My wife's 2001 failed to start Saturday, so I checked the voltage at the 12V battery and got low 11's. Sigh. I just replaced the battery about a year and a half ago with a rough aftermarket equivalent made by Johnson Controls (we have a store up here called Farm & Fleet that sells them). The capacity was good at 31 amp-hours, but I just couldn't find a way to shim it adequately so that it wouldn't shift around. I suspect that the jouncing it took on our Wisconsin roads may have shortened its life. Now for the good news: I called another store called Batteries Plus, and they had what they described as an OE-size battery, group 151R. It seems that the Honda Fit uses a battery the same size, and owners of the earliest Fits (2007) are starting to look to the aftermarket for replacement batteries. I couldn't find an ampere-hour rating on the battery, but it definitely did fit in the battery tray like the original. I clamped it down and it's solidly in place. A funny note: I called the store ahead and had them set the battery aside, as they had only one, and apparently had ordered that one by mistake. When I got there, the clerk I talked to said someone had stopped in while I was en route looking for a Honda Fit battery, and they had to tell them they had one but couldn't sell it! So Honda Fit owners are going through the same battery frustrations we early Prius owners have experienced.
In case it helps for comparison, the p/n 28800-21190 battery that would be the replacement if you went to the dealer is apparently 48 amp-hours. -Chap
There was an original GS battery that shipped with the cars, but that's not what Toyota sells as the replacement: in October 2003 they superseded that part with the part number 28800-21190 Panasonic S55D23L for increased capacity, and that's what Toyota would sell you now if you bought a Classic battery. A data sheet mlibanio found for it gives 48 AH. There is a a tray/holddown/cable retrofit kit (p/n 04003-23147) needed if it hasn't already been done (i.e. if you are replacing an original GS battery). If the battery you are replacing is already the Panasonic, the kit obviously isn't needed. All the details at the link I gave in my earlier post. -Chap
Thanks Chap, I've been away from the forum for a few days. Thanks for the info. So far everything seems to be working with the aftermarket unit. We'll see how long it holds up. If it does die prematurely I'll probably go to Toyota for a replacement.
