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Shop let the 12v battery go dead..

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ny_rob, Feb 10, 2014.

  1. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    I had a minor body repair done to my PIP last week at a body shop.
    To fix it properly they needed to remove the left rear door.
    I got a call this morning when they tried to move the car around the shop floor that the 12 volt battery was dead and what was the procedure for jump starting the Prius. I sent them a dealer provided youtube video link showing the jump connector and the procedure for jump starting.
    I'm guessing one of the interior lights or something else must have been on since they took the door off Sat afternoon? FWIW- the shop owner told me he checked for interior lights when he removed the door and was sure they were all off.

    So now the big question is... what's the prognosis for the health and usability of my (2012) 12 volt battery since it's been deeply drained?
     
    #1 ny_rob, Feb 10, 2014
  2. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    If you can find out the CCA (cold cranking amps) of the battery, you can hook up a tester to test the capacity of it.

    This is a good tester for the price IMO: Amazon.com: SOLAR BA7 100-1200 CCA Electronic Battery and System Tester: Automotive

    It will literally tell you if the battery is good, or needs replacing.

    The problem is, I don't think the CCA of the battery are published and you are required to enter this into the tester. Does anyone know what the CCA of the 12v battery is?
     
    #2 mediahound, Feb 10, 2014
  3. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    A deep discharge did nothing to improve your battery, but if no plate or seperator damage resulted, and you use a charger / maintainer / desulfator to remove any sulfation that formed during the deep discharge, it may not shorten battery life much.
    I have a BatteryMINDer, sold by Northern tool company , permanently connected to the 12V battery of my Prius.
    Any time my Prius is not driven for a week or longer, I plug in the battery minder and allow it to charge / maintain the battery at full charge and Desulfate it.
    My Prius has been parked for a couple months in winter, as it is every winter when the snow gets deep. The BatteryMINDer keeps the battery fully charged, as It replaces the power used by the Prius "always on " electronics, removes any sulfation that forms on the battery plates, and is safe for an AGM deep cycle battery like what is used in the Prius.

    A couple weeks of connecting the BatteryMINDer whenever the car is parked should remove any sulfation and bring the battery back to near full capacity.

    If you order a BatteryMINDer from Northern tool, make sure you order the optional ring terminal harness made for a permanent installation.
    Item# 44103

    BatteryMINDer Charger/Maintainer/Desulfator — 1.3 Amp, 12 Volt, Model# 12117 | Battery Maintainers| Northern Tool + Equipment
     
    #3 Jon Hagen, Feb 10, 2014
    SAronian and mrbigh like this.
  4. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Well they were working on the car Sat afternoon- they were closed Sunday- then they went to move the car at 9:30 this morning and found the 12 volt batt was too low to boot the car. So It was discharged for a day and a half at most. The shop owner called me back a half hour later- they were successful in jumping it after watching the youtube video. I told them to leave it in "ready" mode for 20-30 min to get the 12v batt charge back up a bit again. My EV batt is at 7mi remaining range still. He told me if he damaged the 12v battery he would buy me a new one down the line at my request. I told him the yellow top Optima is about $200- but he usually works on BMW's so that wasn't expensive to him. BTW- the shop owner is my brother in-law, so he's good on his word to replace the OEM 12v batt if was damaged.
     
    #4 ny_rob, Feb 10, 2014
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ An external charger is needed, to restore it, if it's doable. The car can maintain a battery in good shape, but is not going to pull one back from a serious discharge.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Feb 10, 2014
    Jon Hagen likes this.
  6. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    I agree, a 24hr recharge with an AGM battery safe charger, needs to be done ASAP. Any delay will only increase sulfation damage. Charge rate should not exceed 4 amps and be an AGM ready smart charger.
     
    #6 Jon Hagen, Feb 10, 2014
  7. Roland1555

    Roland1555 Senior Member

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    AFAIK the CCA of the OEM Yuasa used on the 2010 and likely up to 2013's was 325.

    Roland
     
    #7 Roland1555, Mar 6, 2014
  8. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Followup- have had the PIP back a couple of weeks now- and I haven't noticed any ill effects of running down the battery that one night. My EV range is still the same as when it went into the shop- and on the rare day it goes above 32F I get excellent MPG again. This morning it was just at 32F and I got 81mpg at the end of my 28 mile commute.
     
    #8 ny_rob, Mar 7, 2014
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