Need some help replacing the 12v battery, any info would be appreciated!

This YouTube might help you?

 

Look into electronic load testers, like the Solar BA5.

 

Just bear in mind that thee task of a PRIUS battery is quite different from the old cars he's talking about.

 

Still, a battery in good shape will display CCA above spec, and one that's failing will show lower than spec. Regardless of the demands, testing the battery in similar manner is still valid I think.

Have we had this conversation before; I'm getting a serious deja vu, lol.

 

I have the same tester Mendel has and I agree with him. There is a reason why the engineers put a battery in a car with a certain amount of cranking amps and has the reserve energy to meet all demands, large and small.


www.amazon.com/BA5-100-1200-Cranking-Electronic-Battery/dp/B0017R5EQK/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Solar+BA5&qid=1553815984&s=gateway&sr=8-2

 

I'd still suggest that the OP have a look at the YouTube I posted - Cold Cranking Amps is irrelevant to a PRIUS, though the battery still has to be sound.

 

If the battery is sound it should be able to produce most of it's cold cranking amps and if it can't it will gradually decline with time and eventually fail. I understand the Prius does not need all the CCA, kind of like running a tire low on air, if it gets too low it will fail.

It got to -20 F. here this winter and a battery that will start a car in warm weather may not start a car in cold weather and northerners are well aware of this fact. Batteries are more dependable than they use to be but old timers here take their car to the shop in the winter and have the battery tested, antifreeze checked and snow tires put on the car.
Even a new battery CCA will drop in the winter and a weak battery will fail.

 

I think there's some conflation in your argument Alan: to say low CCA is not a problem in a Prius battery, since it's not cranking. The thing is: a battery in good health will have CCA well above spec, and one that's one that's degrading will display CCA below spec, sometimes significantly.

 

If you are still looking for a replacement battery a Walmart Everstart 121r, fits like a glove.

 

What is all that extra equipment attached to the battery?

 

That's a fuse block, one each for the two way radio, meter, top light and data terminal.

 

Seems like the dealer are really pressing for battery replacements. I got a tester for mine just after the 36k warranty was up and the old battery checked out at just above 200 CCA. A year and a half later, the advisor said you gotta get that battery replaced, brought it home and guess what, still tested at just above 200 CCA. The rating for our battery is only 290 CCA. Did anyone get a new OEM toyota true start battery and what are they rated at? I know CCA doesn't matter but I find that having a battery that says it gives 550 CCA and drops to 350 CCA better than one that starts out at a measly 290 CCA. Heck, just detailing the car for an hour will make my radar detector detect a low battery condition, even though the car still starts fine.

 

Is 290 CCA stamped on the case? I'd guess it's more like 325 CCA, rated. A new battery in good health rated at 325 CCA will typically test higher than that rating, say 375~400.

200 CCA does sound really low. What's the voltage, if you check it first thing in the morning?

 

CCA never mattered in a Prius. Its the amount of voltage that its got.

Fully charged: 12.5+ volts
Half charged: 11.0-12.4
Discharged: 10.9 and lower

 

Yeah the battery doesn't crank the engine, but CCA is still a good indicator of battery health.

 

You were very close:



Still, any battery that reads significantly lower than spec'd CCA is not going to last much longer.