Battery

Repeat, new to the truck scene. Decided to buy a Tacoma for my first vehicle. Heard good things about them. I have a Trailhunter. Figured it would be a nice truck given it’s off the lot mods. But the seats are super uncomfortable. Great if the site is 45min away. I also don’t have the biggest bbl lol. Waiting to sell or possibly trade it. Was told by the salesman I only need to drive it every 3 weeks, 15miles. Well the battery is at 9v outta 19v. Also the oil meter drops when I’m not accelerating. Is this normal?

 

Oil pressure goes down with temps and acceleration, really high is bad, really low is bad. Everything else shouldnt matter.

The Hybrid 12v battery are odd ducks, they rarely sit above 12.2v but 9v is bad, you need a trickle charger, possibly the battery has issues.

 

You have a hybrid. The oil pressure drops to nothing because the gas engine shuts off while being powered by the electric motor and battery. When it sounds like a distant ambulance is approaching, you know you are in EV mode.

That voltage meter bar meter is a little skewed. It shows the voltage closer to 9 than 19 volts. Put a meter on your 12 V supply. It won't be 9 volts. Now remap your brain. That one bar beyond 9 volts is 12 volts.

Every seat on every vehicle I have ever had was a little firm at first. Trucks especially. You can allow the usual break-in period. Or sell it. It may not be for you.

 

Your first car is a Trailhunter huh? Interesting

 

How old are you? My first vehicle was twenty years older than me.

 

I would give it sometime to break in . Seats usually take about 6 months to break in .

 

Give it 6 months your seats will feel flat in comparison. 2 months if you was a big fella and your TH was a wrecker.

 

My first car was a $500 Mustang.

 

Maybe you and I just picked bad parents. I drove a 1970s station wagon as my first car. Also 20 years older than me.

 

I'd say we picked good parents. You learn a lot of self-reliance after you have to fix your car by the side of the road a few times (my first was a 1954 GMC pickup truck, worn and out blowing blue smoke so my uncle helped me do a ring and bearing job in the back yard).
I once changed a brake line by the side of the road. Had to walk a mile to the parts store to buy it.

 

My first car was a 1977 Triumph Spitfire.

3 months after I bought it I had the engine hanging from a tree in the front yard with a come-a-long because it spun a bearing.

This was Thanksgiving weekend - my parents loved that!

That car broke every 2 weeks whether I drove it or not.

As a 16 year old, I hated it!

But it sure did teach me a lot.

 

dEciDed tO bUY A tACOmA

 

Your first truck will feel janky compared to almost anything else you’ve driven before, so normal reaction. Give it some time, break in the seats, and you might like it, or even love it.

Outside of appearance and shocks, 90% of the factory-installed mods on a TH ($$) aren’t relevant unless you’re planning on serious off-roading or overlanding. If that’s not your vibe, maybe not the right first truck.

 

You can't use a trickle charger. The 12VDC battery needs to be disconnected (remove ground lead) to charge battery. If you let the truck sit or do not drive it for an extended period of time, you should also remove the ground lead.

 

Why not?

Hybrids have huge relays that interrupt the 12 volt system when off. You can 100% charge any 12V battery in a HV while its connected, provided its a "smart" charger, but that goes for any modern vehicle.

 

don't know, ask the Toyota electrical chassis team.
it's very clear in the manual and T-SB-0025-23 "Maintenance for HV/BEC and Auxiliary Batteries" that the 12VDC battery must be disconnected before charging.

 

No it does not, it says to disconnect the 12v for storage.

There is no where that says its unsafe to charge the battery while connected.

We test and charge 12v batteries while connected daily, this is the norm now. It even shows in your TSB that you linked that the vehicle is connected when the tester is connected.

The tester is a massive charger, and it frequently uses 50amps to charge batteries while testing.

 

the manual does state that the ground should be disconnected when charging the 12VDC battery.
the TSB does state the 12VDC battery should be disconnected for storage (i.e., does not give the option to use a trickle charger).
i have been told by several dealers not to use a trickle charger with the Max hybrid.
if you have different information, great please provide this documentation allowing the use of a trickle charger.
cheers...

 

So you asked several dealers?

I’m a hybrid tech. The reason they say to disconnect is because the battery is inside and there may be fumes that could ignite.

technically you should always disconnect any battery before charging incase you induce spikes. Most chargers now are self regulating and won’t boil a battery or over volt an ecu.

They are telling you this because of liability. You can 100% use a trickle charger on any hybrid 12v battery.

Land Cruiser owners are so pedantic. I’m not wasting any more energy on this.

 

so you are a hybrid technician. congratulations That explains your vain comments.
good info tho. there is definitely some ambiguous information being disseminated regarding battery charging.
cheers...