12v battery maintenance, issues, etc.

[Derek.w]

1 hour ago, Gren said:

Thanks Derek & Roy, is there a positive terminal that's easily accessible?  I see your red wire going up to a crimp connector then a black one, is the black one attached to the battery +ve terminal?

I've not had a chance to open up my battery compartment so far, spent today swapping the winter tyres & wheels onto my other car.  Brrr, frost on top of the car by 4pm.

My wires are all red for + but the fuse holder is black with red wires coming out of it.

The Battery monitor with bluetooth 4 is the black positive wire you looking at it goes into a termanal block so I can add or change things without disconnecting the Battery just remove the fuse. Maybe I should have wraped it with red tape or added a sleve over it to stop confusion.

The positive terminal you have to disconnect the negative post then remove Battery clamp then you can slide battery out just a couple of inches to undo its post nut and fit your own lead using a spade connector or ring type connector then maybe you need to trim some plastic off the cover itself then its a case of sliding battery back & reconnecting - ve post battery clamp and air vent into side of battery or at least check thats its still pushed in.

[jthspace]

Fitted a Yuasa Battery as recommended in this thread and it arrived within 3 days.

EBAY BATTERY SELLER

Bit fiddly to fit, but not difficult.  The old Battery had a vent tube which I didn't see as I tried to remove the Battery but noticed it as I was swearing and squirming in the limited space!  It plugged into the same hole on the new battery when refitting.  New battery is "sealed" whereas the old battery had caps to check fluid levels (not that you could do that with the battery in place)

I already had a charge socket / power out socket and you can see it in the picture below.  I has a plug and lead from the solar panel I bought and this connects to the CTEK extension lead.  Whilst the battery was out, I fitted longer connection leads to the 12v socket so as to get a bit more flexibility if I have to remove the plastic trim panel in the future. You can also see a small volt meter next to the socket.

12v SOCKET - AMAZON

New battery on charge.

The socket will also accept the 12v solar panel lead for the panel I purchased on Amazon.  It helps, but . . . . think I should have got the larger output, but at the end of the day, British sunshine isn't consistent enough to make these panels completely useful.

SOLAR PANEL - AMAZON

 

Other than it being 1 degree C whilst I was out there working, it wasn't a difficult job.  

 

[Mojo1010]

1 hour ago, jthspace said:

Fitted a Yuasa battery as recommended in this thread and it arrived within 3 days.

EBAY BATTERY SELLER

Bit fiddly to fit, but not difficult.  The old battery had a vent tube which I didn't see as I tried to remove the battery but noticed it as I was swearing and squirming in the limited space!  It plugged into the same hole on the new battery when refitting.  New battery is "sealed" whereas the old battery had caps to check fluid levels (not that you could do that with the battery in place)

I already had a charge socket / power out socket and you can see it in the picture below.  I has a plug and lead from the solar panel I bought and this connects to the CTEK extension lead.  Whilst the battery was out, I fitted longer connection leads to the 12v socket so as to get a bit more flexibility if I have to remove the plastic trim panel in the future. You can also see a small volt meter next to the socket.

12v SOCKET - AMAZON

New battery on charge.

The socket will also accept the 12v solar panel lead for the panel I purchased on Amazon.  It helps, but . . . . think I should have got the larger output, but at the end of the day, British sunshine isn't consistent enough to make these panels completely useful.

SOLAR PANEL - AMAZON

 

Other than it being 1 degree C whilst I was out there working, it wasn't a difficult job.  

 

Good job. Btw was the Battery change on a 2022 car or an older one with problem?

[Derek.w]

On 11/20/2023 at 10:07 PM, Cyker said:

Out of curiosity, what sort of overnight temperatures are you seeing?

Cyker sorry for the late reply at the moment I am using frost cold weather program it for temp +5 degrees or less.

Last night our tempriture was around -4 or -5 Tonight it will be -5 Saterday it be -4 is forcast.

Lets say a Battery at 12;42 volts 27 degrees c will now show 11.9 volts at>-2 degrees celsius.

Yes it will still start before you ask!.

[Dala]

nice charts - they seem to be correct - "power needed" - not required for hybrid

[jthspace]

3 hours ago, Mojo1010 said:

Good job. Btw was the battery change on a 2022 car or an older one with problem?

On a 22 car, but not a daily driver so wanted some "spare" capacity. Also, it's going to be parked up mid Dec to late January away from home whilst we are away so I've also got the lithium emergency Battery pack ready as well.

