After reading all the posts regarding the 12 volt battery problems I remembered I had a 12V voltage indicator from my Bonneville that could be used to monitor that battery. Mine is a Whistler, has a digital readout and three indicator lights (red/yellow/green). It plugs into one of the power outlets and gives a constant reading. When the car is not running it will give you the battery voltage. When running, it gives you the charging voltage. I wouldn't keep it in when not running as it will drain the battery a little. I went to whistlergroup.com but could not find the voltage indicator there. I'm sure you can pick it up in any auto parts store.
I'd rather have a real voltmeter. Well, so I do. It lets me watch small deltas as things turn on and off, giving me a rough idea of how much power they draw.. . _H*
Your device won't work very well in a Prius. The power outlets are not powered when the car is off. When the car is powered the inverter gives a very nice constant voltage to the 12 volt system. You need something more direct like Hobbit mentioned. Wayne
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FireEngineer @ Nov 22 2006, 09:51 AM) [snapback]352976[/snapback]</div> It works very well when the the car is on. I just suggested this device for those who are concerned about the status of their batteries as they grow older. Obviously, any voltage under 12 would be an indication of a battery going bad.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bb513 @ Nov 22 2006, 10:23 AM) [snapback]352991[/snapback]</div> Not when off. 10-11V is not uncommon for a battery voltage.
In the 11V range I'd agree would be non-indicative of any kind of fault, but if the battery voltage drops down to 10V while the vehicle is off, this means that the battery is either bad/going bad or is very low in charge, and you'd better keep an eye on it.. Remember, because the converter puts out a fixed voltage, this means that the charge rate to the 12V battery is effectively current limited and it can take *much* longer for the vehicle systems to recharge a dead/low 12V battery than a conventional vehicle.. If your vehicle required a boost, do *NOT* count on a 20 minute drive being able to recharge the 12V battery to a healthy state- you should connect the battery to a 115V mains-powered charger as soon as possible, otherwise you may walk out to another dead battery the next day..
The DC-DC converter actually has 2 voltage outputs, very close to each other. 13.8 versus 14 I think, based on the sensed state of charge on the 12V battery.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32 @ Nov 22 2006, 10:04 AM) [snapback]352983[/snapback]</div> How does one obtain a MFD diagnostic screen?
Excellent question. One way is to hold down the Info button on the bezel and flash the taillights 3 times. The other way is to press the 'display' button, then touch the left half of the screen, first under the top banner, then above the lower banner, doing this three times. Much like the speed override.
Dang, DanMan, I'm gonna have to try that "info tail flash" on the classic Prius. The car is still full of secrets. This car's '12 volt' system is rock-solid when the DC converter is on, and watching system voltage is going to be somewhat boring. Fortunately, Hobbit is immune...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32 @ Nov 22 2006, 01:11 PM) [snapback]353096[/snapback]</div> Thanks for the info-now what is the "speed override"?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32 @ Nov 22 2006, 01:49 PM) [snapback]353082[/snapback]</div> It does, but, this does not increase the charge rate significantly, and the end result is still the same- dead battery after a boost and a 20 minute drive still equals a nearly dead battery that will be completely dead again next morning.. The advice also remains the same: if your battery dies, after gettng a boost, plug in a charger, do not rely on the vehicle systems to get it back to a healthy state.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bb513 @ Nov 23 2006, 10:27 AM) [snapback]353459[/snapback]</div> Not available on your vehicle, only on 2004-2005 NAV equipped Prius and some other 2006 NAV equipped non Prius. Press Menu on the bezel, then press Volume soft button on the screen. Then hit the upper middle left and lower middle left of the screen several times. Eventually the NAV service screen will show up. On that screen is the Override soft button. Press and hold until it beeps and is highlighted. Now NAV will not inhibit NAV based functions when moving over 5 MPH. This doesn't help BT and audio function lockouts.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TechLite @ Dec 6 2006, 08:34 AM) [snapback]358443[/snapback]</div> just re-boot the system
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32 @ Nov 22 2006, 12:11 PM) [snapback]353096[/snapback]</div> I'm going to try that, but first I'd like to know how to get OUT of the MFD Diagnostic mode: I wouldn't want to be stuck there.
