Battery dead but when tested it shows up as Good

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Ilovemystinkingprius, Mar 1, 2025 at 5:45 PM.

  1. Ilovemystinkingprius

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    Went to start the Prius after a day of not driving and there was nothing left in the battery. Took the aux battery out of the back and got it tested at auto zone but they say it’s good. Not sure how or why this happened. I’ve seen some post about how doing a certain combination of things like lights on and opening the door can lead to a dead battery but none of that is applicable. Haven’t had any signs of the battery dying to begin with. Not sure if it’s time to replace the main hybrid battery, but I’d think there would still be a charge in the aux to at least unlock the car or provide some light when opening the door.
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    if your dash didn't light up, it might be just a bad combination meter. This is a common failure on older Prius cars. You can tell if your car starts by pressing the start button and waiting about 10 seconds for the engine to kick on.
     
  3. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    You are having issues with your 12vdc battery. I see no reason to bring your drive battery into the conversation.

    It could have been due to a loose terminal connection on your 12vdc battery.

    Mine has been drained empty one time when the rear hatch lid did not shut completely.
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    You're 12 volt battery can easily show 12 volts It just doesn't have anything behind the 12 volts If you were to short the battery terminals for say 10 seconds it would not recover the 12 volts immediately like a good battery would That's how you used to test the battery The LISLE battery tester was a silver box with these heavy cables without any covering on them and a button and you push the button and held it until the meter moved until the cold cranking amps were revealed on the scale and then you let the button go and if you were looking in the grill of this device you'd see those tungsten bars or whatever they are they turn almost red hot basically shorting the battery for 10 15 18 seconds depending on the CCA and then when you let go of that button it's supposed to recover the 12 volts immediately If it doesn't well it's no count.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did auto zone give you a print out? how old is the 12 volt?
     
  6. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Why do u think that is? What testing have you done?
     
  7. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    Our mechanic uses one of those to test a battery's Load capacity. It is much more accurate than a simple voltage measurement and gives you an idea of how many amperes the battery can provide.

    If you have reason to truly suspect your 12vdc battery, get it tested to learn its Load capacity.

    I find it kind of disheartening when I read so many people who at the first hint of a 12vdc battery problem want to jump on the drive battery. When there is no indication of an issue there.
     
    MAX2 likes this.