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Optima Battery Installation

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mike3k, Dec 16, 2008.

  1. mike3k

    mike3k New Member

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    Does anyone know of someone in the Fort Lauderdale area who can install an Optima battery and properly dispose of the old one?

    My battery died again for the 3rd time in a month, this time after only one day of not driving.
     
    #1 mike3k, Dec 16, 2008
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    You would be wise to find out what's killing the battery before replacing it, lest you kill the new one. Some possibilities: Do you always lock the car, no matter where you park it? Are all of your trips less than 10 minutes? Do you like to listen to the car radio for hours while cleaning it?
     
    #2 richard schumacher, Dec 16, 2008
  3. Tickwood

    Tickwood Active Member

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    How old is the battery?
     
    #3 Tickwood, Dec 16, 2008
  4. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    I believe your car is still in warranty, get on the dealers case, if you havn't been doing anything negligent, the dealer should find the problem and/or replace the battery. Bad 12v batteries do show themselves at various times. But should not within the three year warranty.
     
    #4 andyprius, Dec 16, 2008
  5. maseace

    maseace Prius enthusiast

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    Were the other batteries you tried the right type of battery for the Prius?

    The Optima battery is not hard to install yourself - when you order it with the Prius kit from eLearnAid.com, it comes with detailed instructions specific to the Prius. Take the old battery to a recycle center or any store that sells car batteries for proper disposal.
     
    #5 maseace, Dec 17, 2008
  6. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    I've got a whole page about it, which may still help you whether
    it's an Optima or not. eLearnaid's terminal kit will probably
    fit to just about any 12V battery that fits in there.
    .
    _H*
     
    #6 hobbit, Dec 17, 2008
  7. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    #7 firepa63, Dec 17, 2008
  8. gussom1

    gussom1 New Member

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    I just installed an Optima battery in my 05. The installation was fairly easy but you do need to follow the instrauction. Amazon.com is selling the battery for $139.00 free shipping. You will also need the adapter kit that sells for $15.00. Not sure if the change in the battery is doing anything but MPG jumped to over 54 from 47.5.

    Will update after a few tanks


     
    #8 gussom1, Apr 20, 2009
  9. Blinkn09

    Blinkn09 Junior Member

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    So amazon ships batteries? Sweet!
     
    #9 Blinkn09, Apr 20, 2009
  10. Blinkn09

    Blinkn09 Junior Member

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    Is this the battery that you got from http://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8071-167-YellowTop-Purpose/dp/B00075OSD8? It's the same one from elearnaid right? I'm thinking of getting the battery off of amazon since it's cheaper and coupling it with the kit from elearnaid.
     
    #10 Blinkn09, Apr 20, 2009
  11. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    If your old 12v battery was weak, it could have been pulling excessive current from the 14v charging circuit. A 25 amp load at 14v could cost you about 2.5 MPG at highway cruise and more in city driving.

    JeffD

    ps: is it a 51 or 51R battery?
     
    #11 jdenenberg, Apr 20, 2009
  12. Blinkn09

    Blinkn09 Junior Member

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    I've read on other posts that it is the D51R battery that wouldn't work because of the reversed terminals. So I'm guessing the correct one is D51 battery but I haven't confirmed it.
     
    #12 Blinkn09, Apr 20, 2009
  13. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    #13 avocadoman1, Apr 20, 2009
  14. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    that's because it's 110 degrees in SoCal today :lalala:
     
    #14 avocadoman1, Apr 20, 2009
  15. Blinkn09

    Blinkn09 Junior Member

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    Dude tell me about it! I'm glad I just got my windows tinted.
     
    #15 Blinkn09, Apr 21, 2009
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