153,000 Dead battery, 2012 Cii

happy for you man, all the best!

 

could be, anything is possible i suppose. what about the 12v, doesn't need replacing?

 

Yes, I believe that But they did not replace the 12 battery, so you will be back.

 

para. 1 line 6 - evidence of reverse jump-start? eh? (…sorry, I just got up! …still catching up!)

 

Did you replace the 12v battery after the first round at the dealer?

 

I'm going to use the GPS-etc 12v socket.. With a "INNOVA 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor". Just ordered one from Amazon. If it works good, I'll get another for the RAV4.

 

isn't that only on when in ready?

 

Wow. I'm already not impressed with the double-diagnostic fee.

Fee 1: Found blown fuse.
Stuff still wrong.
Fee 2: Found more blown fuses.
Frankly, a blown fusible link is enough evidence to warrant checking the other fuses at the same time.

Much like Changed one spark plug. Runs, but rough. Fee 2: Found another bad spark plug. Changed it too. All better.

Definitely time to reach out to customer care, as they've obviously misdiagnosed it, yet charged you twice, and you've incurred another tow bill.

Also, as stated by others, whether or not the dealer says it is bad, change the 12v battery. It's 60 months old - that's prime time for a 12v battery to die, in any car.

Find another dealer to deal with too.

 

Yeah, the voltage will only be monitored when the key is turned to the position that allows accessories like the radio & lights power, and whenever the propulsion system is on.. I checked that 12v socket today, (engine not started) with the headlights off, then on.. The voltage was low, and got lower.. With this voltage monitor, I'll be able to see if the voltage is within normal ranges, and if it's charging or not.. While I'm driving..

 

There's something odd going on there, because when the car is on ("Ready" light illuminated) the car is getting its 12V power from the DC/DC converter that charges the 12V battery. So if you're seeing low voltage with the car turned on, it sounds to me like it's more than just a 12V battery issue.

 

The voltages I saw with the VOM on the 12V socket, looked the same as if I did the same lights-off-and-on test on my RAV4 (non-hybrid).
See: Is my 12V battery dead? | PriusChat
Post #11.. Using the key in accessory position, the 12v comes on, but the 'Ready' LED stays off.

I believe, if you leave your key in 'Accessory' mode and keep the highlights on, you will run that 12v battery down..

Maybe driving the car an average of less than 3 miles per day for a month,
isn't enough charging time for the DC-to-DC charger to deliver the Amp hours needed to sustain a good 12.4 to 12.8 volt charge..

My manual says not to charge the 12V battery with more than a 3.5 amp charge rate.. (Could result in disaster?).
So, I'm assuming the Toyota DC-to-DC charger isn't driving out a lot more amps.. Maybe 10A ??
If the DC-to-DC charger is running at 10A or 20A for only 8 minutes per day, that's not going to be a very good charge, in the long run..

 

Ah, OK that sounds good. If the "Ready" light is off then the traction battery should not be connected and the readings you're seeing should be sourced solely from the 12V battery. And if the voltage is low, then that's a pretty good indication that you should replace the battery. Especially if the voltage recovers to 13 or 14 volts when you turn the car on, as that shows that the DC/DC converter that supplies power from the traction battery is working and is trying to charge the 12V battery.

 

One of the posts that I found on this topic, the owner found one of the battery terminal clamps was just finger tight.
There was a suspicion voiced about dealers disconnecting the 12V battery, when cars are left to sit for long periods of time.
That perhaps, someone (a salesman?) re-tightened the clamp, but didn't to a proper job..

So, when we shovel out, and I can get out to the garage, I'm going to plug in this new INNOVA 'tester', check the terminals for tightness and if the are okay, I'll attach my little battery tender.. "Schumacher SEM-1562A-CA 1.5 Amp Speed Charge Battery Maintainer"..
And watch what happens..

 

Made a few trips in the Prius with the new "INNOVA 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor".
And it works great. Short trips, but we did get pretty good charging. About half charged. Maybe.
Ordered another INNOVA for the RAV4, since that is the car that gets the least use.
I kinda believe there is a new battery in the 2014 RAV4, but I know the battery in the Prius C2 is coming up on replacement age.

In the meantime, I'm trying to find out if the 'Optima Batteries 8171-767 (DS46B24R) YellowTop Prius Battery'
from Amazon, is suitable for use in the 2012 C2 Prius..