2018 Prius C 12V Battery

Thanks!

I'll have the replacement Duralast battery for 2012-2017 Prius C on Monday. The Duralast has JIS pencil posts, so I have shims designed to adapt JIS posts to the existing cable terminals, which fit SAE posts. So, I shouldn't need to make up any adapters for the wiring (afaik).

 

The new Duralast battery arrived in apparently good shape, at least electrically. 12.86V out of the box. This battery is supposedly an exact fit for 2012-2017 Prius C, but...

There is a vent hole with a larger diameter opening than what mates with the elbow connected to the vent tube on my 2018. The hole then leads to a much smaller diameter (1mm or so) hole that presumably leads to the battery interior (or check valve, not sure).

Does the 2012-2017 Prius C elbow mate with the larger or smaller hole? Or is the same as for the 2018? I bought two different vent tubes (that have different part numbers) for 2012-2017 from Toyota but don’t yet have them.

I also bought a few different aftermarket vent tube assemblies with elbows that also match the 2018, but don’t mate with the Duralast.

There wasn’t any sort of adapter In the Duralast box and, curiously, that battery is no longer on the Autozone web site. It’s possible a needed piece is missing, but I have no way to determine this.

I’m thinking about trying to adapt the elbow to the larger section of the Duralast vent hole with an o-ring on the outside, but don’t know how that would hold up to any vented gas.

Any ideas?

 

Well, installation didn’t go well. The slope of the steel framework under the rear seat and other fittings/hardware don’t allow for the Duralast battery to be installed backwards, necessary due to the reversed terminal orientation relative to 2012-2017. It’s close, but no cigar. The only way to connect the battery electrically is to sit it on the floor, which is NFG without a way to secure it. I’m still thinking about that, but not hopeful.

I’m now looking at the Odyssey PC925MJT, which I see has been used by forum members in other Prius. Will the lower 28Ahr rating (vs. 35Ahr OEM) be an issue electrically or is it close enough?

The Odyssey is much shorter, may actually fit in the existing tray and I have a way to fit tie-down straps if needed. It’s sealed with no vent hole. It could be the solution.

Thanks.

 

The cables are just long enough for floor mounting, so that helps. I just took down a section of PVC fence and have a bunch of ‘boards’ that could work. I’ll see if I can mount the old Prius C/Prius brackets that I have to some and/or plywood. Materials and tools aren’t a problem. Being tired after fussing with it for hours sapped my creativity. Back at it again tomorrow.

Vaccine appointments are becoming more plentiful, but it’s hard to snag one as more categories open up (a good thing) and more people are looking. The signup system is a mess though. Hopefully soon.

Thanks!

 

Looking for second opinion(s) (calling sam spade 2) re: 28Ahr replacement battery for the 35Ahr OEM. The owner's manual states 35Ahr or greater. The Odyssey battery will fit in the existing tray and could be a permanent solution, perhaps leaving it in place for its service life and replacing with another or an OEM in a few years.

Also...

If I can mount the battery I have for 2012-2017 kind of, sort of safely on the floor and find (or ignore) a vent tube adapter solution, the battery could be exposed to more direct sunlight and potential heating during the summer than if shaded/protected under the seat. Anyone see this as an issue?

Thanks.

 

Thanks for clarifying. Odyssey also makes a 42Ahr battery, which wouldn't fit in the existing tray but would be short enough to fit under the seat. Higher CCA (540), but I gather that's not relevant in this situation. Feel free to correct.

That makes sense, heat-wise.

Heading out to work my floor-mount magic.

 

Back in business.

I had a wood board from another project that wedged perfectly between the very bottom of the center console and the rear bottom door sill while sitting at the correct angle so that the edge was parallel to the edge of the battery compartment. No cutting. Too easy.

I merged a 2004-2009 Prius battery tray/bracket (bolted to the wood) with a 2012-2017 Prius C bracket set (side arm removed with a hacksaw) to build an all metal tray with support on 3 sides and an adjustable metal hold-down across the top. One section of the Prius C clamp is bolted to a mounting hole in the battery compartment, so it’s all actually attached to the car.

It’s all very stable. I’ll run a strap around the entire assembly for insurance - a belt for the new suspenders.

None of the parts I bought went to waste.

The JIS pencil post adapter shims worked fine with the existing SAE cable terminals. The battery ground cable could be a bit longer, so I plan to replace it.

I’m also waiting for a VW grommet that might solve the vent tube issue. If not, I’ll let that go.

At any rate, I’ll feel better taking a necessary trip as it is now than with the failing OEM battery. Hopefully they’ll be back in production someday.

I’ll post pictures and a list of parts once I declare myself happy with everything.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

 

Is 4 gauge stranded wire suitable?

 

Very good. Thx!

 

Understood. I'm not taking that route and sticking with the other temporary solution I have.

Funny, this car 40 month old car only has 7200mi. I guess that's about 7 months mileage for an average car.

 

Yep, pretty low. It seems a bit of a waste, but we need a car for a handful of errands and family stuff. We both took mass transit to work before retirement, so the previous Honda Fit also had very low miles. We only replaced it because it was a dinosaur, safety-wise.

I saw on one manufacturer site that there is a 'global battery shortage.'

re: primetime
It took a month to get it all squared away... with tons of help from Sam and you!

Have fun with your project!

 

We're at about 200 mi for the past year.