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Prius starter battery

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by secret friend, Nov 9, 2019.

  1. secret friend

    secret friend New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2019
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    Location:
    Charlotte NC
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I just purchased a 2001 Prius and have questions about charging the starter battery.Can the battery be charged anywhere lets say a Walmart,Auto Zone,AAA etc or can only a Prius dealership charge it?Can it be charged battery to battery?Can I give a cable jump to another car with the Prius battery?
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I would recommend to charge it yourself, with a smart charger, around 3~4 amp range. These chargers can be hooked up and left on: they'll assess the battery, go through a charging session, then fall back to trickle charging.

    It's not recommended to use the Prius battery to jump-start other cars, since it's quite small.

    Here's an excerpt from the Owner's Manual:

    upload_2019-11-9_12-11-29.png

    I wouldn't bother with disconnecting the negative cable first; it's a royal pain, will reset all the car's memories.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    2012 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    anyone can charge it, but don't exceed two amps for safety. it is very small
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    welcome!

    as an 18 year old car owner, you may want to invest in some tools
     
  5. Ronald Doles

    Ronald Doles Active Member

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    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
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    Two
    I'm confused by your referring to a starter battery. The gasoline engine in the Prius is started by the 201 volt traction battery under the back seat. The 12 volt battery in the trunk is smaller than most car batteries because it just powers the many computers and controllers in the car. Those computers and controllers have to be running to enable the traction battery before it can start the gasoline engine (ICE).

    You can attach a low current charger to the 12 volt battery to charge it. Probably 2 amps or less would be good. I chose a .75 amp Battery Tender brand charger. Short story is that a Battery Tender is a float charger that tapers off the current when the battery reaches a certain voltage to avoid overcharging them.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Owner's Manual says 3.5 amps or less:

    upload_2019-11-9_18-59-21.png

    CTEK Multi US 3300 would be one candidate.
     
    scona and bisco like this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    thanks, i'm unfamiliar with gen 1 battery, but idk the gen 2, 3, 4 specs either
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  8. hanigom

    hanigom New Member

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    Location:
    Chula Vista
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V

    I don’t know how to post an original thread, hopefully someone will read this, Yesterday my car suddenly showed many lights on the dash, we took the car to the dealership only to be told that the battery was out of warranty because the car has 138k miles.
    After doing a little research online, I found that there is a special 10yr/150k warranty for cars that drive in CA.
    So upon calling the ARB, they could confirm that Toyota should have this warranty for my 2014 PriusV.
    Has anyone had this problem?
     
  9. mikey_t

    mikey_t Active Member

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    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Was the car originally purchased outside of CA? I'm not familiar with all of the rules about CARB state warranties, but I think that if it was originally bought in a state that didn't participate then the warranty was shorter. Otherwise, it should definitely be covered and I'd suggest going to a different Toyota dealership with more competent service members.
     
  10. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    You could try another dealer. Or you could either have someone read the codes and tell you what they are and post them here. Or you could read the codes yourself ( you'd have to get an app for your phone and one of these inexpensive ELM327 bluetooth things


    Some of the apps discussed in this forum are here
    Prius OBDII Third-Party Apps | PriusChat

    Or you can search hybrid battery repair san diego ca
    for a second opinion
    in case you find your V is not covered.
    Good Luck and keep us posted, especially if any of our suggestions help, even a little.