Not Using Car for Three Months

Where is your car parked, what sort of place. Is it locked private garage with access to wall socket power, open-air parking lot, somewhere in-between?

 

There's a link to pdf owner's manual, in that Amazon listing. Shows amperage as 0.12 to 0.20. I guess the question would be if that's sufficient, assuming you're starting with a healthy battery, and have reasonably good daylight exposure. And also hows the item's build quality, utility. The reviews seem mostly positive. Someone reports having it on for a protracted time, and the battery came out ok.

Hopefully some PC members with electrical smarts can comment.

Addendum: the cables look pretty short, a little frustrating, but not insurmountable.

 

I tied into the battery, with a battery tender. There is a male female idiot proof connector on the end of that. That plugs into a car charger. I realize that you said you are not going to be someplace that has power but oftentimes those small 12 volt solar devices you stick in the windshield have the same type of connector. I connected it to the battery and fished it up through the right rear access port in the package area so when I'm not using it the end of the cable just tux in there and I close up the panel. you might look into something like that that would put the power directly to the battery it also gives you a convenient place to plug a charger in if you are someplace that has power or if you're doing some maintenance on the vehicle that requires the accessory to be turned on for an extended. Of time. We all know that the batteries don't last that long when you're doing a brake bleeding procedure or some other extended diagnostic that requires the power to be on but not in ready mode. Good luck ..have a great trip

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

On a Gen2, your main source of 12v discharge is the Smart Key system.
So the first thing is to turn that SKS off under the steering wheel.
I do not think we have too much feedback on whether or not that is enough to keep the battery alive for 3 months, but if your 12v is relatively good and it is well charged prior to storage, I would guess it would last. Keep in mind the Gen2 12v charges pretty slowly thru the car, so it can be challenging to keep the 12v charged full if you are doing shorter trips al the time.

 

1) you need a new 12v battery

2) get a jump pack

3) there is a jump point under the hood, no need to crawl in back

4) for long trips like 3 months, shut off the sks, or better, disconnect the 12v negative.

put the jump pack on the point under the hood when you return to open the hatch and reconnect the 12v.

 

+1
It certainly should last 3 weeks......IF it is fully charged going in.

IF......you have a mechanical key for opening the door if necessary, the best/easiest/cheapest solution to your situation probably is a portable jump pack that could be connected to the jump points if necessary.

Note: If your battery does go completely flat about twice, it should be replaced because half or more of it's useful life probably is gone.

 

This was what I was talking about... Hope that helps.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

He's currently preserving his battery's state-of-charge by disconnecting one lead (assume negative), avoiding the background drain. It's a good strategy, but with the Prius there's the unavoidable crawl thru to reconnect.

He's also considering installing a breaker-style switch, at a more convenient location.

Both good ideas, but one downside with both is the loss of all memories.

 

a jump pack under the hood eliminates the crawl

 

Yeah a jump pack will get him going, but he's trying to avoid serious depletion of his battery, shortening it's life. A disconnected battery will have near-nil decline.

 

The positive cable from the battery goes directly to the jump terminal under the hood. There are plenty of battery on/off switches available that could be wired into this line and positioned somewhere convenient in the engine compartment. All you would need to do is open the hood, flip the switch, and carry on. You could even mount it in the people compartment. Good anti-theft device also.

Or...just disconnect the cable at the jump point and slip something over it to ensure it stays insulated.

 

that's why i put in line #4

 

The OP never said the battery went dead. I think they just do it so the battery does not go dead.

 

Ok I gotcha: temporarily power the the car with the jumppack, then you'll be able to pop the hatch, reconnect the 12 volt, without the crawl..

 

if the o/p needs to disconnect the battery for a 3 week trip, the o/p needs a new battery

 

I don’t know if that one would work. You need one that can maintain an AGM battery. I believe they use a slightly higher voltage to maintain than a lead-acid battery.

 

Meh, debatable. How about, if he frequently doesn't disconnect the battery for 3 week trips, he'll need a new battery.

 

Something like this would be convenient....install in the ground cable in the trunk.