.22A.
     
  9. boppo

    boppo Active Member

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    Thanks for that info.
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I've read (quite a few years back, and out of my depth here) that it's common for new batteries to be just partially charged. Maybe someone more in the know can comment.

    And I'd second doing a gentle charging with any new battery.
     
  11. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    There are 3 batteries made by Exide to this physical size with part numbers as follows:-

    FP-AGM51 Battery with imperial posts.
    FP-AGM51R Battery with imperial posts with positive terminal on the right. (possibly would suit gen1 Prius).
    FP-AGM51JIS Battery with Japanese Industrial Standard posts (small). For gen2 and on Prius with positive posts on the left (with terminals closest to you).

    They all have vents, the important thing when ordering is that you order the JIS version.

    The S46B24R is the battery type designation rather than the part number. The OEM battery is also an S46B24R.

    John (Britprius)
     
  12. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Thank you for setting me straight!
     
  13. Winston

    Winston Member

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    Shoot i missed this post! I just bought an Optima from elearn aid on Monday and installed it yesterday. Oh well, the optima should last a long time too. BTW installation took only about 20 minutes. I used my trickle charger to keep the stereo memory.
     
  14. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Patrick your charging voltage is a little low to obtain a full charge on this Exide battery.

    The recommended charge voltage is 14.4 volts + or - 0.2 volts. However I agree fully with your advice that any new battery should be charged before fitting.

    It is also a fact that lead acid batteries of whatever type gain some capacity after a short period of use as the plates become fully formed.

    John (Britprius)
     
  15. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    While I have seen 14.4v on my v, I never got over 13.8v on my Gen 2, I suspect that is why the Gen 2 is slow to charge.
     
  16. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    You will find the gen2 Prius capable of charging at surprisingly high rates if the battery is sound but in a discharged state of only 20% I have measured a charge voltage of 14.4 volts at a current of 45 amps.

    Tests still continuing, but I have measured over 60 amps rate of charge with a more depleted battery. I suspect this is one of the reasons why the OEM battery does not last long if it has been well discharged, as it's maximum design charge rate stated on it's label is only 4.5 amps.

    John (Britprius)
     
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  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi John,

    After 24 hours of charging at 13.8V, I calculate that ~12.5Ah was put into the battery given the voltage and current shown in my post #8 above. The current appears to have stabilized at 0.12A and shows no signs of dropping lower.

    The reason I used 13.8V is because that is the typical voltage on the Prius 12V bus when READY. This also demonstrates to other owners how long it takes to charge a 12V battery when you are depending upon the Prius DC/DC converter to charge it.

    I just increased the charging voltage to 14.2V and the charging current increased to 0.6A. I'll let you know how long it takes for the current to decline to 0.12A.
     
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  18. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Thanks Patrick.

    John (Britprius)
     
  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I'm not able to edit my prior posts as of this writing. Just wanted to say that charging current stabilized at 0.17A - 0.18A after 40+ hours of charging. Charging voltage was 13.8V for the first 24 hours, then 14.2V for the remaining time. I think the battery is as fully-charged as I can reasonably make it and will take it along when we visit our daughter in southern CA.

    I'm interested to see what condition the old battery is in and will bring it home to charge it and determine how well it works.
     
  20. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Thanks for the update Patrick. Can you tell me what the final voltage "after resting" of the battery is?

    John (Britprius)