12v battery maintenance, issues, etc.

[Chas G]

1 minute ago, jthspace said:

Any chance of a photo, it’s a bit awkward to see but if you or someone could take a pic with a smartphone we can work out if it’s a permanent live or ignition controlled depending which fuse slot its piggybacking off.
Sometimes they are wired to permanent live if you want it working when parked. Mine is ignition controlled as it piggybacks off the windscreen sensor. 

I will have a look in the morning and see if I can take a photo.

[Dala]

4 minutes ago, Chas G said:

I only know its connected to a fuse under the glove box because the fuse box lid was lying in the bottom of it. Need to be more supply than me to ferret about down there.

I just unplugged the camera  and put it in the house so it wouldn't use any power. In normal use 200-300ma

If the Hardwire Kit is used, there is a small drain even after the Dashcam is removed.

[dannyboy413]

22 minutes ago, Dala said:

If the Hardwire Kit is used, there is a small drain even after the dashcam is removed.

Just out of interest @Dala what causes a drain if the Dashcam is removed?

[Chas G]

I will just leave it in my house with the wiring in place for the next owner. At least it will be minimal drain on the Battery even only if it only works in ready mode. 2 or 3 hundred less mA to worry about.

I don't fancy getting on my knees to take the panel off under the glove box because I might have difficulty getting it back on again. 

I have decided that I will charge the Battery on the Ctek 5 every Monday and see what happens otherwise I will drive myself madder than i am already.

Today on charge it went to 4 lights on in 10 minutes and step 8 within about 4 hours 95-100% capacity.

[anchorman]

On 12/23/2023 at 5:28 PM, jthspace said:

This is what I fitted following recommendations in this thread.

https://toyotaowners.b-cdn.net/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Screenshot_2023-11-03-08-30-33-180_com.android.chrome.jpg.5257211c3ee27348faa19c82db24e107.jpg

 

That’s a good price.   Where did you get it Jeff?

[anchorman]

9 hours ago, Chas G said:

I will just leave it in my house with the wiring in place for the next owner. At least it will be minimal drain on the battery even only if it only works in ready mode. 2 or 3 hundred less mA to worry about.

I don't fancy getting on my knees to take the panel off under the glove box because I might have difficulty getting it back on again. 

I have decided that I will charge the battery on the Ctek 5 every Monday and see what happens otherwise I will drive myself madder than i am already.

Today on charge it went to 4 lights on in 10 minutes and step 8 within about 4 hours 95-100% capacity.

Does this YC ever fail to start?   You can beat yourself up about such things by following the internet.  The Battery is a similar size to your old Yaris but the unknown quantity is the brand which is Turkish Delight on the YC.  Get a Yuasa on it and stop worrying.  That one Jeff found is £70 and after fitting several, I can tell you it cures any issues.   I don’t know if your travels bring you my way but I’ll fit one for nothing in about 15 minutes (you buy the Battery!).  The Cross is. A good replacement for your old Yaris, you shouldn’t be worrying about it.  If you go on the internet with a broken fingernail, you’ll definitely have cancer.  

[Mojo1010]

I have posted several times to reassure chas to not worry about the 12v Battery since he has jump start and a charger, I have none of those! 

If the Dashcam is not live put it back in! Use the keyless entry, really should not worry about it. 

[jthspace]

2 hours ago, anchorman said:

That’s a good price.   Where did you get it Jeff?

 

batterymegauk on eBay

[Chas G]

Apologies to all. I realised yesterday that I am just being paranoid and ridiculous after reading posts from people having problems with their batteries. At the end of the day, a flat Battery would be nothing more than a minor irritation.

I have got a Noco Battery pack, jump leads and RAC membership which I think are the only sensible things I need to sort out any problem.

All I am going to do is charge the Battery once a week, park my car in the garage again and get the battery monitor fitted when the car is serviced. Other than that I will just drive and enjoy it.

Thank you to all the people who have reassured me.

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas and have a happy New Year 

Best wishes

Chas

[Jules88]

Welp, time for me to join the dead Battery club 😔

Left it 3 days over Christmas, I'd left it 2 days before so assumed an extra day wouldn't hurt. Low and behold - low brake pressure, visit dealer, car wouldn't start.

I've bought the Noco jump pack as per recommended.

I am a little disappointed, the dealer explained it quite well and told me it was a problem yet only if you're going away on holiday for 2 weeks or whatever.

[Jules88]

Just an update from me. We tried the jump start pack a few times but no dice.

Called Roadside assistance, AA came out in 30 mins - quite chuffed with that. He jump started it with a different kit and it worked straight away (well, a little hiccup at the start as the electricals all went haywire but it kicked into life on pressing start a second time).

Still very more nervous about running the car now. As per this thread's recommendations - as I usually sit in the car on my work break anyway - gonna turn the car on and leave in ready mode while I have my break. That should be 30 mins 5 days a week, plenty of time right? I really hope so. Don't wanna go through that again.

[Mojo1010]

I think the best thing to do for u Jules, is to have a new bigger Ah Battery fitted if you get a flat from current one again. The Turkish undelightful Battery currently fitted to our Yaris has given many people problem.

This is what some members have fitted. Seen it on eBay for £71 delivered. 

[Jules88]

Thanks Mojo, I'll keep a note of that Battery. Its not something I would be comfortable doing but no choice if it happens again 😩

[Chas G]

1 hour ago, Jules88 said:

Just an update from me. We tried the jump start pack a few times but no dice.

