Anyone not have any issues with 12V Battery?

Because the Hyrbid battery starts the engine not the 12v battery like in most cars, your battery will last longer and people like Optima Yellow Top who sell junk batteries never get caught for their corruption.

Main point is that a Prius 12v battery is more like a backup personal computer battery than a car battery. Towards this end, investing in the very best AGM 12v backup power supply battery/wheelchair battery is going to ensure you don't have really weird problems with your car in the future when the battery starts to go.

Places like Batteries Plus sell a huge amount of these types of batteries for $140 ($100 less than auto parts store) and because they sell so many you won't be buying one that's been sitting on a shelf for years. The terminal mounts on these batteries are a little different so you'll need some longer bolts and bushings from your local hardware store to make everything fit right.

 

You use a wheelchair battery?

 

Yes!
@Britprius and myself did a huge amount of work on here back in 2013-14 discussing all the reasons these batteries are far more superior, not to mention more affordable, then lower quality, way more expensive batteries they sell for Prius at auto parts stores. I could on and on about it... Main point being 12v car batteries are designed for cranking amps to start the engine, which is a huge load put on any 12v battery. Prius doesn't use the 12v for starting the engine, just starting all the computers and basic system and the hyrbid battery handles starting the engine.

 

without knowing if the battery was replaced by the former owner, there isn't much to say.

my 6 year old battery has been fine so far, and i would expect 8-10 years out of it.

 

How do you figure out what battery to buy? Dimensions? Output?

 

Try entering your vehicle on an auto store website, see what they're offering. Then search for reviews of that battery.

Not much, all I got.

 

The problems I've had with Prius batteries have all been the kind that happen when something gets left on and drains it. The resulting problem is the car won't start. A couple of times, if there were still 7 or 8 volts to work with, I was able to start the car by pulling the brake pump relays first. Below 7 it's pretty much time to admit defeat.

When I don't let it drain, it doesn't give me problems.

When the one in my Gen 1 got to be around 7 or 8 years old, I figured I should proactively buy another one. One lived indoors, on a smart charger. If I ever happened to drain the one in the car, rather than subject it to a violent charge after a jump start, I would just swap batteries, and let the smart charger resuscitate the dead one. I don't have the Gen 1 any more, but I still have the battery that was indoors at the time, still topped off on the smart charger. Maybe I can use it for some lighting in a power outage, as some of my interior lights are now 12 volt LEDs.

I have not bothered picking up a matching spare battery for my Gen 3 (different size), though it's about 8 years old now. I have a small lithium start pack in the glove box, so I won't be stranded, and that's a lot less fuss than getting to the battery in back to swap it. Plus it is useful for jumping other people's cars, which I've done more times than I've ever needed it for mine.

If I do need it for mine, I figure I'll just jump it and let it recharge on the car, though that does shave more life off the battery than a controlled recharge. Given it's 8 years old now, I won't be too broken up over replacing it, whenever the time comes.

-Chap

 

i think that is the whole problem with the prius battery. it drains quickly if you leave a light on/door open, and recovers poorly in many cases.

 

Get a date code off your battery, as it’s an 06’ it’s in the cab and the replacement needs to have a breather tube to vent gas, a deep cell battery in a Prius is a no brained, people tend To run down Prius battery’s accidentally, deep cell battery’s were designed to be run down and then recharged, optima makes a yellow top that fits with the vent tube and they are deep cell batteries.
The Oem battery is not a deep cell battery.
If the ice is always running to charge a weak 12v, why drive a Prius, might as well drive any car.

Autoanything, 235$ shipped, check a dealer for an oem.

Running a weak 12v is the same as rebuilding a traction battery with used batteries (cells) from an 8 year old traction battery, a move in reverse, a shot in the foot.

 

Back when I had a Gen 1 and two batteries for it, one several years younger than the other, they performed pretty much equivalently. I did subject each one to a few deep discharges (especially with the earliest, homebrew, version of my aux power distribution control). It's a truism that every deep discharge (especially if it's followed by a violent recharge) will shave some of the life off any battery, but neither of mine ever got enough shaved to cause any problems; it's not like they keel right over with their legs in the air on the first mishap.

Indoors, I have a charger that can discharge and measure capacity ... they were both doing pretty well all along.

-Chap

 

i got 8 years out of my 2004, and 8 out od my 2008. pretty consistent. i expect the '12 to last longer because it gets a top up every time i plug in.

 

But does te top up take the battery outside of the designed parameters?

At least with NiMH technology (and I know the PIP is LiON) you can recondition the battery and take it outside of whatbthe ECU will allow. This helps breathe life back into the pack.

 

not sure what you mean, this thread is about the 12v battery.

i meant the 12v gets a top up every time you charge the hybrid battery.

 

My 2007 with 235k miles is still on its original 12v battery! It’s definitely weak, but as long as I drive it regularly, it’s been fine


iPhone ?

 

My oem was 11 years old and I bought a new 84 month Toyota True Start for $200.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I had trouble when my father drained it listening to the radio outside Church/waiting for my mom for an hour.

There is a label on the battery and indicators in the service literature about charging rate. The battery type is AGM, (if I am mistaken please feel free to correct me). I have chargers with AGM setting. (I have more than one charger). The first I tried was a 6 amp and upon repeated trying (it would reach “Charged”, the battery voltage never read full. The 3 amp would fill and improve the voltage of the battery. Heed the 4.2 A limit. After a few cycles the battery seems healthy.

Per the service literature:

Visually inspect the battery for issues. Replace if deformed, somehow damaged, or leaking.

Charge it. Once noted as charged turn off charger. Run high beams for 30 secs. Measure voltage at battery terminals.

12.5 V or higher GOOD
11.0 - 12.5 V RECHARGE
Less than 11.0 REPLACE

Not I’m not 100% sure one needs an AGM specific charger, like I noted I’m not sure it is AGM in the first place, nor do I have a full grasp as to why AGM batteries need a special charging mode for “AGM”.

 

I feel a sermon com'n on...

A "smart" charger has some internal intelligence, is able to asses and monitor the battery as it's charging it, and typically goes through a series of steps, starting off with "bulk" charging, tapers off as it near's full charge.

My CTEK 4.3 has a setting for spiral-wound AGM's, which can use if you want (though it's not mandatory), charges more-or-less the same but at a slightly higher voltage. That same setting is also suggested for charging in extreme cold, for regular batteries.

There are a number of electronic load testers out there now, that work pretty good and take the guesswork out of it. They're basically DIY level versions of what the dealership or battery retailers have. Solar BA5 or BA7 is one example, what I have, but there are a lot of them now. They're around $50.