Battery purchase mistake?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by PriusKyle, Jun 25, 2023.

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  1. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    Hi all,
    Just purchased and ready to replace current 12v aux battery in my 2011 Prius; I bought an Optima yellow top from Amazon that says it fits my car.
    I recently noticed my current battery shows the word “lithium” on it but my new purchase does not and in the description from Amazon specs shows the word “lead”; I’m not doubting it “fits” my car but is it inferior to my current battery cause it’s not lithium?
    Thx!
     
    #1 PriusKyle, Jun 25, 2023
  2. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Was the lithium battery an experiment? What's wrong with it? Standard 12-volt "aux" batteries in Prii are lead-acid, more specifically the AGM subspecies.
     
    #2 CR94, Jun 25, 2023
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    If you're running a LifePo 12 volt battery then it's probably a third the size of the 12 volt that was there I run some in my power sports equipment they are tiny but that's not what came with the car I'm not sure what you were reading I'd love to see that label how heavy is that battery? It should be about 3 lb or something under five I'm sure in that size It would be quite small
     
    #3 Tombukt2, Jun 25, 2023
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Can you tell me what brand battery you have that says "lithium"? That would be great to have a 12v lithium battery. Although the standard battery from the factory is an AGM sealed battery, a lithium option sounds interesting
     
    #4 JC91006, Jun 25, 2023
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    someone here has been running lithium and reporting updates for years
     
    #5 bisco, Jun 25, 2023
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    who put the last battery in?
     
    #6 bisco, Jun 25, 2023
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You're probably right, I just don't think I've come across them enough to remember. Too expensive to pay for Lithium when you can get OEM for much less and it'll last many reliable years
     
    #7 JC91006, Jun 25, 2023
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    #8 bisco, Jun 25, 2023
  9. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    Not an experiment; it was the original battery when I got the 2011 Prius from CarMax years ago. Didn’t realize these Prius came stock with lead acid which I understand is inferior to lithium.
     
    #9 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
  10. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    #10 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
  11. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    #11 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
  12. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    Not sure if this was the battery you wanted to see; this is what came with my 2011 Prius when I hit it years ago from CarMax that I was planning to replace with the optima lead acid from Amazon.
     
    #12 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
  13. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    #13 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
  14. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Then it was the previous owner's experiment. Why do you want to replace it? Lithium isn't necessarily superior overall, when the charging system isn't designed for it.
     
    #14 CR94, Jun 26, 2023
  15. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    Not sure but it was the battery that was in my 2011 Prius when I got the car from CarMax years ago.
     
    #15 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
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  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Most are concerned about the charging bms, but the above link seems to work well.

    cost is an issue for most I suspect, but worries about fires are another
     
    #16 bisco, Jun 26, 2023
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    .
     
    #17 bisco, Jun 26, 2023
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2023
  18. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    The battery in that photo says it's an AGM----as was the original battery.
     
    #18 CR94, Jun 26, 2023
  19. PriusKyle

    PriusKyle Junior Member

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    I was in the hospital for Cervical fusion and my car sat for over 3 weeks and the car wouldn’t start when I got back; jumped it and drove the car for an hour hoping to recharge and save battery. I eventually bought a lead acid optima battery from Amazon but not sure if I should swap it now that it just dawned on me I got a lead acid as opposed to the current lithium; from what I can tell, lithium are supposed to be superior for longevity and reliability etc.
    You think I’ll be ok with the lead acid optima and just install it without obsessing with lithium type that came with mine originally?
     
    #19 PriusKyle, Jun 26, 2023
  20. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Might be smart to get rid of that lead acid battery and put in an AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery.
    The lead acid battery gives off a poisioness gas that will circulate through the car.
    The oem Toyota battery has a 7 year warranty, and most last that long.
    Since the 12v battery does not start the engine, there really is not any advantage to a lithium battery.
    For the Hybrid battery, probably. "If" you reprogram the ecu to let it know it is charging a lithium battery.
     
    #20 ASRDogman, Jun 26, 2023
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2023
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