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Where can I get a negative terminal clamp and ground cable for my 12v battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by wbs887700, Feb 11, 2021.

  1. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Remove the nut off the clamp on the positive post and install that cable on the stud then screw the nut back on.
     
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Were convinced. We all know you need a new battery. Just go get a freakin new battery.

    Batteries+ SB model 4 year warranty $225. Fits the hole perfectly.
     
    #42 edthefox5, Feb 17, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
  3. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Yes, if you decide to use a wheelchair battery a double flat ground cable would be a better fit than that rube goldburg thing @PriusCamper uses, cheap at an auto parts store also.

    That bolt you have circled holds the Positive terminal (90982-0500) to the fusible link (82620-47040). You remove it and put some washers underneath so the fusible link doesn't get crushed.

    https://discountparts.tracytoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-positive-term-9098205060?c=Zz1lbGVjdHJpY2FsJnM9YmF0dGVyeSZsPTYmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1wcml1cyZ5PTIwMDYmdD1iYXNlJmU9MS01bC1sNC1lbGVjdHJpYy1nYXM%3D
     
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  4. wbs887700

    wbs887700 Junior Member

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    The link that use gave me for that 12 volt battery isn't working right now for some reason. Is this it?
    Screenshot_20210225-223917.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Kinda... I don't use Ebay on my phone though because it doesn't work very well that way. I always do it on my laptop or desktop.
     
  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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  7. wbs887700

    wbs887700 Junior Member

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    What do you mean that is kinda the battery? is it not the exact battery you were talking about?
    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #47 wbs887700, Feb 28, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2021
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    One of the most common batteries sold at Batteries Plus and others stores are these types of 12v AGM batteries that are used for backup computer power supply systems, wheelchairs and many other things... Because they have so many uses when you buy them they haven't been sitting on the shelf for a long time and the pricing for them is much more competitive compared to what auto parts stores sell for Prius 12volts, where you pay triple the price because there's a sense the people don't have a choice but to pay that much...

    As for this conversation that's gone on for several weeks. You're draining me down as much you're draining down your 12v. I've been trying to be helpful but it's been more than a few weeks and you've still done nothing to replace your 12v, which is going to turn into a way bigger hassle for you than just buying it and being done with it and getting on with your life. You have all the information you need and yet you keep asking the same questions and posting new posts with the exact same issue as if you're going to get different results, which is the definition of insanity.
     
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  9. wbs887700

    wbs887700 Junior Member

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    Okay well sorry for dragging it on, thanks for your help. I haven't ordered a new battery because the 12 volt battery I have now is continuing to start my Prius, and I've been traveling around for a while. Take care
    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  10. Calimobber

    Calimobber Member

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    I'll add my experiance.

    So these cars are not like conventional cars and only use the 12v battery to start up the computers and doesnt need much of a charge at all so most batteries can last a very long time even super low. The Hybrid battery starts the car.

    Grounding is very important and did a good job on cleaning up the bolt. I use those metal bristle brush to scrap off the point but anyway that works is good. My issue if your inverter. You have a very large inverter that pulls a ton of power and will be brutal on your little prius battery. The prius doesnt have a conventional alternator and only has a smaller 12v battery charger ment to keep the battery topped off not to provide tons of power for things like 1500w inverters. If you insist on using the inverter I would connect it directly to the battery since its going to pull all of its energy from the battery. If you look at the inverters ground cable is much larger than your battery ground.

    You can have your battery tested for free at any autoparts store. Its not the best test but they can get an idea how its doing and its free.

    The issue with buying a random cheap battery vs the name brand more expensive ones people are recommended is the quality. Most no name batteries lie about what the battery can handle and dont hold up like the good ones.


    If you want to learn more I can walk you through abunch of issues but might be easier on the phone. you can private message me if you want and I can try explain more things in detail better. Good luck!


    (The battery is the right place to check voltage. The voltage will be higher when you first turn off the car since it was just being charged. wait an hr and check again that should get the voltage after having time to settle.12.7 is fine, not 100% but usable)
     
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  11. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It's understandable and common to think that, but the reality is quite different.

    The thing the Prius has instead of a conventional alternator is the DC/DC converter, which is a water-cooled, high output, regulated power supply under the hood. The Gen 2 New Car Features manual (more info) does not give an output specification for the converter, but the Gen 3 (2010 to 2015) NCF does, and people have generally found the Gen 2 capacity to be about the same:

    120.png

    Only fairly recently have conventional alternators been beefed up to that level; "Not long ago, an 80 amp alternator was considered a high output unit." And conventional alternators give only a fraction of that output when the engine idles, and need it gunned to about 2,500 rpm to reach full output. The converter in the Prius gives you the same steady output at all times in READY, whether the engine is running or not, as long as the coolant pump is able to do its thing.

    Bear in mind you don't get the whole 120 amps for your own pursuits. The car uses some of that!

    Because the converter's output is set a volt or two higher than the battery, the converter will normally be the source for all the 12 volt loads in the car, whenever it is operating (that is, whenever the car is READY). The only time your inverter will pull energy from the battery is if you are pulling such a large load with the inverter that you have pulled the converter's output down below the battery's. That's a situation you should plan your loads to avoid. So in general, your inverter will get its power from the converter.

    Because of that, connecting your inverter directly to the battery disadvantages you. You want your connections electrically close to where your power is coming from, which is the converter. There is a fusible link in the battery + terminal clamp assembly, so if you wire your inverter right to the battery terminal, you have put the voltage drop of that fuse in between your inverter and the source of the power. There is also a similar fuse link under the hood at the converter output, so you end up with the power suffering two fuse drops on its way to you. If you simply attach the inverter to the cable side of that clamp assembly, you have moved one fuse drop closer to the source of the power, which is where you want to be. (You then also have the fuse in the clamp assembly serving its purpose to protect your connection and the battery from each other.)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    For the same reason, the relative sizes of your inverter's ground cable and the battery ground cable are sort of moot, because your best move is to attach your inverter's ground cable directly to one of the body ground points (such as where the battery ground cable itself connects). The skinny battery ground cable only comes into play if you ground your inverter straight to the battery − terminal, which disadvantages you by inserting that skinny cable into the path from the converter, where your power is coming from.

    More on that can be found here and in the following posts.

    You can tell whether your load is overtaxing the converter and starting to draw from the battery with a simple voltmeter right at the battery posts. The battery is receiving energy as long as the voltage there is above the open-circuit voltage for a battery. If it gets pulled below that, it's a sign that your load is unsustainably large and the battery is having to chip in beyond what the converter can supply.
     
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  12. Calimobber

    Calimobber Member

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    Well I’ll be damned. I just saw the dc to dc and assumed it was like most others. Thats good to know. Wonder why it needed such a large converter humm...
     
    #52 Calimobber, Mar 2, 2021
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 5, 2021
  13. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    'Cause it's running a whole car, taking the place of a conventional alternator?
     
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