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Dead battery problem

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by Ronald Doles, Dec 1, 2021.

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  1. Ronald Doles

    Ronald Doles Active Member

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    2015 Prius v wagon
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    Two
    Hi Guys
    Sorry that it's been a while since I posted and I didn't respond with the solution to the dead battery problem.
    Recall that this was a 15 Prius V that we gave to our daughter. I made an appointment with the Toyota dealer in Ft Myers. I traded cars with her for the day since some of us still need a vehicle to get to work and I dropped it off. The dealer called and said that it needed a firmware update while it was in the shop which I approved.
    They called a few hours later and said that the problem was an aftermarket accessory that had been added and that accessory got power from a wire soldered to the back of the OBDB2 plug.
    The instant that he said that I recalled that there had been a remote starter and additional key fob with the car when we bought it. Why it waited 5 years to become a problem I don't know. I asked if they could just clip that wire which they did and it solved the problem.
    They didn't charge us for the visit because it needed the firmware update which I think was a little bit of Toyota goodwill.
    FYI. After giving the Prius to our daughter we realized how much we missed the mileage and general utility of it and we found a 14 Prius V to replace it so I may be lurking around here again.
     
    #21 Ronald Doles, Jun 5, 2023
    Mr.Greenjeans and Air_Boss like this.
  2. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Do you have a battery charger?
     
    #22 Tim Jones, Jun 7, 2023
  3. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Hope that's a low miles prius... or you'll be back on here a lot...................
     
    #23 Tim Jones, Jun 7, 2023
  4. Mr.Greenjeans

    Mr.Greenjeans Junior Member

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    Three
    I agree with Tim, get that 12v Aux battery fully charged. I have had good experience with my particular charger while still connected. For that first full charge, you may want to disconnect the negative terminal while you monitor things.

    I use the VIKING #63350 "4 Amp Fully Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Battery Charger/Maintainer" from Harbor Freight.
    set it to 12v AGM mode. This provides .88C charge rate, where C is Capacity. I connect to the battery with an installed pigtail to Anderson PowerPoles, which prevents reverse-polarity mistakes.

    The OEM 4.5 A.H. battery says on the label to not allow charge current above 4.2 Amps, which comes out to 0.93C charge rate. There is nothing wrong with using a 2 amp smart charger, but AGMs typically like a bit spicier charge.

    DO NOT use a cheap trickle charge maintainer that does not shut off at full charge. An AGM battery can indeed be boiled dry and out-gas.
     
    #24 Mr.Greenjeans, Jun 27, 2023
    Tim Jones likes this.
  5. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Excellent Post Mr. Greenjeans....... good info for 12v batteries
     
    #25 Tim Jones, Jun 28, 2023
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  6. slow_wagon

    slow_wagon Junior Member

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    Five
    Wow, that's great that the figured it out. I despise those aftermarket remote starters! The ISO standards for car electronics design are incredibly rigorous. Why anyone would be willing to cut into their factory ignition wiring and install a cheap chinese aftermarket remote is beyond me. You're just asking for trouble.
     
    #26 slow_wagon, Jun 30, 2023
    Georgina Rudkus likes this.
  7. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    Years ago, all automotive wiring was simply very physically robust 12 volts and at least heavy duty at 18 gauge or thicker.

    Currently wiring can be as thin as 22 gauge with 5 volts, many computer control modules with micro amp control signals.

    Why anyone would want to introduce mysterious electrical issues into their cars that technicians may never be able to solve is beyond belief to those in the automobile repair business.

    Because of the unlimited and open ended hours that may needed to troubleshoot a fault, some dealers and shops refuse the job.
     
    #27 Georgina Rudkus, Jun 30, 2023
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  8. Mr.Greenjeans

    Mr.Greenjeans Junior Member

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    I need to place a disclaimer on that post.
    I have recently discovered, on several dealer's websites, an exclusion to their 84 month warrantee that becomes void if you recharge a discharged battery.

    While that is laughable in the real world, I understand Toyota's stance - 'don't touch it, let us handle it'.

    This is for the new Toyota TrueStart battery line.

    I will be inquiring further at a dealer.
     
    #28 Mr.Greenjeans, Jul 1, 2023
  9. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Wow.
     
    #29 Air_Boss, Jul 1, 2023
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