Does anyone know of someone in the Fort Lauderdale area who can install an Optima battery and properly dispose of the old one? My battery died again for the 3rd time in a month, this time after only one day of not driving.
You would be wise to find out what's killing the battery before replacing it, lest you kill the new one. Some possibilities: Do you always lock the car, no matter where you park it? Are all of your trips less than 10 minutes? Do you like to listen to the car radio for hours while cleaning it?
I believe your car is still in warranty, get on the dealers case, if you havn't been doing anything negligent, the dealer should find the problem and/or replace the battery. Bad 12v batteries do show themselves at various times. But should not within the three year warranty.
Were the other batteries you tried the right type of battery for the Prius? The Optima battery is not hard to install yourself - when you order it with the Prius kit from eLearnAid.com, it comes with detailed instructions specific to the Prius. Take the old battery to a recycle center or any store that sells car batteries for proper disposal.
I've got a whole page about it, which may still help you whether it's an Optima or not. eLearnaid's terminal kit will probably fit to just about any 12V battery that fits in there. . _H*
I just installed an Optima battery in my 05. The installation was fairly easy but you do need to follow the instrauction. Amazon.com is selling the battery for $139.00 free shipping. You will also need the adapter kit that sells for $15.00. Not sure if the change in the battery is doing anything but MPG jumped to over 54 from 47.5. Will update after a few tanks
Is this the battery that you got from http://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8071-167-YellowTop-Purpose/dp/B00075OSD8? It's the same one from elearnaid right? I'm thinking of getting the battery off of amazon since it's cheaper and coupling it with the kit from elearnaid.
If your old 12v battery was weak, it could have been pulling excessive current from the 14v charging circuit. A 25 amp load at 14v could cost you about 2.5 MPG at highway cruise and more in city driving. JeffD ps: is it a 51 or 51R battery?
I've read on other posts that it is the D51R battery that wouldn't work because of the reversed terminals. So I'm guessing the correct one is D51 battery but I haven't confirmed it.
you guessed correctly...it's the D51 Battery Model: D51 Part Number: 8071-167 Nominal Voltage: 12 volts NSN: 6140-01-523-6288 Description: High power, dual purpose engine start and deep cycle, sealed lead acid battery 12 Volt (12v) Toyota Prius Auxilary Battery for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 with installation kit and free shipping
