northernlad
Club Regular
Posts: 205
Primary Vehicle: RAV4 Hybrid
Year: 2018
Model Spec/Trim: Excel
Engine Capacity: 2500
Fuel Type: Hybrid
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by northernlad on Jul 25, 2022 9:56:34 GMT
For the past 2 nights the alarm has been going off in my RAV4 Hybrid. First thing this morning I checked the battery voltage and it’s 11.86 volts. Been to my dealer who says to give it a run of at least 50 miles with air con, head lights and heated window on to stop it switching to EV mode. I’m not the most popular chap in the ave now having woke them up twice after midnight. If I lock the car with the emergency key does that bypass the alarm ? TIA
Keith
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Post by philip42h on Jul 25, 2022 11:32:43 GMT
Keith, I suggest that you update your profile to show exactly what year, grade and spec of RAV4 that you have - that way you might get more sensible advice! If the battery voltage is low, the obvious thing to do is charge the battery, ideally using a battery charger! As far as I can tell, your dealer is a complete idiot - the hybrid will charge the 12v auxiliary battery when in Ready mode whether or not the car is moving (OK, in P, D or R but not in N). Power is drawn from the traction battery which is automatically topped-up by running the engine as necessary. Has your car been sitting idle for several weeks? The most likely cause of alarms going off in the night is flying insects. Fill the interior with fly spray to deal with the intruder and/or disable the interior movement sensor to eliminate this possible source of alarm - that's easy enough to do and will be described in the owners manual for your particular car.
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Post by davrav on Jul 25, 2022 12:03:39 GMT
Might be worth checking the door switches and bonnet too if that has a sensor switch.
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northernlad
Club Regular
Posts: 205
Primary Vehicle: RAV4 Hybrid
Year: 2018
Model Spec/Trim: Excel
Engine Capacity: 2500
Fuel Type: Hybrid
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by northernlad on Jul 25, 2022 12:24:34 GMT
Would it be better to take off the battery and charge it up. I have a smart charger.
I haven’t been using the car every day but it’s been small journeys for the last 2 weeks.
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Post by philip42h on Jul 25, 2022 12:31:14 GMT
Would it be better to take off the battery and charge it up. I have a smart charger. I don't bother to remove the battery to top it up. Where is the auxiliary battery on the 4.4 hybrid? If it is still under the bonnet it is easy enough to see and access ... On the 4.5 Toyota have installed the auxiliary battery under the boot floor so it's a tad tricky to get at, but there is a dedicated 'jump start' point within the fuse box in the engine bay which can be used for trickle charging. Again you'd need to refer to the appropriate manual.
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northernlad
Club Regular
Posts: 205
Primary Vehicle: RAV4 Hybrid
Year: 2018
Model Spec/Trim: Excel
Engine Capacity: 2500
Fuel Type: Hybrid
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by northernlad on Jul 25, 2022 12:42:00 GMT
It’s in the boot.
Do I need to disconnect the terminals to charge it up.
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Post by philip42h on Jul 25, 2022 12:52:43 GMT
It’s in the boot. Do I need to disconnect the terminals to charge it up. No, I don't ... there may be more ideal ways to do things but just hooking up the smart charger works for me. We then have to consider why the voltage is low in the first place. This could be: - Through lack of use - the auxiliary battery in the hybrid is of modest capacity so you need to be running the engine (in Ready mode) regularly to keep it topped-up. Toyota recon about an hour a week; I recon that is more than enough.
- Through parasitic drain - i.e. something draining the battery when it should not be such as an accessory connected to the 'always on' side of the ignition, interior lights left on etc. ...
- The battery is past it's best - you hope to get better than 4 years life out of a lead acid battery but these are relatively low capacity batteries that can get drained in idle periods to a somewhat lower level than one would normally allow a starter battery to go
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northernlad
Club Regular
Posts: 205
Primary Vehicle: RAV4 Hybrid
Year: 2018
Model Spec/Trim: Excel
Engine Capacity: 2500
Fuel Type: Hybrid
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by northernlad on Jul 25, 2022 20:00:24 GMT
Not had a chance to charge the battery but have taken it out for a run and the voltage is now at 12.30 volts up from 11.86. Book says 12 or above 20 mins after shutting down. See what tomorrow brings hopefully no false alarms.
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northernlad
Club Regular
Posts: 205
Primary Vehicle: RAV4 Hybrid
Year: 2018
Model Spec/Trim: Excel
Engine Capacity: 2500
Fuel Type: Hybrid
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by northernlad on Jul 26, 2022 11:45:26 GMT
Thanks for your advice, it was a moth setting it off.
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Post by davrav on Jul 26, 2022 13:58:16 GMT
Thanks for your advice, it was a moth setting it off. That's what you get for opening your wallet in the car :yes:
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northernlad
Club Regular
Posts: 205
Primary Vehicle: RAV4 Hybrid
Year: 2018
Model Spec/Trim: Excel
Engine Capacity: 2500
Fuel Type: Hybrid
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by northernlad on Jul 26, 2022 21:28:44 GMT
It was the wife’s purse
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Post by davrav on Jul 26, 2022 21:32:23 GMT
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ravjeff
Club Regular
Posts: 754
Location: New Zealand
Primary Vehicle: RAV4
Model Spec/Trim: GLX
Engine Capacity: 2.5L
Fuel Type: Petrol
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 4WD/AWD
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Post by ravjeff on Jul 27, 2022 1:11:26 GMT
So the moth is ok and has been let free from its prison.......right?
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