Battery Charger

I carry a similar unit and have never used it on my car but have used it several times on others.

You can't just buy it and forget it. It needs to be recharged periodically.

 

Sears has a similar one, with one advantage: it charges straight from a power cord -- does not need a wall wart which is another piece of stuff to keep track of.​

 

pepboys have one on clearance:$20 18AH

 

Just fyi, you should always keep it charged whether you need it or not. Lead Acid batteries degrade if they sit around half charged. Topping it up every month or two is probably sufficient (charging too often is not necessarily good either) but you should definitely get it charged up full to start with.

Rob

 

I have a Canadian Tire brand 700 amp jump start box in my Prius and my FJ. The instructions recommend an initial charge for 24 hours, then once a month until the LED turns green, and after every use

If I charge it monthly, the LED turns green after a minute or so

 

Those chargers are cool, but the only time I needed a jump start while away from home I just called AAA. That was on our old VW Scirocco, which had other problems...long story. As for the Prius, has anybody used AAA for a jump start? Do they know the correct hook-up, etc., because I sure don't? Here in sunny (except this week, rainy) California, its rarely an issue. . . just wondered.

 

At -40, try +4 hours here in Winnipeg. That's a *long* time to wait, especially at a mall with a dead car

 

Yeah, it's a piece of cake, used it to jump start my Subaru WRX after leaving the interior lights on all night.

Just pop the hood on the Prius, open the fusebox cover on the right. There will be a bright red battery terminal looking cover, pretend that's your positive terminal on your battery (it's wired into the 12v battery in the trunk with heavy gauge wire). Use a strut-tower bolt for ground.

1. Connect positive (red) jumper cable to positive terminal on dead car.
2. Connect positive (red) jumper cable to positive terminal on good car / booster battery.
3. Connect negative terminal (black) jumper cable to negative terminal / ground point on good car / booster battery.
4. Connect negative terminal (black) jumper cable to negative terminal / ground point on dead car.
5. If using car to jump start, make sure the good car is on.
6. Start dead car (if Prius, make sure you press the brake pedal when pushing on button).

After the dead car is started, disconnect jumper cables in reverse order.

The order in which you attach/detach the cables is not that critical if you forget, it's just a bit safer the way I mentioned in case you accidentally short the jumpers.

 

As a caution:

If the Prius is hooked up to jumper cables and the person at the other end does the Old Fashioned Method of checking for a connection - briefly touch the pos and neg clamps and see a spark - that could destroy the inverter/converter. Many thousands in damage

 

It's in the back of the Prius manual, pg 451 for the 2008. It's real simple, under the hood.

 

I believe that is why Prius has a definte way of hooking up the cables. The last cable is the neg on the bolt in the Prius, you get a spark, but, if you get it right the first time, it's brief.

 

Different configuration on my 2008 Prius, according to the owners manual

 

I'm too lazy to go out and check my manual, please post the correct steps according to the manual and I will edit my post!

 

Edited my post above to reflect instructions in manual.

 

I definitely want to get a charger. I am keeping AAA though, because certain people *cough*me*cough* keep locking their keys in the car.