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Garmin ecoroute battery drain

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Bob Hahn, Nov 14, 2013.

  1. Bob Hahn

    Bob Hahn Wingman08

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    My wife and I both own a Prius. I have a 13 she has a 12. I installed a Garmin 2595 into both cars, great unit far superior to Prius GPS. Then I added ecoroute to both cars. Last week both cars sat for 8 days. Can home to 2 dead batteries. Anyone else have this product?
     
    #1 Bob Hahn, Nov 14, 2013
  2. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    A GPS unit can be quite a power hog. A Garmin 1490T almost killed the battery in the CR-V. Of course the CR-V 12V power adapter is always on, whereas I'm told that the Prius 12V power adapters shut down at power off time. Perhaps they don't, and the Garmins drained the batteries?
     
    #2 Air_Boss, Nov 14, 2013
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Our Garmin (and I think it's typical) plugs in only via the obd port, get's its power through one of the pins I guess. And whenever the car is shut down gives a message about having lost external power (it has a rechargeable battery built-in) and commencing shut-down. FWIW.
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Nov 14, 2013
  4. Bob Hahn

    Bob Hahn Wingman08

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    Having the Garmin does not appear to be the issue. What does seem to matter is the OBDM blue tooth transmitter. That is the common denominator
     
    #4 Bob Hahn, Nov 15, 2013
  5. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Educate me. What is an OBDM blue tooth transmitter and is it factory/OEM or aftermarket?
     
    #5 Air_Boss, Nov 15, 2013
  6. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

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    Here in info on Garmin Ecoroute HD device: Garmin Mechanic with ecoRoute HD | Garmin

    Note that it is the bluetooth connected Garmin unit that displays message about having lost external power when Prius is turned off and power is cut to 12v that the Garmin is presumably plugged into. I don't see any mention of a built-in rechargeable battery in the Ecoroute HD.

    If you don't set the vehicle profile to hybrid (on Garmin unit) it will think you shut vehicle down when ICE turns off.

    I don't ever disconnect my Ecoroute device and it has not been a drain on the battery for me on my Prius v w/ATP.
     
    #6 Chazz8, Nov 15, 2013
  7. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    So this is the "ODBM" dongle referred to above? (Which doesn't appear to be an issue on your vehicle.)
     
    #7 Air_Boss, Nov 15, 2013
  8. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

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    Yes, I believe this is the "ODBM" dongle referenced, and no it is not an issue for my vehicle.
     
    #8 Chazz8, Nov 15, 2013
  9. Bob Hahn

    Bob Hahn Wingman08

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    The other abnormality I experience is a slow loss in time on the clock. In other words my clock looses time with OBD dongle. There must be some battery drain when it is plugged in. Because since I unplugged Eco routes dongle I have not lost a second. I had to adjust the time every day at least a few minutes.
     
    #9 Bob Hahn, Nov 23, 2013
  10. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Sounds like the dongle eats clock cycles...
     
    #10 Air_Boss, Nov 23, 2013
  11. fdret44

    fdret44 Junior Member

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    It may be the SKS (remote keyless access). If you are going to park you car for several days, disconnect the Garmin and see if that solves your problem. If you still have a low 12V battery when you return, try turning off the SKS. The previous generation of Prius had a switch under the steering wheel that would turn that off. I haven't tried to turn it off on my "v" but it may be an option on the menu (and may be model dependent).
     
    #11 fdret44, Jan 15, 2014
  12. Bob Hahn

    Bob Hahn Wingman08

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    It seems that the OBD dongle is the issue. It must somehow interface with the clock cycle. After unplugging it the clock doesn't lose time any more.
     
    #12 Bob Hahn, Jan 15, 2014
    Chazz8 likes this.
  13. fdret44

    fdret44 Junior Member

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    Sounds like you have identified the problem. Please post any final results (replace the ODB dongle or just not using anything). I'm sure this information will be valuable to others that might try the same device.
     
    #13 fdret44, Jan 20, 2014
  14. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    As earlier postulated, the dongle eats clock cycles.
     
    #14 Air_Boss, Jan 20, 2014
  15. Bob Hahn

    Bob Hahn Wingman08

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    The dongle was replaced. I reinstalled the new one, then just out of curiosity, installed the dongle that was in my Prius into the wife's Prius, BOTH clocks lost time. There is no doubt in my mind that the Garmin EcoRoute dongle slows the Prius 12 & 13 clock by approx. 2 minutes per day.
     
    #15 Bob Hahn, Jan 31, 2014
  16. teadrop

    teadrop Junior Member

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    Yes I got the exact same problem. The ecoRoute dongle make my Prius lost time, a few minutes a day. Have anyone find a solution to this problem?
     
    #16 teadrop, Dec 19, 2015
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