Dead Battery after leaving the car in the driveway for 2 months.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Gwynngal, Jul 6, 2019.

  1. Gwynngal

    Gwynngal Junior Member

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    I left my daily driver (2007 Prius) in the driveway in the hot sun for nearly 2 months and now it's totally dead. I have a Rockford Power Pack that I was going to try but the charger has a strangely puffed up appearance rather than the former compact shape I remember and the power switch doesn't seem to engage so no lights, no flashlight, no nothing there... [Question # 1: I guess it goes to the trash heap?] imageserve.jpg


    Question #2 So back to the car issue. My husband has a car charger but only with 2 A & 15 A settings. I saw that someone suggested putting it on 4 A overnight. Is this a problem? Is 2 A or 15 A okay? Anything else I need to do? Thanks for your attention in advance...
     
    #1 Gwynngal, Jul 6, 2019
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think 2 amp is best. your gonna have to monitor it for awhile to see if it isn't permanently damaged. how old is it?

    you need to find a way to recycle the jump pack
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 6, 2019
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  3. Gwynngal

    Gwynngal Junior Member

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    Yes, I'll drop the Power Pack in the rechargeable battery recycling bin I guess. I never thought about it being damaged by being in the hot car.

    The 12 volt car battery is only a little over a year old. How does one 'monitor' a battery?
     
    #3 Gwynngal, Jul 6, 2019
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    “Monitor” means to see how long it takes for the battery to be recharged. At 2A charging rate, expect this will take most of a day.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Jul 6, 2019
  5. Gwynngal

    Gwynngal Junior Member

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    We started it around 8 PM and planned to leave it overnight. It sounds like 12 hours may not be enough?
     
    #5 Gwynngal, Jul 6, 2019
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    No. The battery has a capacity of around 40Ah (Ampere-hours). Hence if the charging process was 100% efficient, at a 2A charging rate it would take 20 hours.

    Further, the charging process is not 100% efficient as some of the electrical power goes into heating up the battery. Hence the charging process will take longer than 20 hours if you want to fully-charge the battery from a dead state.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Jul 6, 2019
  7. Gwynngal

    Gwynngal Junior Member

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    OK, looks like more toward 24 hours. Thanks so much
     
    #7 Gwynngal, Jul 6, 2019
  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #8 JimboPalmer, Jul 6, 2019
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Look into "smart" chargers too. They can usually be left on indefinitely, say while you're on vacation, and if you do have a rundown battery it will assess it when you connect, let you know if it's viable, and then go through a multistage charging regimen.

    Not sure what the second Gen amp ceiling is, maybe 3? It's in the Owner's Manual.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Jul 6, 2019
  10. Gwynngal

    Gwynngal Junior Member

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    Thanks! The battery I have was from the dealer whom I really respect. I had had a number of issues and they were the first dealer to put the old battery through a thorough test (under load?). I haven't had any more problems at all until I did this!
     
    #10 Gwynngal, Jul 7, 2019
  11. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    This does not bode well if the HV battery is original.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #11 fotomoto, Jul 7, 2019
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i also meant that once the battery has been depleted, it may have suffered permanent damage. it is good that it's only a year old, and surprising that it didn't last two months. maybe the heat.

    but i would check the voltage every few days for a few weeks to make sure its holding
     
    #12 bisco, Jul 7, 2019
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  13. Gwynngal

    Gwynngal Junior Member

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    Thanks, I'll do that.
     
    #13 Gwynngal, Jul 7, 2019
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