Dead 12V battery questions

I'd be willing to say it's a 12v battery problem. Your best short term bet would be to try to charge it. Try not to exceed about 3.5-4 amps on the charge rate, as higher rates will damage the OEM AGM battery. If it charges and appears to hold a charge then you'll probably be ok. It's only 3 years old and should have some life left in it. If not, I would definitely make plans to purchase another.

 

welcome!
might be under warranty. did you replace it, or buy the car more recently?

there are some oem replacements, not sure about the netherlands. is optima available?

 

A couple of things you can do:

1. Measure the voltage of the battery, with the car off, doors closed, at the jump-start terminal under the hood, with a digital multimeter, and post what it's reading.

2. Phone the Toyota dealership, parts department, see what their price is at least. If their price is crazy high, perhaps they would have suggestions, local/cheaper options?

 

over here, when we go to the optima website, it asks for our model, and year, then the correct battery if they have it.

there must be some other battery types there, in europe, there are a few options.

 

Most cars need higher Cold Cranking Amps to start the car in colder weather. The Prius 12 volt battery does not start the engine. It just powers some computers and relays. The large traction battery starts the car using MG1.

 

i suppose there could be. we get the same battery for florida as we do minnersoter, so i would be more concerned with size, post diameter and layout, and venting proceedure.

 

I've used CTEK Multi US 3300, and now 4.3. Both have worked fine. This may be the link for you:

CTEK - Startpagina

 

According to the manual the 12V battery in the Prius should only be trickle charged with no more than 4 volt charge since the battery is a special AGM battery. I just replaced mine after almost 8 years. It would die down quickly after trickle charging overnight and kept displaying the Master Warning Caution light - Exclamation point in yellow triangle. $220 from dealer. Expensive but has a full 84 month warranty again.

 

Charging voltage that puny will not charge a 12v battery to 12v, much less to 13v.

 

The rest of this post contains valuable information but some people apparently would rather dwell on the "typo" describing the charger as 4 volt instead of the 4 amps that it really said.

 

I don't understand how so many well meaning people who are trying to help overlook the obvious SO OFTEN.....and here again.

It is highly likely that the 12 V battery is bad due to old age or abuse by a previous owner or both.
It is not uncommon to have a dealer service department proclaim a battery to be "good" when it should be obvious to them that it is NOT.

And finally, I doubt that your charger is useless......unless you are trying to charge a battery that is beyond it's useful life.......like probably is happening here.

But you can't tell that without a meter.

 

Should you have this problem again, after restarting car, remember: the car has a very fine charging system, when running, with a voltmeter, across the plus and minus terminals, the level is generally 14.5 volts. Once the car is running and 12V battery charging, leave it running to charge in Park. Don’t leave Fob in or around car, all lights, accessories off, do not leave trunk or door ajar. All of these things will draw current from your 12V. It’s much colder in many parts of the US, Holland temps are mild compared to the NE, midwest and the far west, by about 20-30 degrees F Colder! I’m in Ca now for that very reason, but originally hailed from Boston. Just last week Eire Pa, had 5 feet of snow. It’s called the Lake effect.

 

He meant 4A, I suspect.

 

Not more than 4 AMPERES but more than 12 volts ( 12-14.5 V ) Once the force of the 12V charger reaches equilibrium with the battery, charging stops automatically. example: 12.5 = 12.5 equals zero current flow. Actually the battery reaches the level of the charger.