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Prius 12V battery needed?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by MikeSF, Dec 19, 2021.

  1. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    So my last battery picked up was an Optima Yellow top in 2017, battery is showing big time signs of not holding charge for any length of time and I was told that the HV battery being wonky is not a cause of it. But I'm getting a bit of sticker shock now. I got the battery for roughly $140 (pre tax) back then, and I realize that it was a good price at the time, but now I'm seeing the price as $100 more than that, hell even Amazon price shows only one at over $600! Which I'm guessing is due to the battery being discontinued?

    So what's a decent enough battery to get these days? A quick look shows everything at $200+ from various auto stores, but is there some secret back room deal price somewhere that's a bit more reasonable for something? I don't need it to last 5-6 years, it's a 15 year old car, that I feel is going to get very expensive to keep up with replacement parts needed. Would like to squeeze a few more years out of it sure but if I gotta let it go, I'll let it go.

    Is the whole global supply chain issue crap the reason why batteries are this expensive? Or did they just have a relatively big jump in price across the board because they can?
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    That battery size is discontinued I don't think so that little thing goes in a bunch of silly cars but anyway be that as it may the AGM and that group size and format and all that I don't know man I see him in the 140 150 range All kinds of places have them You know batteries is only like four plants that cover most of the Western hemisphere so brand name is not huge it's mainly chemistry and type battery gel AGM what have you

    SM-A715F ?
     
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    YellowTop Optima are the ultimate junk batteries...

    And because the 12v in a Prius isn't needed to start the engine, just the computers, you're better off with max amp-hours rather than cranking amps. I recommend this one: 12V 55Ah Rechargeable SLA AGM Battery for Wind, Solar, and Off Grid Power | eBay

    Several dozen people on here have tried these and they've proven to last a long time. I had a similar one in my Prius for 9 years without an issue.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    might as well get an oem for that price. i haven't seen any deals lately, what with the shortages and all
     
  5. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    $264 at advance auto parts
     
  6. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    How much current draw do the computers actually need? Seems like throwing any old 12V battery into the car is something that should work, you just need to fit it in the space provided... or make a bigger space!

    And why max Ah? Does that 12V battery do anything else other than turn the computers on? I mean obviously it also does things like wipers/windows/locks/etc, but is it just a matter of making sure enough capacity so it doesn't discharge too much between turning the car on?
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you can start the car with a rechargeable power tool battery, so the only consideration is size, and a vent tube if safety is your thing
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I've used other sizes of batteries from this exact seller never had a problem some of them sat on the shelf for a year almost before they got used too
     
  9. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    A former PriusChatter in @Britprius who lives in UK and is wheelchair bound was a valuable contributor on here with all things Prius. That guy gave me lots of great advice. He's the originator of this idea that Amp-Hour number of your 12v defines reliability and durability and I took his advice and my $100 55amp-hour mobility battery lasted me 9 years! So grateful for all the times he shared his wisdom with us. You can see the whole thread here: Fitting mobility 12volt AGM battery. | PriusChat
     
  10. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    Ok, I'm sold. I don't see any specs on the terminal thread size on that ebay page though.
     
  11. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Bolts come with I just put holes in and flattened tabs put bolt thru 6mm I believe
     
  12. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yeah... I usually wait to add that part once people are interested. You just go to the hardware store and get washers slightly larger than positive & negative terminal and put one on the top and bottom of each terminal and then use a slightly longer bolt to sandwich it all together.

    PXL_20210209_231231938.jpg PXL_20210216_005159433.jpg
     
  13. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    Alright, so far so good. Messed up with the bolt size, not sure what went wrong with my measuring but somehow I ended up with 40mm long bolts and while I was tempted to just have a stack of a dozen washers, I opted for smaller bolts. Which did turn into a mixed blessing because the battery dimensions are slightly taller than the standard prius battery (or Optima) as a result the bolt that holds the clamp that secures the battery didn't quite reach the floor, but 40mm M6 bolt to the rescue!

    Now the downside is that the little plastic panel doesn't sit flush anymore, although it's not a huge deal to me, it sits "good enough". Also have no idea where to put the little tube that plugged into the original Prius battery, but I never plugged it into the Optima battery, so no harm no foul.

    But car started up just fine, so hopefully that is the last of the 12V battery issues I have. Now onto the HV battery.
     
    bisco and PriusCamper like this.