1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Is it my 12v battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by jerpag, Mar 8, 2013.

  1. jerpag

    jerpag Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2009
    5
    0
    0
    Location:
    illinois
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Yesterday I was driving and the car lost power. When it came to stop I turned it off, then pressed the power button and everything was back to normal. Any idea what could cause this?
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,473
    38,680
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    You can check the 12 volt with a digital multimeter. There's a chart here (about 2/3 down the page) on what the readings mean:

    The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)
     
  3. jerpag

    jerpag Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2009
    5
    0
    0
    Location:
    illinois
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    It was 12.65 so I guess it is ok.
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,473
    38,680
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I just checked voltage on a new battery I put in our son's car last weekend, and it was tipping between 12.64~12.65. I guess what I'm saying is your number sounds good ;)
     
  5. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2005
    4,067
    687
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    When that happened to me it was my dog, he had stepped on the P button and put the car in neutral.
     
  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,317
    10,167
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    This test is most meaningful if the car has been turned off overnight, or at least for a few hours, and not yet turned back on to 'Ready'. If you repeat it first thing tomorrow morning, I suspect the voltage will be lower, but still good.
    This, or accidentally trying shifting the car into Reverse, should cause a double beep warning as it goes to a fail-safe Neutral. Intentionally going into Neutral requires holding the shifter in N for over a second, and won't give an audio notice.