12V battery dead after 5 hours!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 22 2007, 01:37 AM) [snapback]500156[/snapback]</div>

Ok. . so how do you handle this problem? I know jumping the car can be a bit tricky, but it can't be that bad, can it?

 

Welcome to the club
For me it was leaving the doors open for a couple of hours - the puddle lights did it
Why are there no timeout timers to protect the poor thing?
Like the name totoro

 

Yikes! Well more reason for me to buy the LED replacement bulbs for all my interior lights... maybe exterior markers too.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 22 2007, 01:37 AM) [snapback]500156[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 22 2007, 02:01 AM) [snapback]500162[/snapback]</div>

A 10 min drive is not enough to properly charge the 12 vdc battery. Please consider using an automatic battery charger to fully charge the battery. The attached tsb provides instructions

 

With the Prius, once you get it in "ready" mode you can leave the car on for a while without driving it to charge the battery. The inverter will charge the battery from the traction battery and fire up the ICE to charge the traction battery if required. Do not do this in a closed garage. The Prius 12 volt battery isn't a starter battery so it needs to be charged slow as it isn't designed for fast charge/discharge.
Prius is easy to jump-start, just hook up jumper cables as normal and switch on with the assisting cars engine turned off.

Do not jump start another car with your Prius, you can however charge the battery of another car enough to start it by connecting jumper cables with both cars off, then turn on the Prius and wait a while, maybe 20 minutes to allow the Prius inverter to charge the other battery. Now turn off the Prius and disconnect the cables then start the other, inferior car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 22 2007, 09:18 PM) [snapback]500751[/snapback]</div>

Toyota recommends a 10 amp setting to charge the 12 vdc battery.

The first winter I had my Prius, driving in Winnipeg city traffic at -40 C with the electric rear defrost on constantly, and headlights on all the time (Lovely dark winter days), my 12 vdc battery started to experience problems. I first noticed this when the coolant transfer pump started to moan in the heated underground parking, and the auto headlights went very dim, when I poked the power button.

I picked up some older model VDC Electronics Battery Minder units at an auction place. I directly connected the charge harness to the 12 vdc battery and left the unit plugged in whenever I wasn't driving the car. That made a big difference, I barely hear the coolant transfer pump cycle, and when the auto headlights turn on they're nice and bright.

The stepped/fixed charge rate to the 12 vdc battery will cause problems as the fleet ages. Some users have already noted the 12 vdc battery starting to bulge, while others have noted lack of capacity / dead / hard to charge. Once a battery becomes chronically undercharged, it will rapidly sulfate and suffer an early death.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 21 2007, 11:37 PM) [snapback]500156[/snapback]</div>

OK I gotta ask. I know it's possible but how did the lights get turned on with no-one in the driver's seat? The story's got to have an interesting twist.