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12 volt Battery Installation Instructions...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chriscap, Nov 10, 2007.

  1. chriscap

    chriscap New Member

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    I'm going to try to replace my 12v battery for my 2006 Prius because the existing one is dead as a doornail and doesn't hold a charge long enough for me to drive to a service department.

    I just picked up a new battery from a Toyota service department and needless to say it doesn't come with any installation instructions.

    Does anyone have any advice or gotchas to watch out for?

    Thanks
    Chris
     
    #1 chriscap, Nov 10, 2007
  2. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    #2 galaxee, Nov 10, 2007
  3. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chriscap @ Nov 10 2007, 05:03 PM) [snapback]537823[/snapback]</div>
    A search on 12v Battery yeilds a lot of finfo. Here is one first hand account of battery replacement.
    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=3...12+volt+Battery
     
    #3 seasalsa, Nov 10, 2007
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Just changed mine recently and it is a little challenging since there are several things in the way. There's another thread on this that has a good prose explaination.

    Somewhere on Hobbit's site he's got some nice photos and a decent step by step explaination of how to get the battery out...but I can't find it on the list on the page:
    http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/

    After I post this reply I'll do a little searching and post back if/when I find the old info.

    In any case you have to take part of the large battery vent off, you can't get a wrench on the negative terminal connector to loosen it, but you can remove the screw that holds the negative cable to the body (ground) quite easily so it's better to take the battery out with the negative terminal connector still on along with the cable, then take it off the old battery, attach it to the new one then screw it back onto the body of the car once the battery is installed.

    All in all it took me maybe 30 minutes to do the install, but having the old thread and pictures helped a lot since taking out the vent duct and such are a little hard to figure out.
    --evan


    Gal found the main thread...I'll summarize the most useful links in that thread:
    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=37248&st=0#
    http://techno-fandom.org/%7Ehobbit/cars/prius-12V/

    Take particular note that if you have a jumper box it really is nice to hook it up under the hood while you do the exchange...you keep all your presets and it's like nothing even changed when you put in the new battery...unless yours is already completely dead then it doesn't matter.
     
    #4 efusco, Nov 10, 2007
  5. chriscap

    chriscap New Member

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    Thanks for the pointers. A friend of mine who is super car savvy came over this morning and changed the battery out and now things seem to be running well. I'll make sure we lock the doors each night and that the smart key system is turned off at the end of the day.

    The battery installation is a lot more involved than a regular car but the posts on PriusChat were very helpful. Thanks again!

    Chris
     
    #5 chriscap, Nov 11, 2007
  6. popserge

    popserge New Member

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    How do you turn the smart key system off?
     
    #6 popserge, Jan 29, 2009
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The SMART button is located under the steering wheel, to the left. Push the button to turn off the system.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Jan 29, 2009
  8. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    two black buttons under the steering column. one on the right resets the low tire pressure monitor, one on the left (towards driver door) controls the SKS.
     
    #8 avocadoman1, Jan 29, 2009
  9. monolisp

    monolisp New Member

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    Does the SKS really drain your battery that much? I have never turned mine off. I wonder if that is why my battery went bad so quickly....??
     
    #9 monolisp, Jul 27, 2009
  10. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Not really, its mainly a concern if you leave the car parked for a long time... like a week or two. It does send out signals of some sort when activated... the FBI homed in on my Prius after a nearby bank robbery, but that's another story.
     
    #10 abq sfr, Jul 27, 2009
  11. ucsbcpa22

    ucsbcpa22 New Member

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    My Prius 05 12V battery started acting up (car door wouldn't open, finally car wouldn't start). I had to get AAA to give me a jump start. When I got home, I hooked it up to a trickle charger for 48 hours, hoping that the battery would hold the charge. After 3 weeks, dead. I shopped around on the net and learned all the wholesale toyota parts site referred to above (and thru google) - i.e. toyotapartscheap, no longer ships batteries (something to do with UPS and FEDEX refusing because the parts store doesn't hold a hazmat permit. I was very lucky and bought a new OEM battery from Toyota Central (downtown LA) and they offered via their website a 20% coupon for parts purchases over $150. The retail on the battery was $163, so out the door after tax and coupon was $145.

    Finally, as I don't have the right tools (not to mention I'm not the most handy guy in the garage...), I took my new 12V battery to Pep Boys in Burbank, close to my work, and they installed it for $15 (their normal battery install price). The whole installation took them about 15 minutes. The mechanic told me it was tricky reinstalling the plastic housing, otherwise, very straight forward. BTW - The Pep Boys in Pasadena closer to my home wanted $15 + $20 hybrid surcharge.

    So moral of the story, this battery will cost your a lot, however, with some shopping prowess, you can save a little bit of money. In my case, all in, it cost me less than $160 installed, and I didn't have to get my hands dirty. This is definitely less expensive than going to the dealership and paying retail. It's also probably comparable (if not a bit less expensive) than buying those yellow-top aftermarket batteries that will set you back over $160 (+ sales tax if you live in CA) without labor.

    I hope this helps all of you that are scratching your head trying to figure out the most economical way to install a new battery! :)
     
    #11 ucsbcpa22, Feb 17, 2010
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