Hey guys, i havent driven my Prius for 3 months so far because im in the middle-east for a military deployment. I will be coming home in July. Should i be worried about the car not starting or the battery being dead? I did leave the car with full tank of gas, ice battery fully charged, max 40+ psi, and the car is parked in a cool covered garage. Will it be fine until July?
I do not know. It should be interesting to hear how it works out for you. I completed 17 combat deployments, Returning to an operational vehicle was a concern each time. Thank God I finally reached retirement. Enjoy the combat pay and tax-exempt status. Thank you for your service.
At this point, I would just deal with it when you get back. Probably fine. Having a relative or friend take it for a drive every 2-3 weeks would be ideal. Turning off the smart key system (button below the steering wheel, next to TPMS reset) can help protect the 12v battery. A careful jump and charge or replacement should be all you need if that is an issue. Best wishes on completing your deployment safely and getting back to your Prius. As @ForestBeekeeper said, thank you for your service!
12 volt is the only question mark. if it won't start, you'll have determine if it's been damaged and needs replacing (very possible if it's the original 2010) or if a charge will bring it back to life in good health. jump packs with trickle chargers are very handy.
Full tank, tires at max sidewall, garaged, all good. Maybe after charging the battery, disconnect the negative cable and stow it into something like a heavy glove, to isolate. This will avoid the inexorable drain that will kill the battery over the months, regardless of being fully charged. Disconnection will necessitate a crawl through the car to pop the hatch later, but probably safest, to not leave the hatch ajar, avoid mice/rats taking up residence. Put rags under the wipers to raise them slightly off the glass. Maybe a mothball or two around the car, and in it?
The 12V battery likely will be dead. All else should be OK. In the future it would be good to fully charge, then disconnect the battery, before the next storage period starts.
I leave cars sitting in my barn over the winter and never touch them ... been doing it for 25+ years. Some cars can sit for six months and start up ..... others will drain the battery in two months and need to be on a tender. With the small battery furnished in the Prius it would not surprise me if it's dead ... if the battery is one or two years old I bet it will be fine after it charges up. If it's the original battery -- and dead --- get a new one. The car will be fine.
Thank you. You guys are very helpful. I cannot wait to get back home from the middle-east and drive my prius.
Best part is you can "jump start" it from under the hood. Open the fuse box, find the "flip up" red plastic piece and flip it up. Connect the "jump" positive lead there. Connect the "jump" negative lead to the chassis. You don't need another vehicle to "jump start" a Prius. You can just use any 12V battery of reasonable capacity, even a gell cell alarm battery will work (5-10 Amp-hr). If you do use another vehicle, leave it off (not running). It doesn't crank the engine, it just powers up the electronics, so not much current is required. DO make sure you get the polarity correct. If you don't it can be very expensive.
