Hi All- My 12VDC OEM battery is dead as a doornail. I ordered a new Optima to replace it, and am using my motorcycle (brrrrr - cold!) until that comes in. Anyway, sometime back I thought I remember reading or seeing the Optima rep posting a Youtube vid of installation. For the life of me I can't find it here or on Youtube. Anyone got a link? -MKL
I put an Optima "Pencil Post" in my 2004 at 213,000 miles (The OE was still working dated 1/16/2004) two weeks ago with no difficulty. It was a bit longer than my OE (the non SKS battery), but it fit. JeffD
Installed the Optima yesterday - easy as pie! Only pain is I lost all my radio presets when removing the old battery. -MKL
Oops, my fault, I should have mentioned leaving 12v connected at the fuse block to retain memory. Glad it all worked out for you.
I need to replace my 2007 Prius battery soon. What do I need to do to leave the 12v connected at the fuse block? Thanks.
Just follow owner's manual instructions for jumping a dead battery (see Youtube). You can use any 12v battery or another car with jumper cables. The other car doesn't have to be running. You have to be a little more careful not to short out the positive assembly if you do it this way. One thing I found easier to do was to unscrew the negative jumper from the car body itself. It's easier than trying to get to the clamp nut on the negative terminal when it's in the cubby. Then swap the jumper to the new battery before installing. Also, lay an old towel over the spare tire area while you work to prevent dropping screws and tools down the deep, dark well
Yep, if you do this then the positive assembly stays live even after you remove it from the battery, so you have to be very careful not to let it touch any metal parts. I've found the best thing is to place it (positive assembly) into a stout plastic bag immediately upon removal, and then place an elastic band around the bag to hold it in place. Takes about 20 seconds to do and makes it safe and easy.
Thank you for the video. My husband replaced our dead battery (2007) with a Optima DS46B24R. I bought it from Advance Auto parts and had a 50.00 off code I found here in the forum. It took him less than 30 minutes to replace.
Yes as stated: Optima Announces Prius Replacement 12v Yellow Top Battery with Pencil Posts | PriusChat