Low 12-Volt Battery when I start my prius

You need to put your Prius on some type of external 12v battery charger and bring it back up to a full charge. If you live near a Walmart, buy one tomorrow if you can.


Rob43

 

"Some type" ???
Come on Rob. Surely you can do better than that.


This likely means that you will need a new 12 V battery soon.......regardless of any short term charging you might do.

 

sam spade,

Instead of complaining, man up & post a good product link....

The whole idea of a forum like this is not to whine, but to help others out.


Rob43

 

the brake actuator pump can make a funny noise if not getting enough juice from the 12v

 

Neither play button plays the video for me, so I don't know what the sound is. But from personal experience, with a low 12V, the brake pump takes a long time to make pressure, so I think @bisco is probably right.

 

Smart chargers may be the latest "toilet paper"?

 

I also had a "low" and dead 12v b/c I forgotten to trickle charge. Yes, mine also make a ticking noise by front right wheel area, once I put a tenderer on.

Get a CTEK battery tender.

 

That noise is pretty weird. The brake booster pump is on the left side, so it doesn't seem like it would be that. There is something that tests for leaks in the fuel system, but it shouldn't run continuously for an hour.

Can you get it to make the noise again? If so can you open the hood and see if you can narrow down the source?

 

covid non driving?

was it under warranty?

you still need a battery maintainer, even with a new battery

 

Were you running the compressor without the car fully on? That can do it. The battery requires regular use of the car to avoid getting depleted. Or regular connection to a maintenance charger.

Protracted down time, a jump start or two and compressor use while not full on will kill it.

 

By "fully on", what he means is you had your foot on the brake pedal when you pressed the Power button and the green READY light is on. When the Prius is READY, the traction battery is energized and powering the 12V outlets and other accessories. Otherwise, only the 12V battery is powering the accessories.

 

For longest life, lead-acid batteries need to be kept at 100% charge. Then the lower the battery gets discharged under that, the shorter its life. All batteries elf-discharge to some extent, and then there are vampire drains while hooked to the car(the SKS system is one). The start up fo a hybrid isn't as big a drain as with traditional cars, but it still takes a measurable amount of time running the car to fully charge the 12V after start up without considering the battery already being lower than 100%.

With less driving with the shut down, people arr having 12V battery issues without even using plug in accessories like a compressor.

A battery maintainer is a small charger that keeps the battery 100%. While most put out enough juice to counter self discharge and light vampire drains, some might slowly charge a battery a battery below 100%. If you can't leave the car plugged in 24/7, you could get a real charger, and use it occasionally to top off the 12V.

There are air compressors/inflators that plug into an outlet. I got this one over the B&D one because it had a serviceable fuse, Inflator Home Inflation System - Campbell Hausfeld - RP410099AV
Keep the 12V one in the car for emergencies.

 

correct