12v battery maintenance, issues, etc.

[Chas G]

46 minutes ago, jthspace said:

I’ve seen my battery drop to mid 11’s and still fine to start. If your dealer can’t/wont fit charge lead/BM2 and you fancy a drive up to South Cambs near Duxford Imperial War Museum M11 Jct 10 then I will happily fit both for you. 

Thank you for your very kind offer. Have a very happy Christmas best wishes Chas 

[Max_Headroom]

5 hours ago, jthspace said:

I’ve seen my battery drop to mid 11’s and still fine to start. If your dealer can’t/wont fit charge lead/BM2 and you fancy a drive up to South Cambs near Duxford Imperial War Museum M11 Jct 10 then I will happily fit both for you. 

What a brilliant gesture.

[Chas G]

The Nextbase dash cam I disconnected in my Yaris Cross appears to consume quite a lot of Battery power (see Nextbase data below). The dash cam was wired to a fuse under the glove box which I am not sure is live or dead when the car is off.

However if it is live 24/7 and I simplistically use their figure of 100mAh in standby mode for the 3 days (72hrs) my car often sits idle, that is 7.2Ahr out of the 12 volt 35Ahr Battery which might be only 80% charged. No doubt the camera would also be charging some of the time on standby :-

"On average, our Series 2 Dash Cams use approximately 300mAh (Milliamp Hours) of power while turned on, recording and charging, 200mAh while in standby mode (charging) and around 100mAh in standby mode (fully charged)."

 

[Dala]

Are you not using a Hardwire Kit?

https://nextbase.com/accessories/series-2-hardwire-kit/

[Graham47]

2 hours ago, Chas G said:

The dash cam was wired to a fuse under the glove box

Highly likely that this is a fuse that’s only live in READY mode.  That’s by far the normal way.  But it’s very easy to check, does/did the Dashcam switch off when the ignition was switched off ?

[Chas G]

1 hour ago, Dala said:

Are you not using a Hardwire Kit?

https://nextbase.com/accessories/series-2-hardwire-kit/

I don't know, I didn't install it.

[Chas G]

45 minutes ago, Graham47 said:

Highly likely that this is a fuse that’s only live in READY mode.  That’s by far the normal way.  But it’s very easy to check, does/did the dashcam switch off when the ignition was switched off ?

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

[jthspace]

3 minutes ago, Chas G said:

I don't know, I didn't install it.

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. 

[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 "+"