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Battery Charger

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by DeekoPete, Jan 20, 2008.

  1. DeekoPete

    DeekoPete New Member

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    Hello again!

    I've been reading a lot of the posts here and seeing a number of people having problems with the 12v battery. Now, I'm very careful about making sure everything is turned off and such and if I miss something, the car pretty much tells me (gotta love that feature), but would it be a good idea to have a portable charger or something in the case of a discharged battery? If so, what would people recommend? I am forced to keep the car outside and it's pretty damn cold right now (Wisconsin weather, gotta love it), so I'm worried about the battery going caput.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, are there any types of chargers that are portable that actually carry a charge so if you, say, ended up stranded, you could just hook it up and power up?

    Thanks again! :)
     
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    One of the combo jump starter, air pump, and safety light gadgets is probably your best bet. I've had to jump my Prius only once in the 4+ years i've had it, but I use the tire pump at least monthly to adjust tire pressure...yet the jumper part was sure handy when I needed it to jump start and it was great when I replaced my battery as I attached the jumper gizzy while I removed the old battery and installed the new ones and the car never knew it was without power so I didn't lose any of the presets or anything.

    I got mine at Sam's almost 3 years ago for <$50.
    [​IMG]
     
  3. DeekoPete

    DeekoPete New Member

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    Wow, that thing is pretty slick. Yeah, I can see where the tire pump would be an added bonus. I'll definately check it out at Sams.

    Thanks!
     
  4. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    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.
     
  5. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    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.​
     
  6. frosh

    frosh New Member

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    pepboys have one on clearance:$20 18AH
     
  7. DeekoPete

    DeekoPete New Member

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    I ended up at Sam's today and picked one up. It's not the Black and Decker, but it looks identical. I think it's made by Power On-Board and it was $39.99. I'm charging it now (not that I really NEED to, but it's nice to have it ready for when I need it. I need to charge it every month.

    Edit: Seriously, these things look almost identical...

    [​IMG]

    Second Edit: The website of the manufacturer - www. vectormfg. com goes to Black and Decker... go figure. :)
     
  8. miscrms

    miscrms Plug Envious Member

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    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
     
  9. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    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
     
  10. subarutoo

    subarutoo New Member

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    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.
     
  11. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Hmmm, let's compare:
    Jumper/air pump/12v power source/Light combo:
    Cost: $40 once every 5 years or so
    Time to jump start if dead battery...<5 minutes
    Ability to adjust tire pressure at your own convenience--Yes

    AAA:
    Cost: Varies but on the order of $100/year or $500/5 years.
    Time to Jump if dead battery...30min-1hr IF you have a phone to call them.
    Ability to adjust tire pressure...no

    Now, if you need AAA for their other services anyway then I can see the justification for the cost, but the multiple uses for the charger easily make it a fine choice even if it is in addition to AAA. I use mine no less than twice a month.
     
  12. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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

    drees Senior Member

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    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.
     
  14. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    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
     
  15. parky

    parky New Member

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

    parky New Member

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    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.
     
  17. parky

    parky New Member

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

    drees Senior Member

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    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!
     
  19. drees

    drees Senior Member

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    Edited my post above to reflect instructions in manual.
     
  20. BigJay

    BigJay reh reh REH reh Torture them!

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    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.