Trickle charger on hybrid?

[reu2]

AGM batteries are sealed and release less gas than traditional batteries. Charging with a small trickle charger doesn't cause too much concern. Of course, it'll build up over time, so leaving a window cracked seems like a good idea just in case.

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[TacoFreak]

Yeah - I agree. I think it is just Toyota being super cautious. But the window cracked a bit is a good idea IMO.

 

[Tom Sellick]

I spoke to Toyota about installing a trickle charger. To be fair, I don’t know much about this stuff and the guy wasn’t super clear. He was saying something about the Toyota trickle charger and a temp sensor….and having to leave a window open. Which, depending on where you are leaving your truck may not be ok. He said they were looking for one which could be hooked up differently. I asked about just connecting to the jump post in the engine bay….he said he didn’t know if he could and would have to try to find out. Is he actually going to look into it? Anyone’s guess. Maybe I’ll call a different dealer next week and see if I get any further.

 

[TacoFreak]

I spoke to Toyota about installing a trickle charger. To be fair, I don’t know much about this stuff and the guy wasn’t super clear.

I don't use a trickle charger but a battery maintainer, which is a smart trickle charger that charges the battery and then stops when it is fully charged. If you run a trickle charger for too long it can kill the battery.

I have one because I had a car I didn't drive in Ohio winters, so it sat from November to May many years, which eventually kills the battery. I have never owned anything that needed that unless it sat for more than a month without being started.

I would pop the hood slightly to let the battery vent while it was hooked up and it was in my pole barn which was not tight enough to be a problem. With the 4th gen hybrid 12v inside the cab you would need to leave a window open in your truck and in your garage unless it is parked outside. That would be a PITA IMO.

My truck keeps my battery around 12.2 volts. The one time I put my maintainer on it I just used the jump point in the fuse box under the hood. Strangely the maintainer charged to 100% (12.85v), but after driving it for a while it was back down to 12.2 volts, and that was without any long periods of not being used. The bottom line is that these hybrids don't keep their batteries fully charged. I don't know if that is by design or if they are not working right, but I bought a jump pack so I will be ready the first time my truck fails to start.

 

[Tom Sellick]

I don't use a trickle charger but a battery maintainer, which is a smart trickle charger that charges the battery and then stops when it is fully charged. If you run a trickle charger for too long it can kill the battery.

I have one because I had a car I didn't drive in Ohio winters, so it sat from November to May many years, which eventually kills the battery. I have never owned anything that needed that unless it sat for more than a month without being started.

I would pop the hood slightly to let the battery vent while it was hooked up and it was in my pole barn which was not tight enough to be a problem. With the 4th gen hybrid 12v inside the cab you would need to leave a window open in your truck and in your garage unless it is parked outside. That would be a PITA IMO.

My truck keeps my battery around 12.2 volts. The one time I put my maintainer on it I just used the jump point in the fuse box under the hood. Strangely the maintainer charged to 100% (12.85v), but after driving it for a while it was back down to 12.2 volts, and that was without any long periods of not being used. The bottom line is that these hybrids don't keep their batteries fully charged. I don't know if that is by design or if they are not working right, but I bought a jump pack so I will be ready the first time my truck fails to start.

Yeah I bought a jump pack too. Leaving a window open in the truck…works in the garage but the garage doesn’t have windows that open :(. It’s a bit of a dilemma as we travel sometimes for up to 3 months.

 

[TacoFreak]

Yeah I bought a jump pack too. Leaving a window open in the truck…works in the garage but the garage doesn’t have windows that open :(. It’s a bit of a dilemma as we travel sometimes for up to 3 months.

Yeah, three months is going to be tough and on a lot of other vehicles today too. Definitely log out of the app, but I doubt if that will be enough. Another option is to get a deep discharge battery like an Optima yellow top which won't degrade if it gets deeply discharged. Good luck!

 

[TrailAdventurer]

I thought I saw a post about jumping the hybrids from under the hood, rather than at the battery itself, but I can't find it right now. Assuming that is true, I think that is where you would add a trickle charger, and it would be way more convenient than accessing the 12 volt under the rear seat.

This is true, it's in section 7 of the owner manual. Basically, their example is ground to a metal part on the engine and, after popping the fusebox cover (passenger side) attach to the positive terminal there.

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