Hi there. Hope all is well. My wife has been driving her Gen I Prius for about 2 years now. It has been as reliable as anything we could ever think of purchasing for our family. Unfortunately the 12V battery is definitely on its last legs. The slight dimming of the dash. That teensy little bit of a delay. After 12 years it's time for a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions besides the one from the dealership? The dealer nearby us is a renowned ripoff artist, and I would like to avoid going there if I can help it. We will probably keep it for another five years. So price isn't as much of an issue as quality and longevity. One other thing. I have also purchased another 2002 Prius with 173k that was a salvage vehicle at Copart. It runs perfectly fine. However, I will need to use a frame machine to move the rear frame back about a half inch where it was impacted. The other question I have is the following. Is there anything I should consider replacing in the trunk area such as the battery connectors in the trunk? Is there anything else I should also watch for? It did get some rain, but not a lot by any stretch. The trunk lid area was taped up fairly well, but it wasn't as water tight as I would have liked it to be. I want to make sure everything works for the best and if that means I need to be pre-emptive with what I need to replace, I will certainly be happy to do so. Thanks for all you do. All the best!
Sorry, I had the local dealer replace the 12v when it went on my Gen II last year. Darn costly, but nothing much I could do.
welcome to priuschat! there are a number of batteries available for the gen II. try searching the gen I forum for suggestions. all the best!
I went to Wal*Mart a little over a year ago and bought an EverStart 26R-3. It's a good fit and needed no modifications. Cost was a little over $70.
This is a copy/paste from my reply in another thread.... When I replaced my 12v battery in my 2001 a while back, I just went into Autozone with my stock battery's measurements and ended up finding a Duralast 8AMU1R. Their web site says it doesn't fit the Prius, but with minor tweaks, it works fine. I believe it is actually for a Miata. They list it at about $125. It is a vented AGM battery with about the same length and width as the stock battery, but slightly shorter. Its fits easily in the space, but I needed to use a wood spacer so the hold-down clamp would cinch up tight and hold it in place. Also, it uses standard size terminals (but in the correct locations). This is a pretty easy fix also because the entire negative cable can easily be replaced, and the stock positive clamp bolts onto the end of the factory cable, so you can just replace the clamp. Here are the battery's specs from Autozone's web site: Product Details Part Number: 8AMU1R Weight: 24.0 lbs Warranty: 5 YR Notes: Warranty consists of 3 years free replacement plus 2 years prorated. *** 370 Cold cranking Amps (460 cranking Amps) ***. 45 reserve minutes. Check the customer's vehicle, battery installation could take up to 30 minutes. Battery located in trunk. Special 12-volt: 9 3/4" x 5" x 7 1/2". Battery is vented to outside of vehicle (AGM) Application: Automobile BCI Cold Cranking Amps (CCA): 370 BCI Cold Cranking Amps Value: Tested to BCI Standard BCI Designation: U1 Battery Height: 186 mm - 7 5/16 in Battery Length: 197 mm - 7 3/4 in Battery Width: 132 mm - 5 3/16 in Core Charge Applicable: Yes EN / DIN Designation: Not Applicable JIS Designation: Not Applicable Positive Terminal Side: Right Post Location: Top Post Reserve Capacity (min): 45 Voltage: 12 MSDS Information: Click to View
Just replaced 12V battery in my 01 Prius with 230K miles. Went to Battery Warehouse and they had FVP51-4A battery. Bought and replaced mine. This battery is larger than the original one. Had to remove left and right side brackets and used new positive terminal and negative cable since posts are regular battery size. Vent tube hole in new battery was smaller than original battery. Was able to use existing tube with little mod. The battery was $76 with 1 yr replacement and 5 yr prorated warranty.
I just put a garden tractor battery in about 4 years ago and I haven't worried about it yet. I had an unrelated problem this week and swapped in an Odyssey battery and it was no different. The drawback is the lack of a vent tube, but I figure that after 12 years a little corrosion in the trunk will not be a show stopper. So far no corrosion and no problems.
