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Weird battery issue

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by drpoehls, Dec 17, 2016.

  1. drpoehls

    drpoehls Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2009
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    Location:
    Milwuakee, WI
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    2010. 139,000 miles.

    It started fine this morning when my wife was going to the store, but she had to stop to get gas (5 minutes after starting) before heading to the store. She filled up with gas and then when she went to start it back up, it wouldn't start and had classic dead battery syndrome. So, I loaded up all four kids in our van and went to help.

    I've jumped this car several times after leaving lights on overnight, etc...

    I tried jumping it with our van for 1.5 hours. Tried the battery in the trunk, tried jumping it from under the hood. Called Roadside assistance to get it jumped and they couldn't do it (the guy only tried for like 5 minutes and I he couldn't even find the battery on his own - useless). Finally, I just had it towed back to my house b/c everything is closed and there is a friggin blizzard today.

    I bought one of those car chargers/starters that plugs into an outlet and has a 10 amp trickle charge, a fast charge and a 50 amp start option. When I hook this up to the battery in the trunk and under the hood, the charger says that it is ready to start, but again, it won't start. Lights in the car come on, radio works, heat works, wipers work.

    What else could it be?
    Any suggestions?
    Please help! Thank you!!
     
    #1 drpoehls, Dec 17, 2016
    tankyuong likes this.
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    Need new battery
     
    #2 tankyuong, Dec 18, 2016
  3. saltdiscus

    saltdiscus Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2016
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Ok ill start with the basic .Is gas cap fully closed?Now let other expert help you.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 saltdiscus, Dec 18, 2016
  4. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Bad starter? What's the voltage of the battery without any "support"?


    iPad ?
     
    #4 jzchen, Dec 18, 2016
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
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    II
    nothing weird about this problem. The 12v battery is dead. Just get another.
     
    #5 JC91006, Dec 18, 2016
  6. drpoehls

    drpoehls Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2009
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    Location:
    Milwuakee, WI
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You're right @JC91006, nothing weird. Bought and installed a new battery and it started right up.
    I got 7 years out of that battery. If I get 7 out of the next one, I'd be happy.

    I saw a lot of people recommending the Optima battery, but the guy at Batteries Plus said that their quality has gone down the crapper since Johnson Controls bought them out and sent manufacturing from USA to Mexico. I went with Duracell b/c he said it's manufactured right here in Iowa and I <3 the Midwest!!
     
    #6 drpoehls, Dec 18, 2016
    bisco likes this.
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    First things first: the Owner's Manual recommends to use a charge rate of 4.2 amps max (page 563). So, is this a charger, or a starter? Can you post the make/model, what you got?

    If you have a depleted battery, and hook up a smart charger with appropriate amp rating, it'll take anywhere up to 12 hours to run through it's charging regimen, ending up as a trickle charge, fwiw.

    If you have a digital multimeter handy, could you measure and post the battery voltage, measured with the car off? Something like a Solar BA5 (or a battery retailer's tester) will give more comprehensive assessment, but the at-rest voltage will give some idea.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Dec 18, 2016
  8. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    Oem battery works best
     
    #8 tankyuong, Dec 18, 2016
  9. cipsaz187

    cipsaz187 Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Four
    Is this the battery you purchased? Is this direct replacement?

    SLI51PAGM - Duracell Ultra Platinum AGM Battery for 2012 Toyota Prius L4 1.8L 325CCA Hybrid Car and Truck at Batteries Plus Bulbs
     
    #9 cipsaz187, Dec 19, 2016
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