New 2007 Prius, dead battery

Im guessing she overlooked the question...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tumbleweed @ Dec 20 2006, 12:42 AM) [snapback]364462[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dstoneman @ Dec 19 2006, 11:29 AM) [snapback]364246[/snapback]</div>

Did the dealer try to jump-start the car before hauling it away?

A few month ago my wife left my Prius parked with the interior lights on and flattened the 12v battery. The car was completely dead. It simply required jump-starting (you have to know where to connect the jumper cables, under the hood).

Sounds like the dealer wasn't very smart...

P.S. It appears that when you jump a Prius, all you're doing is supplying 12v to the Power button so it can turn on the DC-DC converter from the traction battery, thus powering the car. Is this correct?

 

Tumbleweed is correct above: The battery displayed on the MFD is the big traction battery, and about half-full is the ideal state, as it must be able, at all times, to either supply power (e.g. during acceleration) or accept power (e.g. during regenerative braking or downhill driving).

 

my mistake, I did get confused as to which battery you were talking about!

About leaving the headlights on. you can leave them in the on position but once the car is turned off, they are technically off, right? because it has no daytime running lights or auto-on lights, i am in the habit now of just leaving the switch on all the time. is that bad?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Dec 20 2006, 08:17 AM) [snapback]364601[/snapback]</div>

I hope not I do the same thing. I haven't read my owners manual for a while but here is how I think the USA version lights work:

1. If you have the car on and the headlights on and then turn the car off (headlights still on) they will go off when you open the drivers door. They will come on again next time you power up the car.

2. If you have the car off and turn the headlights on they will stay on for some period of time (maybe 5 min or so) then go off to protect the aux battery.


Toyota calls this auto-off headlights. In Canada they have DRLs and auto-on headlights, I'm not sure how they work.

 

I wish we had DRL and auto-headlights

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Dec 20 2006, 11:17 AM) [snapback]364601[/snapback]</div>

Does this question mean that American versions have no parking lights? If I were to do that in my car the small lights, front and rear, would remain on and I'd expect the 12V. battery would soon go flat. This is why I hear a steady bleeping if I get out of the car without switching lights off.

A few years ago the law in the UK required a car to have it's parking lights always on at night if it were parked in the street but this was relaxed a few years ago as the vast majority of car-owners now park in the street outside their homes, if they can find a place.

 

<_< Quote Oxo "Does this question mean that American versions have no parking lights?"

US Prius *DO* have "parking lights." If they are "on" and the US Prius is shut down, they go "off" just like the headlights do. Another peculiarity of the US Prius, the so-called "fog lights" can only be "on" when the main headlights are also "on" so they couldn't be used as running lights. Many, probably most, US Prius owners feel the "fog lights" are virtually useless.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Dec 19 2006, 04:31 PM) [snapback]364302[/snapback]</div>

Agreed, something is drawing down the battery far more rapidly than it should. The JBL issue does come to mind...

Regarding parking lights, my Porsche was made so that I could turn on the parking lights on either the right or left side of the car, depending on which side was exposed. Trimmed drain on the battery by 50%. This was a'97 model, a Carrera.

Usually, though, what would happen is that I'd signal for a right turn, park, and then leave the parking lights on. I didn't find this feature particularly handy...actually thought it was a flaw at first.

 

I just got home from a two-week trip to find a completely dead Prius. I have jump-start coverage and was just trying to figure out what went wrong. Guess the 12v battery is indeed a weak point. Is it possible that I drained it by leaving my cell phone charger cord plugged in? All doors and lights seem to be off/closed.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(skwimmer @ Jan 1 2007, 12:54 PM) [snapback]369305[/snapback]</div>

Yes I think so. If you look on the cell phone charger it probably says how many Watts or Amps it uses. That would be its maximum but maybe we could take a guess based on that. I don't know what the Amp hr capacity of the Prius 12V battery is but I bet it's not more than 20 judging by it's size.

EDIT: ignore this post, see next post by pendetim

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tumbleweed @ Jan 1 2007, 04:05 PM) [snapback]369309[/snapback]</div>

Actually the accesory outlets turn off when the car is turned off. A cell phone (at least in my 2006) will not charge unles the car is "running".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pendetim @ Jan 1 2007, 02:38 PM) [snapback]369333[/snapback]</div>

You are correct, thanks.

 

A properly-functioning Prius with a good 12-v battery should not need a battery tender. I have left mine sitting for a month with no problems. Others have also. If the battery goes dead in less than a month, either the battery is bad and needs replacing, or one way or another you left something on.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jan 2 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]369664[/snapback]</div>

I'm assuming that's with the SKS turned off (if so equipped)?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 2 2007, 11:31 AM) [snapback]369672[/snapback]</div>

The times I left it for a month I turned off SKS. Once I was gone for 2 weeks and forgot to turn off SKS. No problems. The OP only left the car for 4 days. I suspect SKS uses extremely little power since it only has to "listen" for someone to touch the handle. Only then does it need to query the fob. Meanwhile, with SKS on or off, it's always listening for a regular fob button-press.

 

Spent a good part of the day trying to get our brand new 2007 Prius started. I think I left the car sitting for a week with the map light on. The 12V battery was really dead. Tried to charge it at about 2A, but voltage stayed at 9V. Finally jumped it from another car using the fuse box special terminal and got it running and up past 12V. It pays to read the manual. Would have saved the acrobatics needed to open the hatch when the battery is dead. This procedure is much too difficult unless you are a gymnast! MINI Cooper has a remote cable under the rear seat for the same reason: dead battery means you can't open the hatch to get to the battery. Why are there electric hatch releases anyway?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CVS @ Jan 4 2007, 09:33 PM) [snapback]371085[/snapback]</div>

If the battery is completely discharged, and already sulfated, 2 amps won't cut it. Better try 15 amps.

The Toyota Battery Pre Delivery Inspection is covered in TSB PG007-03, which has many cautions about delivering a car with discharged batteries. "Fully charge 12 volt auxilary battery using the Prius Automatic Charger ... deliver vehicle to customer only after it is fully charged."

The fancy-schmancy "Prius Automatic Charger" PN 00002-YA121-01 is made by Associated. Drum roll please, but Toyota does NOT recommend a 2 amp charge rate, but rather a 10 amp rate. Any modern microprocesser controlled automatic charger that states safe for regular, gel-cell, spiral etc batteries should work on the Prius 12 vdc auxilary battery.

I noticed driving around Winnipeg my first winter, with the electric defrost constantly on, my battery became weaker. The auto headlights would really dim in the underground parking once the coolant pump ran. I picked up at auction some nifty VDC battery tenders which I have used on my Prius ever since:

http://www.vdcelectronics.com/batteryminder_12117.htm

I don't think they're worth $70, but I got mine for a fraction of that price at auction. Now when I power up the auto headlights barely flicker when the coolant pump runs.

I think the forum member "c4" and I are in agreement in that we suspect there are a few Prius cars out there with chronically undercharged 12 v battery.

 

Exactly, and the thing with lead acid batteries is that if they stay undercharged for any extended length of time, they start to sulfate and lose capacity and eventually go bad.. Nano-tech plates, AGM and spiral grid technologies can slow the degradation down, but they don't prevent it (and they're also kind of moot when talking about the Prius battery because it has none of these technologies- the NCF said it was supposed to be AGM, but I think it must have been changed by the time it went to market because mine had sloshing liquid electrolyte inside- it was definitely not captive in fibreglass mats)..