Prius (2004-09) :: Battery Starts Dropping Sharply When Headlights Are On
Oct 20, 2014
I am having an issue with my 2006 Toyota Prius. The battery seems to be fine, but when I turn on the headlights the battery suddenly starts dropping sharply and the lights quickly dim. I turn them back off and it starts charging properly again. It only does it when I turn on the headlights. Weird part is if I hit a bump just right sometimes it goes back to normal for a while, but then starts discharging again.
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2007 model Prius with 74k miles.
I was getting 45.6 mpg on the trip computer. MPG dropped a couple of tenths pretty quickly. Got fuel and put in some Techron fuel treatment. Checked 12v battery, was a bit on the weak side, so I replaced it . Checked voltage and everything was good.
While I had the battery out I let the car sit for 10 minutes to reset the ecu. Now after 40 miles I'm getting 35 mpg on the trip computer, and the ICE kicks on any time I press the accelerator pedal, even if I'm going down hill from a stop.
There is no difference in driving style, tire pressures (40 front, 39 rear), I bought the fuel at a place I normally get fuel.
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So, I got stuck in standstill traffic for about an hour due to bad weather and wreck up ahead, and barely inching along the highway, I was surprised how fast the battery was dropping and having to turn on the engine to recharge it, killing the MPG; normal drive home I get around 50 MPG, it dropped to 38 due to all the idling. In such situations, just place the Prius in "Park" in order to shut down the electric motor (I'm assuming that's what park does) so it doesn't idle to conserve power? Would probably be an annoying way to drive regularly, but if you know you're gonna get stuck for awhile, I may try it next time...
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Just put in a new 12v battery but when I try to connect the ground cable, I'm getting sparks, indicating a current draw. And the horn starts blowing nonstop.
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Grill blocked today for the first time and have a couple questions.
Temps have been dropping more these last 3-4 days and have noticed my MPG dropping as well so I thought I'd try grill blocking.
Tempts have been and will be high 30s-low 40s in the morning and upper 50s to mid 60s for the high.
At first I just wedged the pipe insulation and drove one trip. I didn't feel comfortable that it would hold for the long haul so I added zip ties.
I used two pieces of pipe insulation 1/2 inch copper / 3/8 inch iron. Up close it looks like 2/3 or 3/4 of the grill is covered.
My two questions:
For fWT, at what temperature should it not exceed?
At what outside temperature should I remove the pipe insulation? In the Phoenix area, temperatures rise in March and sometimes we will have a short period of warmer than normal temps in February. I just want to make sure I do not cause overheating.
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My 2007 Prius (72k miles) has been dropping in MPG steadily for the last 6-8 months. Where we would get a strong 42 mpg, we are now experiencing 34-36 mpg. After a 400 mile trip to the coast, we just experienced a 34 mpg average. 1 year ago, we would have seen 42-45 mpg on the same trip.
I had the dealership check it out, only to tell me the computer says nothing was wrong. This is the 2nd time I've voiced this concern about the car in 12 months. They told me to replace the tires. We did. No change.
I checked the 12v battery through system check on the display screen (method I found on this website). It was showing 12.4v for an unloaded battery. When i put a load on it, it dropped to 11.7v. Once I had it charging, it raised to 14.0v.
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=this is my first summer to own a prius, and I noticed this last week that my fuel economy seems to be slipping. I am averaging around 42 MPG instead of my usual 49. Only reason this worries me is I've noticed the car is charging the battery a LOT, and it's not uncommon to have my MPG drop down to the low 20's on a flat road if I am lightly accelerating.
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I have a 1986 Chevrolet El Camino with a small V-8 engine. The vehicle has 150,000 miles on it. It starts and runs fine. It does not use oil. My problem is the oil pressure. After the car runs for a short time, the oil pressure starts dropping. It will drop all the way to 0 if I let it. I have had the sending unit replaced and it did not work.
I have had two mechanics look at it and they have not been able to solve the problem. One checked it with a mechanical gauge and confirmed the low pressure. He suggested a higher weight oil and an additive. The other mechanic's solution was to raise the idle speed. I have had this vehicle since it was new and always kept the oil changed and all other maintenance done. I would like to keep the vehicle and complete any repairs necessary.
My question: Is the engine repairable economically or does the engine need to be replaced and what is causing this problem.
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2001 Regal GS Supercharged 3.8 with 120K
After a normal start, about 30 seconds later, the engine starts to shutter with RPM dropping low and surging. If I do not play with gas pedal will ultimately stall. Once it is past its fit, which lasts about a minute, maybe a little more, the engine then runs and performs fine until the next start. This happens with a cold or hot engine. I have replaced the fuel pump and filter. Still have the issue. All battery connections, grounds, etc. are good. No check engine light.
When it starts to shutter it is significant. Reminds me of trying to start a cold piston aircraft engine on a cold day after a couple shots of primer and goosing the throttle.
