'07-12V Battery Removal/Inst Instructions

:yield:I have a problem that preceeds this explanation on 12v battery removal: how do you remove the cover over the battery compartment? Mine (2008) is so tight that I'm concerned about breaking something by tugging on it, yet I can see no fasteners to open. Any help would be very much appreciated!

 

Near the rear of the sort-of-triangular deck piece there is a
vertical bit of plastic that goes up the vertical trim piece
about two inches. Pry that gently away from the fuzzy bit it's
attached to; you'll see that it hooks in with two small plastic
claws. Then you should be able to lift out the rear end of the
deck piece and work it out of the corner. The last thing to
come clear is a largish plastic tab near the front.
.
Oh, and you definitely have to have the cargo tray [above the
spare] out of the car or at least significantly shifted over
to the left before going further..
.
_H*

 

You must remove the folding floor/cover, then remove the cargo tray. Now you should be able to lift battery cover.

 

Thanks very much! Yes, I had removed the folding floor cover and the cargo tray. The vertical plastic part I had not associated with the battery cover! Thanks to Hobbit for that subtle bit of insight!

 

This is very helpful info on how to remove the cover on the battery compartment. Now how do I remove the red connector cover???

 

Don't worry about removing the cover. Just bend it up sufficiently so that you have access to unbolt the positive terminal.

 

I hate that red cover, it seems to have a mind of it's own. Sometimes it pops off easy as can be, sometimes I have to pry on it from three sides with a screwdriver. Same thing going back on, it either pops into place on the first try or fights me for 5 minutes.
But basically there are three tabs that hold it in place, when it's being moody a screwdriver on one of those tabs is a good start.

- D

 

I am having trouble removing the small panel over the 12 v battery. Is there a easy way to remove this panel?

 

If you are referring to the carpeted triangle-shaped part within the hatch floor, note the plastic piece that is attached to the side hatch trim. That piece has three clips that attach to the trim. Gently pull on the plastic to detach the clips.

 

dorf's instructions are very clear. I was thinking of connecting a small 12V battery at the front fuse box to maintain 12V. Is it ok to disconnect the brake power supply (Capacitor Box) while 12V is still connected? There is a lot of information on what things are, but not so much on when things like the brake power supply are live or whether the battery needs to be disconnected before their plug can be removed. There could be large peak currents if things are done in the wrong order.

 

before i disconnected any of the cables to the 12v batt in the back, i connected a fully charged 12v spare battery through the front with jumper cables, then proceeded to disconnect the cables in the rear. i never messed with 'brake power supply'.

 

I just replaced the OE 12v battery in my 2004 Prius at 214k miles (after over 7 1/2 years and it still holds a charge) with the new "Drop-In" Optima (I paid $170 for it using the offered coupon when it was introduced). I didn't bother to keep the 12v bus powered so I needed to reset the radio, clock, and auto window functions.

One other problem occurred; the AC stopped working! The MFD said AC off and the steering wheel controls couldn't change temperature. It turned out that some of the electronics were out of sync. I noticed that the steering wheel controls for the defrosters still functioned so I hit the steering wheel AC mode switch which caused the MFD to say AC off. Then hitting the AC mode switch again got everything working again.

JeffD

 

I just swapped a new optima in for my old, now 3v battery.

It was a direct drop in replacement.

I didn't mess with removing the vent tube from the car - it was simple enough to disconnect from the old battery and plug it into the new.

I never removed the fusible block assembly from the battery clamp bar. Imdidntwant to break that clip. No problems there.

I left the optima carry handle attached to the negative end of the case, but disconnected it from the other so I could tuck it behind the battery and out of the way of the clamp

Also, the only wrench size needed is 10mm. I used a long socket and an ignition wrench