Looking for a mechanic near Rampart Village, Los Angeles

R+R'ing the 12v isn't that difficult. The battery costs about $200, and factor one hour of labor including the retail exchange(s).

 

It should never take an hour to put in a 12 volt battery. L.A. has plenty of places that sell reconditioned batteries for like $25 just to get it up and going but Im sure the hybrid battery will be bad too. Time to call a tow if you really need it out by the 1st.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

1. Jump starting the car would probably work but go to #2

2. After an old hybrid (10+ years old) has sat for a long time, the old hv battery will go out of balance. To have any chance at it running right after you start it, you would need to charge up the hv battery BEFORE jump starting the car.

My suggestion is to jump start the car and just move it. If the 12v is dead and hv battery is out of balance, oh well. The car is only going to be sitting at your new location anyways, not going to be driven until you return. So just jump start it and move it. When you return, prepare to buy a new 12v and a new hv battery

 

If the HV sat unused for a year it is probably well beyond "out of balance" and closer to "fully discharged". Especially if it was sitting in Los Angeles, which is quite hot for most of the year. Even if the 12V was brand new it might not start with the HV in that state. If all that needs to be done is move the car (hopefully not too far) just tow it. At least that won't make anything worse should the OP actually want to use it again some day.

 

HV batteries will not fully discharge after a year. What the heck are you talking about?

 

I think his main issue is to find someone locally here that he can trust to start the car and move it. He is out of the country and cannot participate in anything else for now. This is what I think he is saying he needs. I may be wrong.

 

hybrid fix

 

While my reasons a quite different, I do agree that the above course of action would be the easiest, quickest and safest for someone who is afar. When the owner is back he can deal with getting the car going. At that time I would be seeing what the HV battery pack voltage was before even attempting to start the car. If it was below 202 V, I'd be looking at charging it before attempting starting the car.

 

You tell a tow truck operator the car needs to be moved and won't start, the first helpful thing they'll do is take the keys and try to jump start the car for you.

 

The self discharge rate of NiMH batteries is typically 10% per month. After 12 months most of the cells will have little to no charge. There are "low discharge rate" NiMH batteries, which are I think only half that, and maybe the Prius uses those. In any case, this is why one is not supposed to let NiMH using hybrids sit for more than a couple of weeks - the self discharge rates of the cells will vary even when new, and will diverge more as the battery ages, so after two weeks the pack will be out of balance. A year is 26 times longer. Expecting one to be functional after sitting for a year is exceedingly optimistic. Doubly so because it sat in a hot area.

Lithium ion and lead acid batteries have much lower (better) self discharge rates. Some forms of the former are particularly good, which is why the 3.3V CR2032 battery in computers will often still be working after 8-10 years, and the slightly thinner ones in watches may last 3-5 years.

 

So a new Prius with a 10 year battery warranty can get a new battery under warranty after letting it sit for a year? Cause it'll be completely drained and go to zero?