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Up until my last oil change at 105,000 miles, I didn't notice any oil usage. When draining my oil, it didn't look like it was quite 4 quarts. After the oil change, I ensured that I had the engine exactly topped off to the upper mark on the dipstick. Around 600 miles later, I parked in the same location and have noticed that the oil level has dropped enough to notice. I am guessing that I will lose well over a quart between oil changes. Before I resign to the normal mechanical reasons (rings, cylinder wear, etc.)
The loss doesn't seem to be gradual which has me looking for other explanations. I also had a Toyota mechanic go over the car and replace the other fluids and filters at 100,000 miles (coincidence I think ).
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Just noticed my level is about an inch below the full mark, it was fine at the last oil change, no leaks that I can see....nothing on the ground.
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Am facing a dropping on voltage power. When my truck on the idle the voltage reading 12.2V , but when I turn the HIDs and the a/c plus the a/c fan, the voltage drop to almost 9.5V , Then the transmission starts to slamming the gears. Is it the alternator acting or the Battery Which is new. I don't have the battery light on the dash but I think the dash light is not working .
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I was waiting in the mall parking lot. I never got out of the car, so the headlights stayed on and drained the 12v battery. A good Samaritan "jumped" the car with a portable jump-start device. The next morning, I hit PriusChat and found out about the system diagnostic. It shows that battery has one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel - 12.1v at rest and dropping to 9.8v with the dome light on for a few minutes! Back to PriusChat to research replacement batteries, their sourcing and installation.
I have an Optima Yellow Top on order, as well as a pair of those jump-starters (One for the Pruis and one for the pickup). Before I install the new battery, should I have it trickle-charged overnight?
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Since the summer started, our hybrid battery has been acting different - when the AC is on (even on low), the battery starts to go down quickly! It happens when we are not driving, but standing in traffic or parked. We just changed our 12V battery and I though it would work, but it didn't work much. In order for it to charge up, we have to keep driving. Is that normal? If not, what can be the problem? What can happen when the hybrid battery will loose charge?
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This evening, long after sundown, I found myself stuck on an unmoving expressway with no sign of traffic starting up again (the radio reported a vehicle fire ahead, all lanes blocked). Time dragged on, and I started worrying about the possibility of the headlights draining the 12V battery , assuming that they do indeed run off the 12V battery. In a conventional car this wouldn't have been a problem because the idling engine would have maintained enough battery charge, but of course here the ICE wasn't running. So I turned off the power button to shut down the lights (it's a Canadian car, so there's no way of turning off the headlights with the power button on). That was safe in this particular situation because there were plenty of stopped vehicles behind me. It definitely would not have been safe if mine had been the last vehicle in the lineup.
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Multi information display is not working. Also the 12v battery keeps losing power requiring jump starts.
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Once a Gen I battery starts showing signs of dying (overcharging when should be in "sleep' mode, MPH loss, loss of power, etc.), what is the range for how long the battery might go before all the lights go on indicating "now it's really dying"?
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I have a 2000 chevy s10, it has a brand new battery and alternator. When the battery is charged the battery meter will keep dropping until the dash is completely off when I am driving, then i wont be able to start it unless i get a jump or charge the battery. why is the battery draining so quickly?
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I do run a small battery maintainer during the winter months plugged into a three way with the block heater. Alright after sitting out side for approx 9-10 hrs in 22 degree weather I did these checks. Battery voltages at 12.55V and 12.6V on batteries.
Voltage coming into for was also 12.5V. When glow plugs activated I am getting 11V on the other side of the gpr. After cycling glow plugs battery voltages drop to 9.6V during cranking and as soon as she starts back to 12.5V.
Do these numbers sounds right? In my opinion isn't the drop to 9.6V during cranking a little low or is that the normal?
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I have a 2004 Ford F150 and the battery keeps dying. We do not use the truck a lot and it sometimes sits outside for 2-4 weeks without being used. If it sits that long, it might be completely dead, but starts up easily with a jump and then works fine for a while. The battery is a 650 amp Motocraft w prorated replacement from 37-100 mo. The local Ford dealer has checked it several times in the past 2 yr and said it is fine, and that if the truck sits for a couple of weeks the battery will die. Is that right? I am not a car moron, nor am I an expert, but I am concerned that they are missing a small draw somewhere in the system. Should I be concerned about a draw or is this just something that happens to batteries as they get older?
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This is concerning my little brothers truck. It is a 2008 4.2 liter with around 55,000 miles on it.
He drove it to work today, and called me this afternoon saying that the truck starts then dies a few seconds later, and the battery light illuminates. He and a coworker checked the battery and connections....cleaned off corrosion on terminals, battery reads 12.xx volts without a load on it, it is the original though.
As of right now he is changing the fuel filter which hasn't been done yet. I also know of issues with the fuel pump driver module. I remember checking the one on my 2005 back when I owned it. As I recall it causes a no start condition, but would it cause a start then stop condition like this? He will check this when he is done with the filter.
Anything else that we can check in a parking lot to try and at least get it home?
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