The other Battery always seemed to be dropping voltage day-to-day so I will be keeping an eye on this one to see if it's better.

[Dala]

According to my measurements, the Yaris evaluates the Battery charge differently depending on the state of the car Battery.
When the car Battery voltage before start is 12.4V or higher, charging by driving for approx. 1 hour to a voltage of 14.3V
At a voltage of 12.3V and below before start, the system switches to a maintenance voltage of 12.8V much earlier.
It looks like the system remembers the startup voltage and charges it by driving to that value and then switches to the maintenance voltage.

[Chas G]

I think I have got my 12 volt Battery worries sorted out.

I have connected up an oscilloscope to monitor the various electrical circuits as suggested in another thread.

It seems to be working well although right hand turns are a bit of a challenge as it slides out of reach across the dashboard and visibility isn't brilliant. I suppose it just needs a bit of getting used to.

I also fitted a big solar cell on the rear parcel shelf to get the maximum exposure  to the sun and continuously charge the 12 volt Battery . The only problem is the back shelf is a bit flimsy and is sagging so I will pop down to Wickes in the morning for some 15mm plywood to make a proper shelf.

I was a bit worried about the cell flying off the shelf and hitting me on the head but I have fitted an accelerometer with an alarm buzzer plugged in to the charger socket. This should alert me in time to duck if I brake too hard and it promotes the good driving habit of not getting too close behind other vehicles. I thought 1/2 mile clearance should be pretty safe. 

I will of course put the Battery on charge every time I come home. I may take out the back seat to install a plywood frame with an easy access panel to get at the battery and some occasional cushions although I can't remember the last time anyone sat in the back of my car. 

I suppose if I did have more than 1 passenger they wouldnt mind just sitting on the floor.

Do you think I should contact Toyota direct to see if they want to include these modifications in the design of the new 2024 Yaris Cross?

Finally, if I plan to go out and actually drive the car I will leave plenty of time in case I need to use the noco jump pack. Failing that I have downloaded a copy of the 331 bus timetable and my free TFL pass is always to hand. 

All bases covered and peace of mind at last.

Best wishes Chas

[Gren]

6 minutes ago, Chas G said:

I think I have got my 12 volt battery worries sorted out.

Chas, you forgot the 2-mile reel of 240v cable to keep the Noco charger plugged in while you nip down to the shops!

[OrangeYaris]

Well I had the dreaded flat Battery scenario yesterday. I hadn't driven much due to being unwell and prior to that the journeys were short, so a recipe for disaster really!

I got Argos to deliver a jump starter last night and tried to use it this morning. I couldn't get a connect/green light on the under bonnet terminal. Called my recovery insurance and their guy couldn't get it to work either. So he asked where the Battery was, and thanks to reading this thread in the past I told him how to access it under the seat. He managed to start it from direct connection to the Battery terminals...phew!

I left it in ready mode for over an hour and then went on a motorway run. All good now, and will be doing my best to keep it that way going forward. I'd obviously gotten a bit complacent lately.

I'm wondering why it wouldn't jump start from under the bonnet though? Was it perhaps too dead? (nothing was coming on at all).

[Stopeter44]

5 minutes ago, OrangeYaris said:

I'm wondering why it wouldn't jump start from under the bonnet though? Was it perhaps too dead? (nothing was coming on at all).

I have no idea either, but when mine needed the jumpstarting, the massive Battery pack that the breakdown technician had wouldn't work either. He ended up doing it the old fashion way, using jumper cables from the Battery on his pickup truck.

[Chas G]

On 12/8/2023 at 4:29 PM, OrangeYaris said:

Well I had the dreaded flat battery scenario yesterday. I hadn't driven much due to being unwell and prior to that the journeys were short, so a recipe for disaster really!

I got Argos to deliver a jump starter last night and tried to use it this morning. I couldn't get a connect/green light on the under bonnet terminal. Called my recovery insurance and their guy couldn't get it to work either. So he asked where the battery was, and thanks to reading this thread in the past I told him how to access it under the seat. He managed to start it from direct connection to the battery terminals...phew!

I left it in ready mode for over an hour and then went on a motorway run. All good now, and will be doing my best to keep it that way going forward. I'd obviously gotten a bit complacent lately.

I'm wondering why it wouldn't jump start from under the bonnet though? Was it perhaps too dead? (nothing was coming on at all).

I wonder if the crocodile clip connected to your jump start terminal wasn't the right way round. On some clips the lead wire is only connected to one side of the clip. The terminal connection also only has copper on one side......just a thought.

