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How To Jump Start A Prius....

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by cproaudio, Jul 6, 2011.

  1. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    With A DeWalt 12V Battery....
    I left the hatch up for a few days because I didn't drive it due to hot weather. The battery died on me of course. The dead battery measured 6.59v No amount of "battery recovery" time is going to recover it to start up the Prius. I charged up an old DeWalt 12V NiCad battery. I jump started the Prius with it. When I power down the Prius, the interior lights went back to really dim. The video is continuous one shot.



     
    #1 cproaudio, Jul 6, 2011
  2. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    Looks like your DeWalt 12v makes a great emergency power source. I didn't understand your last comment. Are you saying the Prius would not charge your 12v battery and thus the lights went dim, or you just didn't let it run long enough?

    By the way, I noticed the garage doors were closed when the ICE turned on. I'm just saying...
     
    #2 twittel, Jul 6, 2011
  3. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    It dimmed because it didn't have time to recharge the 12v battery. I have since put it on a charger over night. Also the garage door was closed because I only run the ICE for that few seconds. I just wanted to see if a power tool battery can jump start a Prius and it could.
     
    #3 cproaudio, Jul 6, 2011
  4. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    Thanks for the update. I like the possibility of using the DeWalt 12v as an emergency power source, especially if you're leaving your car parked for weeks without starting. Would an 19.2v DeWalt work?
     
    #4 twittel, Jul 6, 2011
  5. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Only if you want to destroy your Prius!

    The 12 volt bus is set up for 11 to 14 volts and a higher voltage can destroy the expensive electronics in a Prius. Reversing polarity also risks causing damage so be careful when jumping your Prius.

    JeffD
     
    #5 jdenenberg, Jul 6, 2011
  6. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    Thanks. I guess it makes sense not to overload the voltage. What about amperage? Portable battery charger models deliver different amp loads from model to model. I'm starting to act like my kids: ask questions instead of reading the owner's manual!:D
     
    #6 twittel, Jul 6, 2011
  7. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    A Prius pulls a short burst of about 20 amps to start a few pumps on start up. Then it only needs a small current to boot the computers and the inverter (DC-DC converter) turns on to supply just under 14v to slowly charge the little 12v battery and run all the accessories.

    JeffD
     
    #7 jdenenberg, Jul 6, 2011
  8. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    I used 10 awg wires. the brake pump takes alot of current. overall, it did heat up the wires a little bit. you can jump start the prius with either 12v or 14.4v power tool batteries. I wouldn't try anything higher than that. BTW, dewalt doesn't make 19.2v system. craftsman does.
     
    #8 cproaudio, Jul 6, 2011
  9. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    Good catch; I went out to look. I have Porter Cable!
     
    #9 twittel, Jul 6, 2011
  10. ticedoff8

    ticedoff8 Junior Member

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    Can you use the cigar lighter / accessory outlet to trickle charge the battery?

    I could do this on older cars - but the Prius seems to switch the cigar lighter / accessory outlet on & off with the car
     
    #10 ticedoff8, Jul 6, 2011
  11. walterm

    walterm Active Member

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    There are some who have posted about rewiring their lighter/power outlets to allow them to be used for charging when the car is off, but you are correct in noting that a standard Prius lighter/power outlet is not connected at all when the car is 'off', so it can't be used to trickle charge.:(
     
    #11 walterm, Jul 6, 2011
  12. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    If I am not mistaken, the right connector for jump-start is neither the 12V battery connectors nor the accessories outlet. It is the dedicated connector under the hood and in the fuse box (the + pole).
    If everything else fails - read the manual.
     
    #12 giora, Jul 6, 2011
  13. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    You can jump start the Prius at the battery too. They put that terminal under the hood because the battery is in the trunk. All GM cars with batteries under the rear seat, rear hatch, trunk area have a + post under the hood for jump starting.
    I jump started mine at the battery because the hatch is already opened. I dont recommend jump starting the Prius using the cig lighter because it's ACC switched. There's not enough juice on the dead battery to switch on the ACC. Also, the wiring for the cig lighter is only 18awg. It's only good for 10 amps. If you ran a 10 awg wire straight to the battery then you're ok.
     
    #13 cproaudio, Jul 6, 2011
  14. rrolff

    rrolff Prius Surgeon

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    The problem with the battery is it's a pain to get at when the latch is closed (electric).
     
    #14 rrolff, Jul 6, 2011
  15. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    You don't have to do it at the battery. In fact, you can do it anywhere where there's a direct connection to the battery as long as the wire itself is capable of handling 50 amps. The jumper terminal under the hood is there so that it's accessible when the trunk is closed. Would it give you a peace of mind if I made another video using the jumper terminal under the hood as oppose to directly to the battery?
     
    #15 cproaudio, Jul 8, 2011
  16. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    i was doing some testing in 08/09 on the power required to start a prius. it was very little. you could almost start this car with an a/c adaptor... (a lot of generics only do 1 amp... i think it's 4 or 5 amps to start up decent)
     
    #16 V8Cobrakid, Jul 8, 2011
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