Battery dead, jumped, then display freakout w/check hybrid system

What I have learned from this thread (apart from not taking jumpstarting lightly) is that in the event of any electrical issues being reported, I would tell the service rep to first have all the fuses in the fuse box checked or better yet, do it myself before I hand the car over to the dealer ...

 

I wonder if there's anyway Toyo (or third party) could build in some protection against reversed hook-up of jumper cables. Say some head-of stream breaker that would trip first, and prevent any further damage, and was resettable, so you could give it another try.

 

Another useful item would be a battery over-discharge protector that will automatically disconnect the battery if the voltage falls below a certain threshold (like the below), with an override switch. This will obviate jumpstarts while still saving the battery from a successive over-charge by the Prius charging system that some have suspected has been killing a depleted battery.

PriorityStart Battery Saver - Stop Dead Batteries on Cars & Boats [Priority Start! Battery Protector]

The above doesn't seem to have a manual override switch. Any experience with any alternatives?

 

Get the Stanley 500-Amp Jump Starter at Walmart.com. Save money. Live better.

I carry one of these in the hatch. It has reversed polarity protection.
I do it not only to jump myself if I ever need one, but more to jump others since the Prius is a non-starter. Pun intended.

 

Reverse jumps have destroyed many a Prius on this site. Most end up being +$3000.

But your still not done yet.

Referring to the "petfood" they think they found that's classic sign of mouse activity. Car needs to be thoroughly checked for mouse activity as this is a common issue with Prius. If garaged and you have petfood bags in the garage they will get into that bag and drag that food in the car. That and they love the taste of Prius wires.
Very common issue here.

Please check the cabin filter and if you see any sign of nesting you must search old threads and mouse proof your car by blocking various ingress points asap. Mice can destroy a Prius by eating up wire harness's. Very expensive to repair.

You did not post your location in your profile but I bet you live by woods and do not garage the car.

 

On doing some more looking around, I see:

http://www.batteryguard.net

The "Type I" seems like it might work. It would be great for some one knowledgeable in electrical stuff to actually investigate/dissect this and understand any pit falls and have them rectified and it would a great sell for the Prius community. If this works, it would prevent battery depletion in the first place, saving the driver from getting stuck in an inopportune moment and also saving the battery itself.

 

Does it mater how big of a jumper pack you have for a pruis 500 amp 1000 amp or can it be to big sense the 12v bat doesn't really start the car could the jumper pack damage the car or it just pull the amps it needs?

 

To big.

Many reports here of people jumping a Prius with a cordless drill 14 volt battery. Good idea as its naturally current limited. Unless the battery is really dead most people only need a small jump so small jump pack is best.

Less inrush the better. If you have to jump from a car for instance make sure donor car engine's is not running. Second the Prius boots remove the jumpers.

 

Another solution is to carry a set of jumper cables with surge and polarity protection built in. I bought a set made by Goodyear from Amazon for about $20 a few years ago.