How to disconnect auxiliary battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by westofrome, Dec 27, 2007.

  1. westofrome

    westofrome New Member

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    My Prius has been dying if I leave it idle for even 3 days at a time on long weekends. The dealer said to disconnect the auxiliary battery during these periods to avoid battery drain.

    So I found the auxiliary battery in the trunk, but am unsure of the simplest and best way to temporarily disconnect it during these periods. Any help would be great, thanks!
     
    #1 westofrome, Dec 27, 2007
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I use a VDC battery tender on mine all the time. My first winter with the Prius, a combination of -40 days, constant defrost use, and 15 minute or shorter commutes, all seriously drained the battery

    Since I started using the tender, no problems. The constant voltage source of the Prius 12 vdc system isn't best for battery life. The tender claims to condition the battery.
     
    #2 jayman, Dec 27, 2007
  3. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    #3 FL_Prius_Driver, Dec 27, 2007
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    There are 2 wires on the battery, a red cap covers one, remove the other one. Personally I'd rather fix the problem even if it means a new battery, you should be able to store your care for a week without a problem.

    You will lose the clock setting if you disconnect the battery. If the battery has gone flat more than a couple of times it's most likely buggered.
     
    #4 patsparks, Dec 27, 2007
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Was this a sales guy or someone at the service desk that gave you this very crappy information?
    1) The battery shouldn't be dying in just 3 days...maybe after 3 weeks it could be considered 'normal' for Prius, but definately not 3 days. There's a problem, it needs to be fixed. It may be as simple as an old worn out battery that needs replacement, it may be that there's a shorted wire causing a parasitic drain that needs to be found and fixed. In either case the advice is bad and at best will be a temporary solution until the battery fails completely. Better to not let it get to that point to start with.
    2) IF one was to want to disconnect the battery during a prolonged time it's much simpler to simply pull the dome fuse (under the hood) and reinsert it when you want to drive the car again.

    In all seriousness, if this is someone in the service department that you depend upon to take care of your car you should seek out another service department before they do real damage or cost you real money.
     
    #5 efusco, Dec 27, 2007
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