Optima DS46B24R Prius Specific 12v. Battery

Are you guys replacing the batteries in your 2010's because you NEEDED TO, or because you WANTED to ? I can't imagine 2010 batteries needing replacement.

My wife's 2005 Corolla with 156K miles on it is still using the original battery and it's just fine. If these batteries die in 2 years ... I'm gonna be pissed.

REV

 

Ok, I decided to buy a batteryMinder 12118 online for $50.95 including tax and shipping from Batteries Express. Maybe it is slightly overkill, but I don't want to risk ruining my battery just because I'm not driving enough during a particular week. The amount I drive can vary greatly week to week, as I am a freelance musician, and I'm not going to the same place every day. I guess in retrospect I should have gone with the OEM Toyota battery, but hopefully once I get the Optima charged up I won't have to worry; and I can just give it a charge every so often if it needs it.

 

I replaced my 2010 OEM battery because it was shot. Partly it was because of such a short lifetime, I selected the Optima.

 

This is only true at some given temperature, usually 75 degrees F; at 32 degrees F a Voltage of 12.1 might indicate an 80% to 100% charge.

So if you check the battery Voltage on a cold morning when the car has been setting out all night it will be lower.

Reference:

 

OptimaJim raises a good point: a battery too large to be fully recharged will be slowly destroyed over time. Maybe short-trip drivers *need* a smaller capacity battery, one sized both to the capabilities of the Prius charging system and their average driving pattern. When my Optima finally needs replacement I may go back to the Toyota battery.

 

Shouldn't a 2010 Prius battery have been under warranty ? I know if I had a battery under warranty ... Toyota is damn well going to replace it .... even if I COULD buy a 'better' battery myself.


REV

 

Thanks Tom, that makes me feel a little better, because it has been cold every time I've checked the voltage. Nonetheless, I think the batteryMinder will be a good thing to have "just in case". I never had a problem with my OEM battery, and it lasted 4 years exactly. I never accidentally discharged it, but although I pretty much drove every day, my driving habits did vary quite a bit week to week. I never checked its voltage until the past couple of months because it was getting old. However, after reading all these posts about batteries dying early, I decided with my new Optima it was better to be safe than sorry. Also, it appears that the Optima may be more susceptible to low voltage given my driving habits.

Chuck

 

I don't think 4 years is very good for a high quality battery, but I don't think you did anything to wear it out either. Toyota seems to have acquired some batteries that were not up to snuff in 2010 and 2011, maybe your 2008 had a problem as well. Your new Optima should last quite a bit longer if they are as good as they are reputed to be.

I think the battery minder is a good investment. Be sure to use it if you leave the car parked for a week or more, providing you can of course. If your one of those who leaves the car at the airport parking garage for a few weeks you have to take your chances unless you want to unhook a battery cable.

 

Personally I find the Gen II prius with SKS doesn't charge the 12V quickly enough if you have a Toyota 12V. I use a CTEK multi US 3300 charger plugged into the cigarette lighter port in the dash on a semi-regular basis to top mine off.

I'm willing to bet if you have problems with one, you'll have problems with the other. There might be a few driving patterns that favor one vs the other but if you drive short enough trips or use the car infrequently both will be a problem and if you drive long trips daily neither would be a problem.

Nice thing is a smart charger like this desulphates the battery automatically. Simple battery minders don't. If you are going to spend the money for a charger make sure you get one that desulphates.

 

The Gen III's 12V port does not charge the battery unfortunately.

 

Tom, you are correct that temperature can have an impact on battery performance, which is why I always make a point of posting ranges instead of specific voltage numbers and use the word “about†instead of “exactly†when providing those ranges. However, fully-charged voltage ranges can also vary, based on the composition of the battery and the manufacturer. The chart you referenced does provide general voltage ranges, but some manufacturers may have ranges more specific to their own batteries. Fully-charged our RedTops will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts, while our YellowTops (including the Prius battery) will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts.

Chuck, given your driving habits, any battery you use may be susceptible to being slowly discharged over time. If any battery has issues due to manufacturing defects, they will likely manifest themselves well within the first year of use, if not the first month. Beyond that, most failures deemed to be "premature" typically come from batteries that are either undercharged or overcharged. Many of the "bad" batteries returned to us now under warranty are just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly-recharged. My wife's truck (and a lot of other employee vehicles) start every day with some of those "dead" batteries.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Optima Batteries - Automobiles and Parts - Milwaukee, WI | Facebook

 

Very true, no voltage to the power outlets until the car in either the On or Ready mode.

