Hi All, I have a 2003 Prius. 150k mile, the hybrid battery has been replaced. I just need the 12v battery to crank it over. AAA website doesn't list the year and I am finding difficulty in finding one in Los Angeles. Presently jumping the battery from a spare in the trunk. Can anyone suggest somewhere in Los Angeles, or online where I can get one & a rough price? Also, I heard somewhere that some people change terminals out, is that a common problem. Any input welcome, happy new year. Bob.
I installed one of these in a Gen1 Prius once: 12 Volt (12V) 55 Amp (55Ah) VRLA AGM Sealed Lead Acid Battery 55 AMPS HIGH CAP | eBay I used some slightly longer bolts than the ones it came with and some big metal flat washers to sandwich the terminals between and had to bend some of the sheet metal mounting to get it to fit. If I had to do it over again, I'd likely change the terminals, but was doing this for someone real quick like in a parking lot. My main concern was the length of the cables/terminals forced me to put the 12v in with the terminals facing the left rear metal side panel of the car and if that part of the car got hit by a car in fender bender the bent metal could touch the two terminals and short out the car. So next time I do this I'd change the length of the cables so the terminals are facing towards the trunk space. That way a fender bender would prove no risk to shorting out the 12v.
You might want to start by verifying which terminals you have. There were two batteries used by Toyota in Gen 1 cars, a 27 amp-hour (IIRC) with narrow JIS posts, or a 45 (later 54) amp-hour with wider posts, for which they offered a battery tray and terminal retrofit. Knowing which one you've got could influence what batteries would be simplest to replace it with.
