Hello we have a 2005 Prius (I'm unsure of the model, it's my boyfriend's) I ran out yesterday in the rain to roll up the windows.... I may or may not have left the car on my mind is busy with a brand new baby in the house, and it's easy to just walk away leaving this car on (I read that happens to others a lot) so the car may have been left on ALL NIGHT. We get in the car to take my boyfriend to work this morning and it won't turn on, no lights, no blinking.... He even put the key in the dashboard, still nothing. We got my papaw to come help jump the car (after boyfriend watched a YouTube video to learn how) it turned on while plugged to the other car but turned off immediately after unhooking and when tried again would not turn on at all. What have I done?! :/
Jumpstart will not restore an ailing battery. You need to either check It and charge it, or replace. Reading the last bit of your post more carefully: you might have damage due to reversed jumper cable, hard to tell. Sort out the battery first, anyway.
The 12 volt is dead, it might take a charge but not for long, hopefully it was correctly hooked up for the jump. Yes it's frustrating dealing with a minuscule 12 volt battery that is "different" but imagine your thoughts if it were an all electric car that you haven't started for a month and the battery "bricked". In the meantime, put a 2 amp 12 volt charger on the battery for a day, and get a new optima.
I keep reading about a reversed jumper cable and I hope he didn't do that, he just watched a YouTube video on how to jump the Prius. Are these batteries expensive?! We literally just got this car (used) 3 months ago!
12 volt battery prices have been climbing, not crazy, but... One report said due to mild winters, thus batteries lasting longer, thus less recovered lead, equals higher prices. Two dealerships I just checked both said $273 Canaidian, for the OEM Yuasa battery we need on our 3rd gen, whereas a year ago it was around $210. I would take it one step at a time. 1. Hook up a digital multimeter and see what the voltage is, car off. If it's something like 12.2 volt or lower, time to try charging. I'm betting it'll be 11.9. 2. Get a SMART charger, max amperage around 4~4.5 amp. One that can be left on, will self monitor as it charges, and has indicator lights to let you know how it's doing, the battery's status. CTEK 3300, or it's newer replacement will do this, but is a little pricey. Check at harbour freight and similar stores, ask, and research what's available. 3. Hook it up, carefully following the hook up sequence and order. Typically the last thing you do is plug into the wall, and there should be indicator lights to warn if hook up is wrong. When done disconnect in opposite order. 4. If the battery is toast, I'd recommend to get the original battery type, through a dealership, for expedience, for best bet of getting fresh stock, and easy return if there's a problem.
Also is it because I left the car on? Or could the battery just be near death? We had noticed that the screen showing battery use showed that the battery didn't charge well overnight, but I'm assuming this is the electric battery in the back... Now I'm also remembering that a maintenance light turned on a few weeks ago. Boyfriend checked oil and filled but the light has stayed on. Could that be it too?