Also one must be careful when and where the voltage is measured. To get the "at rest" voltage you can not be in the On mode because in that mode the battery is powering quite a few things and the voltage will be low. Obviously you can't measure it in Ready because then it will be charging. If you use a ScanGage there must be voltage on the ODB or it will give you the last thing that was there, so that's out.

The best way is probably to open the hood and measure it at the jumper terminal in the fuse panel. But if the pump runs to charge the brake accumulator that will lower the voltage for a little while. Battery will still be able to supply interior lights and the SKS but if the interior lights are off it seems to be a pretty good approximation of open circuit voltage. The only real way to measure the open circuit voltage is to unhook one of the battery terminals in which case you lose all of the audio presets.

I snuck up on mine this morning and checked at the charging connector, 12.6 volts @ 40 degrees, OEM battery. Then I put the car in the On mode and checked the voltage on the ScanGage and it was 11.5.

 

I'm just saying this off the top of my head as I haven't bothered to double check but I'm assuming it'd fit the Prius c and v as well making the list:

Prius Gen II (2004-2009)
Prius Gen III (2009-201x) (likely 2013)
Prius c (2012-201x subcompact)
Prius v (2012-201x wagon)

And I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't fit the Prius Gen IV in 2014.

edit: just noticed I replied to a post from 2011

 

Jim, I posted a question about my battery and my driving habits in another post. The information being given to members on this forum regarding driving habits and battery charging seems to contradictory. I'm not saying you are contradicting, but it would be nice to clear the air.

I drive 40 minutes a day (22 miles round trip).

My Toyota battery is current sitting at 11.8v in the morning and 11.2ish volts with ACC on. I'm assuming my battery is toast, but could it just be my driving habits?

The response I received in the other post was that I drive enough to charge the battery and to go ahead and replace battery.

I'd really hate to shell out $200 dollars when maybe I just need to augment the charging of this battery. Sames goes for my new battery if I get one.

Thanks,
Daniel

 

Update - I installed my battery. The first one I received via UPS had a bent post. I called Advance Auto and they sent me a new one "overnight" (no extra charge), but I had to return the bad one to a local brick and mortar store to get the refund for it.

I installed the battery in about 20 minutes and I didn't have to cut the carry strap off - I just placed the top metal holddown through the strap before installing the nut/bolt. All you need is a 10mm socket.

So far the battery is doing well.

 

Hi Daniel, before replacing your battery, I would encourage you to fully-charge and disconnect it from your vehicle for about 12-24 hours. (Most batteries are fully-charged at about 12.6-12.8 volts, although our YellowTops are fully-charged at about 13.0-13.2 volts). If you can fully-charge your current battery and it can maintain close to it's fully-charged voltage for 12-24 hours, when disconnected from your car, it should be ok. If it holds voltage when disconnected from your vehicle, but drops voltage when connected, there is likely an issue unrelated to the battery that is causing it to discharge.

A voltage drop when connected could be caused by a parasitic draw or driving habits that don't allow the vehicle's charging system to properly-maintain the battery. I have also read comments from other Prius owners on this board, who have indicated the voltage as measured directly at the battery terminals can be higher than the voltage measured in the car.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

For anyone looking for voltage specifics check http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-optima-battery-doa-almost-getting-worse.html around post 66 and after for my test results.

So far so good but I just installed it today.

 

After successfully replacing the accessory battery in my Prius back in December with an Optima DS46B24R, I encouraged my friend in Los Angeles to do so, when he mentioned that he still had the original 12v battery in his 2006 Prius.

He was up here in the Bay Area in January, so I ordered the battery from Optima, paid the extra for rush shipping, and installed it in his Prius. Took me about half an hour, since this time I knew exactly what to do. When I checked the voltage before starting the car, it was not above 12v as it had been in my car with a fresh Optima. But his car started and ran fine.

A month later he emailed me from LA about problems he had been having with the car. "acting funky: not starting on first push, needing all high-draw power turned off before starting, etc." He took it to his local Toyota dealer, they diagnosed that the new Optima was bad, and sold him a new Toyota battery.

He drives a lot, so it should have charged well for him in the car.

I now have that Optima back up here in the Bay Area.
How do I determine if it is truly defective, and if so, what do I do to get it remedied?

Thanks,
/Gordon

 

Hi Gordon,

I'm sorry to hear about the problem you had with your friend's battery. Have you attempted to charge this battery? If so (or if not) what is the voltage of the battery right now?


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Optima Batteries (@OptimaBatteries) on Twitter

 

Jim,

I don't have any external charging equipment.
It didn't charge properly in my friend's Prius - even after he drove it
400 miles back to Los Angeles.

I don't really want to put it into my Prius right now.

/Gordon