Prius Hybrid Battery - How to Fix Your Dead Prius Hybrid Battery

Prius Hybrid Battery - How to Fix Your Dead Prius Hybrid Battery

Are you looking to fix your dead Prius hybrid battery because your car won't start? Well, before you jump to the conclusion that your hybrid battery is root of your car troubles, you may want to first take a look at your 12 volt battery in your Prius.

Jump Starter Battery

If the 12 volt battery is dead, your car will be unable to start as well. Fixing your 12 volt is much easier than dealing with the hybrid cells.

Prius Hybrid Battery - How to Fix Your Dead Prius Hybrid Battery

To repair your 12 volt battery, here is what you want to do:

1. Open the Prius' hood by pulling on the handle located on the bottom left of the steering wheel.

2. Open the plastic protector to the battery on the top right-hand side of the engine and open the small red plastic lid covering the positive port to the battery.

3. Hook the positive cable, which typically has a white line painted on the rubber, to the positive port of the car giving the Prius current.

4. Hook the negative cable (all black) to the negative port of the car giving current, making sure the opposite end does not touch any other metal before connecting it to the Prius, because the cables may already be electrically charged.

5. Turn on the car giving the charge and press the accelerator slightly to pass enough current to spark the battery in the Prius.

6. Turn the Prius on and drive for a minimum of 20 minutes without turning the engine off; this will re-charge the battery enough so it won't go dead when turning off the engine. If using a battery charger, start the Prius and leave it charging overnight.

If this did not fix the problem, then you may have a more serious problem with the hybrid cells. Replacing your entire hybrid battery will cost you roughly 00 without warranty from Toyota.

This option is far too expensive... If you want to know a much cheaper method to fix your dead Prius cells, you may want to try this alternative.

Save 4000's of dollars by fixing your dead batteries yourself with the Prius battery repair guide. If you want the best way to fix your dead HB cells without breaking your wallet, it is highly recommended to repair your it yourself with the Prius Battery Repair guide.

The repair guide is created from seasoned mechanics that specialize in rebuilding HB packs. The guide will teach you exactly how you can rebuild and repair your dead batteries yourself with the support of step-by-step instructions and detailed pictures.

If you do not want to go to Toyota and let them replace your dead HB cells for 00, you could spend half the money by purchasing a rebuilt batteries from other people. However, this is still expensive as it can still cost 1000's of dollars, so it is highly recommended to use the Prius Hybrid Battery repair guide to repair it yourself.

Starter Clicks But Engine Does Not Turn Over - Tech in Trunk?

Starter Clicks But Engine Does Not Turn Over - Tech in Trunk?

If the car's starter clicks and the engine does not turn over, this could be caused by several things. The most common cause of clicking when the car is being started is a low battery. Most people would assume that the starter is bad if it only clicks, but low-voltage can cause the starter to make this sound.

Jump Starter Battery

The battery is the heart of the starting and electrical system. If the battery has been drained or has a weak cell, this can cause the starter to only click. Many times the battery could just been drained due to a door left slightly open, making the dome light stay on. Other times a vanity light or a phone charger could be left on. During my time as a master auto technician, I've had a trustworthy co-worker close me up in the trunk so I could make sure the trunk light went off when the trunk was closed!

Starter Clicks But Engine Does Not Turn Over - Tech in Trunk?

In order to test the battery it must have a good charge. If the battery is not charged completely the tester will indicate that it needs to be charged before testing can proceed. The first step when checking the starter and electrical system is to make sure the battery is in good condition. Most parts stores will check batteries for free. Once it's determined the battery is good the rest of the system can then be checked. Loose or corroded connections can also cause a clicking and for the car not to start.

Starter

The starter solenoid on many Ford vehicle's is on the inner fender well, on most other vehicles the starter solenoid will be mounted on the starter. The clicking that is heard many times is the solenoid. But low-voltage either from a drained battery, bad battery or poor connections can cause this. Most of the time if the vehicle can be jump-started the starter is okay. This would also indicate that the connections to the starter are good.

Alternator

Once the vehicle is running the alternator output can be checked. If the alternator is not charging the battery, it will be drained during the process of starting the car and driving. When the alternator is checked, the voltage and amperage output can be measured. Also the diode pattern will be checked to make sure the alternator won't drain the battery when the engine is turned off. In the past do-it-yourselfers could disconnect the battery while the vehicle is running to check the alternator, if the car kept running the alternator was good. Doing this on computerized vehicles can be harmful. If the battery is disconnected while a computerized vehicle is running the alternator output can increase sharply allowing excess voltage to spike the computer.

Battery

When purchasing a replacement battery the cold cranking amps required for the vehicle should be checked. It's best to purchase a battery with more cold cranking amps than the minimum required. Also when purchasing a battery you should consider if you want maintenance free or not. If the battery is hard to access or has a cover then a maintenance free battery is preferred. For instance on some Chrysler Sebrings and Chevrolet Corvettes the battery is located behind an inner fender and on a Chevrolet SSR. the battery is located underneath the bed where the spare tire would normally go. If installing the battery yourself be sure to notice which side is positive and negative in case you were sold the incorrect battery.

Terminals

The terminals should be free of corrosion and should tighten up well. Sometimes especially on import vehicles the battery terminals will be very thin and can have hairline cracks causing a poor connection. Avoid forcing the battery terminals on by tapping them. The battery casing can be damaged causing a leak, if the battery acid seeps out it can cause fast corrosion. If the battery terminal bolts will not tighten, then replacing the terminals is recommended. When the connections are tight you should not be able to twist them by hand.

So, Your Starter Is Just Clicking

So, Your Starter Is Just Clicking

Does you starter make a *click* sound when you try to start your vehicle?

Jump Starter Battery

Each time you turn the ignition switch to start, does the starter just *click* one time?

So, Your Starter Is Just Clicking

That is probably the starter solenoid.

If it goes, *click-click-click-click*, and so on, it may just be a low battery.

A low battery that makes the starter *click* a few times doesn't have enough *juice* in it to turn the starter over to turn the flywheel over to turn the crankshaft over to make the engine start...phew!

A simple way to tell if the battery is at fault is to turn the headlights on and turn the ignition switch to start.

If the lights go out, then the battery is probably at fault.

Course, you'll have to run real fast after you hit the start position in order to see if the lights go out...or have someone out there watching for you.:-)

You can purchase a small inexpensive battery charger at most malls, or parts store.

The best way to use a *trickle* chargers is to charge the batter all night, or all day, whichever pleases you.

You can try charging the battery. If it runs down again, then you need to do something.

Remove the battery terminals from the battery post, if you have the *post* type, and clean the post and the inside of the cable clamp.

If you have the side mount just loosen the 8mm bolt and clean the terminal where it comes into contact with the battery. Clean the part on the battery, too. :-)

Sometimes the battery will build up a lot of corrosion on the outside of the cable clamp.

When this happens, usually, the inside part of the clamp and post will create a hard metallic-like surface.

This stops the flow of electricity from the alternator to the battery.

When you use the battery's reserve, it's gone, no more being put in.

If the vehicle does crank, it will run off the alternator, which ain't good. :-(

If cleaning the post and recharging the battery doesn't solve the problem, you may need a new one.

Don't run to the nearest *convenience store* and buy a battery.

Take your battery to a place that sells batteries and have it checked.

If it is gone to where old dead batteries go, then you will have to purchase a new one.

You may have other problems...like the alternator; the tension on the alternator belt... several things could make the battery be low...did you leave the parking lights on when you parked, to go shopping? :-)