Dying Battery Or Something Like that....

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Gasolean, Aug 28, 2007.

  1. Gasolean

    Gasolean Junior Member

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    My family lives part of the year in the US and part of the year overseas. Needless to say, they leave their cars behind. One issue that my father is running into with his Prius is that it "dies" if not driven for a long time. He comes back and it doesn't start and that's all I know. Does anyone have more detail on this? I'm going to be traveling a lot in the coming year and am wondering if I should get a car sitter. How long can one leave a Prius sitting without it dying? And what happens if it does die? Thanks!
     
    #1 Gasolean, Aug 28, 2007
  2. aaf709

    aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan

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    The problem is the small battery can run down if the car isn't driven for a while (over 2 weeks), which prevents the starting. You can turn off your Smart Key (if you have it) to help prevent a battery drain. You can add a trickle charger to keep it topped up. Another is to plug in a solar panel that will do the trickle charge as well. If you do that it'll have to be connected to the battery as the power outlets turn off when the power is off. It's possible to do a mod to change that on one of them.
     
    #2 aaf709, Aug 28, 2007
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I'd use a small trickle charger on the 12V jumper posts. They are fairly cheep, and will keep your battery in good shape for when you return.

    Tom
     
    #3 qbee42, Aug 29, 2007
  4. kohnen

    kohnen Grumpy, Cranky Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Aug 29 2007, 08:01 AM) [snapback]503703[/snapback]</div>
    I'd make sure that what you get is a float charger (one designed, for example, to keep a 12V gel cell alive for long periods of time). If you get one that keeps pushing current, even a small amount of current, through the battery, it will cook the 12V battery over time.

    Also, attach it to the posts under the hood instead of on the battery in the trunk. It's easier to get to.
     
    #4 kohnen, Aug 29, 2007
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