I recently bought a 2003 Prius. The battery is dead (auxiliary), and bought this exact battery from carparts, that said it would be a guaranteed fit. The part number is ODYODS-AGM28MJA, the first link should be to the carparts website. I called my mechanic over to come and replace it, since I'm still young and don't know much about cars, and he said it wouldn't fit, something about how the positive and negative was swapped, and the terminal does not reach to the other side. Does anybody know a simple solution to this problem? I'm completely new to cars and don't have much money, only need a point A to B vehicle.
According to the website (https://www.carparts.com/search?q=odyods-agm28mja), it is a 51R case size, which should fit just fine. I've been using 51R (the "R" stands for "reversed terminals," with the + post nearest the car's positive clamp). I don't know what size terminals posts the Odyssey uses; you may have to switch out the car's clamps if it's SAE (standard American) posts, as I did years ago on my '02 to simplify replacement, with more choices of domestic batteries. I'm currently using an Interstate brand. You don't have to pay Odyssey prices to get a working 12V battery in your '03!!
welcome! if you need a mechanic to swap batteries, there's not much we can do to help. if you want to learn, you've come to the right place. remove the old battery, and bring both to carparts, so they can see the reversed terminal problem and find the right battery for you.
Just to clarify---Timg1's 2003 Prius does need the 51R battery case size, i.e., the one with the reversed terminals. I'm guessing that there may be incompatibility between the Odyssey terminal posts and the car's battery clamps. I know that other owners have used the Odyssey battery---how did they address the problem? Can anybody out there help here? BTW, the battery pictured in the link to carparts.com that I posted above does NOT have reversed terminals, so if that's the exact one that Timg bought, it's been misrepresented. But to state again: you don't need to pay Odyssey prices to get a decent 12V battery for the '03. Any 51R case will fit. No need to pay extra for AGM, vented ports, and other luxuries. I've used normal mid-quality batteries in my '02 for 20 years now, having switched out the original + clamp, and using a standard SAE grounding cable. In the early history of Prius there was a lot of talk about hydrogen gas explosions and acid leaks and other scary conjectures if you didn't have a vented battery or operated the car upside down, etc., etc., but IMO these possibilities are vanishingly small. My current Interstate battery is into its sixth year and still going strong.
So it I’ve read all your replies and it seems like you’re right trombone. It’s advertised as reversed terminals yet you can see in the picture, the terminals are in the wrong places. I’m guessing I should just return this battery and get something else.
I made a post earlier today but it seems that because it has a picture i have to wait for moderator approval. Just wanted to let all you guys know that I sent a message with a picture to show the problem in a clearer light, but I'm waiting for moderator approval on that for a long while now. Also it probably is a better idea to just try and convert the terminals myself, I watched a video on it and it seems like its pretty simple.
Don't think you can "bring" anything to carparts, they're an online retailer, not an AutoZone. According to the product info in the cited link, the Odyssey does have SAE terminals, so Timg's mechanic should be able to convert Prius' clamps. Heck, even I could (and did) do it, and I ain't no mechanic!
Sure enough, that battery isn't going to work. I'd return it ASAP. To save some time, you could just change out the OEM grounding cable for a new one with a proper SAE clamp on it. These are available at the usual parts stores. When you install your battery, you'll probably have to shim it underneath, as I did mine, with a one-inch thick piece of wood. Also, I replaced the OEM hold-down clamp, which didn't fit over the new battery, with a short cargo strap.
Alrighty, the mechanic I have went to the dealership and they charged $250 for the OEM battery (or at least something compatible for it) and I went ahead with it. Gonna return that battery ASAP, and for future reference to anyone reading the thread, don't get the Odyssey ODYODS-AGM28MJA, as it will not fit your gen 1 Prius, unless you do some modifications. Thank you for your help, I considered this but after thinking about it, I'm saving 20 bucks just to get the OEM part so I went with that, hopefully I wont have hassle in the future with it though. Thanks for your help everyone.
Toyota’s style of securing 12 volt batteries is very intolerant of the slightest variations in battery height or width. I was replacing a Matrix battery a few days back; and both these variations were a factor. The bracket across top of battery sat directly on the car body at one end, and new battery was maybe 1/8” taller. Luckily I found a shim washer in my pocket change, could have used a couple. Then, the bracket has 2 WELDED tangs on underside, to restrain the battery laterally, obvious a VERY set dimension between them. Luckily the new battery was slightly narrower, about 3/8”, so it was at least able to fit between the tangs, but lateral support thus compromised. Honda, in comparison, uses the hook-ended threaded rod and nut hold-down brackets, much more accommodating of battery dimension vagaries. Returning the old battery (for core charge refund) I noticed this example of the hook-ended threaded rod for sale:
i think you did the right thing. i paid $210. plus tax a few years ago for an oem, so $250. these days sounds reasonable.
So I just got an obd2 scanner and used the Dr.Prius app, and these are the results I'm getting from the hybrid battery. The guy who sold it to me told me it was 9 months old, I see the voltages and all but one of them seem fine, can anyone tell me if I should be worries about anything?
So in this post, this was the car while it was in ON mode and not fully on started. Here are some other chart pictures, which probably tells a completely different story. The order that they are in is the order a screenshot was taken, first to last.