[OrangeYaris]

1 hour ago, Chas G said:

I wonder if the crocodile clip connected to your jump start terminal wasn't the right way round. On some clips the lead wire is only connected to one side of the clip. The terminal connection also only has copper on one side......just a thought.

I made sure that the side with the wire was on the metal side so I don’t think it was that. I think I even tried it the other way too

[Chas G]

3 minutes ago, OrangeYaris said:

I made sure that the side with the wire was on the metal side so I don’t think it was that. I think I even tried it the other way too

Very odd. I thought the jump connection was directly connected to the +ve Battery terminal. The only other thing that comes to mind is maybe a poor earth on the other lead. But all is well that ends well. 

[Countryside]

Has the Yaris cross got the same Battery ? Was going to order an icon model but reading all this has put me off !

[Mojo1010]

Apparently a member was told by a dealer the 2024 model has a bigger 12v Battery. Either way, provided the car is used regularly or ready mode, even in current 35Ah Battery has been fine for the majority. 

Read that you are looking at the icon trim, the recommended trim to get is from design as it has led headlights. Icon has poor halogen lights. 

[Countryside]

Mine will be regular used I go on motorway 100 miles once a week 

[Countryside]

really can’t believe I’m reading all these Battery problems I thought Toyota were so reliable my Chr has been no problem over nearly 3 years

[Chas G]

20 hours ago, Countryside said:

really can’t believe I’m reading all these battery problems I thought Toyota were so reliable my Chr has been no problem over nearly 3 years 

A friends 6 month old Chr had the same problem with a flat 12 volt Battery.

I have had 3 yaris and 2 aygos and have never had a single problem with any of them. All I ever did was top up with petrol, carry out minor maintenance stuff  and have a full service at Steven Eagell once a year. 

In November I bought a 14 month old Yaris Cross hybrid and was horrified to read the endless posts about 12 volt Battery issues which, by the way, are common to most hybrids.

Thankfully I have a garage so I can follow Toyotas advice to leave it in "ready" mode for at least an hour/week to charge the aux Battery without having to sit and freeze in the car.

To avoid potential problems, I  bought a Noco 20 jump pack (£81) which i keep in the glove box so its ready to hand and not in what may be an inaccessible boot, a Ctek 5 battery charger (£73 with Halfords promo code) which I will use at least once a week, a set of jump leads in the boot plus an RAC card if all else fails.

I have also removed the dash cam, turned off the keyless entry and confirmed that the car is not connected to the MyT cloud to minimise unnecessary loads on the battery when the car is shut down.

As well as the battery issues, I also worry that if the car conks out in the garage and can't be put in ready mode, it's not going to be easy to get it out on to the road to be transported to a toyota garage.

I really like the car. Its spacious, looks good, is economical and the performance is adequate. 

In hindsight though I wish I had bought a petrol engined car.

I am 70 years old, only do 3000 miles a year and often leave the car for days without going anywhere.........or in other words, the perfect profile of someone who shouldn't have bought a hybrid. 

Hopefully I will never have a problem.

Best wishes Chas

 

[Max_Headroom]

1 hour ago, Chas G said:

am 70 years old, only do 3000 miles a year and often leave the car for days without going anywhere.........or in other words, the perfect profile of someone who shouldn't have bought a hybrid. 

Looks like you have all the bases covered so enjoy the car, i will not let the 12v Battery issue put me off buying a hybrid  my commute is not many miles but is regular so i will buy a jump pack just in case.

[Countryside]

Wonder if the Mazda 2 hybrid has same Battery issues having same looks as Yaris ?!

[Cyker]

The Mazda 2 hybrid *is* a Yaris hybrid, just with a Mazda Badge!  

TBH it's much less likely to be an issue if you use the car regularly - I've had no problems with mine, and I even left my lights on all day once and it still started with no problem.

I did buy a portable jumpstarter just in case tho'    

[Countryside]

I know them in my service dept at my local dealer will take my iPad and show them this as I’d love a 2024 Yaris design or Yaris cross design I do 8000 miles a year 

[Mojo1010]

33 minutes ago, Countryside said:

I know them in my service dept at my local dealer will take my iPad and show them this as I’d love a 2024 Yaris design or Yaris cross design I do 8000 miles a year 

If you don't need the size of the cross, the Yaris handles and drives better being more compact + better fuel economy. 

[Countryside]

It’s a 2024 Yaris excel hatchback for me in silver with keyless folding mirrors blind spot sat nav gorgeous alloys  etc