Called Roadside assistance, AA came out in 30 mins - quite chuffed with that. He jump started it with a different kit and it worked straight away (well, a little hiccup at the start as the electricals all went haywire but it kicked into life on pressing start a second time).

Still very more nervous about running the car now. As per this thread's recommendations - as I usually sit in the car on my work break anyway - gonna turn the car on and leave in ready mode while I have my break. That should be 30 mins 5 days a week, plenty of time right? I really hope so. Don't wanna go through that again.

Any idea why the Noco jump pack didn't work

[Jules88]

3 minutes ago, Chas G said:

Any idea why the Noco jump pack didn't work

The unit itself worked fine. I think because of the shorter wires, where we connected the negative (black lead) to a nut to the upper left of the fuse box didn't work. The AA man had a much longer lead and connected the negative lead to the main engine compartment to the left side, it just looked and seemed to work much better. I was following the guide from the other thread on here:

https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/205939-that-12v-battery-again/?do=findComment&comment=1630032

Of course it's also entirely possible we did something wrong, but it seemed ok.

[Chas G]

37 minutes ago, Jules88 said:

The unit itself worked fine. I think because of the shorter wires, where we connected the negative (black lead) to a nut to the upper left of the fuse box didn't work. The AA man had a much longer lead and connected the negative lead to the main engine compartment to the left side, it just looked and seemed to work much better. I was following the guide from the other thread on here:

https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/205939-that-12v-battery-again/?do=findComment&comment=1630032

Of course it's also entirely possible we did something wrong, but it seemed ok.

I bought some decent well insulated jump leads. I use the black one to extend the connection on the earth wire of my ctek Battery charger so it reaches the exposed aluminium bracket on the left hand side of the engine as advised by a Steven Eagell workshop technician. 

Connecting something capable of a high output current to a suspension damper bolt head seems risky to me. It only has to start arcing to potentially cause damage. Out of interest is your car connected to the Mytoyota mothership?

I disabled keyless entry partly to save power and also to reduce likelihood of theft. My sisters brand new Land rover discovery got stolen never to be seen again. I also disconnected MyToyota and took out the dash cam........but then I am paranoid.

Ps I keep the leads under the front seat.

[hind]

When I had to charge mine, I used the piece mentioned in the manual 🙂 

But I can agree it's quite a distance away from the "+"

[Chas G]

5 minutes ago, hind said:

When I had to charge mine, I used the piece mentioned in the manual 🙂 

But I can agree it's quite a distance away from the "+"

Definitely the safest way to do it but the leads on noco and my Battery charger are too short which is why I keep a jump lead handy to extend the earth length to the aluminium engine bracket.

[Cyker]

The Nocos aren't 'live' so you can connect them without worrying about arcing and make sure the leads are secure before activating it.

One common issue I've read with them is, if the Battery is super dead, the safety circuit in the Noco can't tell if you've put the jump leads on the right way round and won't supply power unless you hold down the override button.

[Chas G]

In ready mode, does the Battery charge more quickly if the headlights are on or is it best to turn them off automatic on to side lights only. The reason I ask is because I drive the car into my garage to leave it in ready mode to charge the 12 volt Battery and the head lights come on so I have been turning them to side lights only.

I seem to remember toyotas advice was not to use the ac, heater or radio as it depleted the Battery but the lights don't have an "off" setting.

[hind]

I'd check the voltage on the Battery with headlights on and off. Choose the setting which results in higher voltage. Higher voltage = more current going into the Battery.

[Chas G]

34 minutes ago, hind said:

I'd check the voltage on the battery with headlights on and off. Choose the setting which results in higher voltage. Higher voltage = more current going into the battery.

Makes me wonder why Toyota don't offer an nvq course in car maintenance and electronics. It would go nicely with my mechanical engineering degree from many years ago.

 

14.1 volts with head lights on 

14.13 volts with only side lights

[Roy124]

Higher voltage with headlights on.

Higher Battery drain with headlights on.

The Higher voltage input is needed to counter the Higher Battery drain. 

Is there a Higher net input with lights on?

I am quite content to connect the charger and put the car to bed.

[Mooly]

If the terminal voltage voltage across the Battery is higher with the headlights on then the current drawn by the lights is immaterial to the charge rate of the Battery as the DC/DC convertor is supplying all of that load requirement. It is the voltage across the Battery that determines if it is charging, not the current drawn by any load.

Although a slightly higher voltage may appear to increase charge back into the battery, in reality the difference is very small once the initial high current phase of charging has occurred and with a deteriorated battery that phase can be over in minutes.

The only realistic way to try and undo any sulphation and deterioration is to charge the battery at a rate of around 1/10 C (one tenth its capacity rating) for several hours. That means using a (considerably) higher than normal charge voltage. The battery should be removed and well ventilated with a watch kept on temperature rise.

[einfachGaer]

21 hours ago, Jules88 said:

The unit itself worked fine. I think because of the shorter wires, where we connected the negative (black lead) to a nut to the upper left of the fuse box didn't work. The AA man had a much longer lead and connected the negative lead to the main engine compartment to the left side, it just looked and seemed to work much better. I was following the guide from the other thread on here:

https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/205939-that-12v-battery-again/?do=findComment&comment=1630032

Of course it's also entirely possible we did something wrong, but it seemed ok.

There are 2 possibilities here. Either you had a poor connection or the Battery was not detectable by the noco jump starter because it was very depleted.

In that second case the noco won't provide power as a safety feature, but it has an override button for this situation. Check the manual of the noco for the proper procedure, I don't remember it in detail. Then it should send power to the leads regardless if it detects something or not.