Sounds like a parasitic load and a dead battery.

Don't understand why you have to remove the ground to be able to charge - again sounds like some parasitic load - pulling the ground breaks the circuit to whatever it is.

John

 

Definitely a low battery. If you search around the forum you will see other instances of batteries failing.

You either need a new battery, if it won't take a charge, or you have something that is not turning off and is draining it. If you can't find a light or something that isn't turning off then replace the battery. If you do find a drain, fix it and try charging up the battery.

Most likely though you will need to replace the battery.

 

Definitely a low battery. If you search around the forum you will see other instances of batteries failing.

You either need a new battery, if it won't take a charge, or you have something that is not turning off and is draining it. If you can't find a light or something that isn't turning off then replace the battery. If you do find a drain, fix it and try charging up the battery.

Most likely though you will need to replace the battery.

I took the charger off and hooked up the battery cable and it fired right up. I suspect too that something must be wrong. It was charging about 2 amps when I took the charger off. I had the headlights set to auto, but have the switch that way for ever. I will have that battery checked. It had sat for about 3 or 4 days. But it sat like that last summer too. Thanks for your help, Larry PS: I have a white Venza and I put in a custom grill. Almost looks like a Pontiac grill.

 

Venza did not start

My Venza did not start today. I had the same trouble last month. I called the dealer and taking it in tomorrow. Today something different happened. When I hooked up the battery the alarm went off. I could not stop it with the button on the flob. I called the service tech and he said to use the key in the flob to unlock the door and it would reset the Alarm. The book says to take off the cable before hooking a charger to the battery. If I didn't it would max out the charger. Taking the cable off and it charged under 6amps. I would think if the battery was so low it would have charged 10 amps to start anyway. I will post tomorrow and tell you what the problem was. I suppose the code were eraised by taking off the battery + cable.

 

Venza that has failed to start 2 times

1. I took the Venza to the Toyota dealer today. They said everything checked out fine. They checked all the connections and put electrical grease on the connections. They said it was charging good and the battery shows it is fine. They checked everything even tire inflation. I had to pay for the diagnostics though, because there was no parts replaced. They said if it gives this same trouble again that they will not charge for the diagnostics. They spent aobut and hour checking out the car. $67 for the bill. The car had 6565 miles on it yesterday. I suppose maybe about 15 miles put on today.

 

The battery is just not holding a charge. The cold doesn't help either. I'd get a new battery. Just my $.02

 

Did they happen to say if they checked to see if there was any electrical draw on the battery while it was sitting without keys in the ignition ? More than likely, Streaker is probably correct and it's a faulty battery.

 

Venza with starting problems

1. They told me they ran all tests and everything checked normal. Only thing they could figure out if a door was ajar and a light staying on. I told them the doors were closed and the car locked. I said I am careful about making sure all doors are completly closed. The more I think about it I think it could be the battery too. My neighbor was working on his daughters Saturn. It would not start with out a jump. He checked all cables and took the battery to the gas station and it checked OK. He brought it home and put it back in the car. It would not start. He took the battery back to the station and the guy took the covers off the battery and he found out a bad cell. The Toyota garage today took off the covers and said the levels were normal. They told me if it does not start again to bring it back and there would be no charge for diagnostics. I do not drive my car much. It sits for 4 or 5 days at a time and I do not go far. I only go in the daytime so the battery should be fully charged. The service advisor said it could have a bad cell and when fully charged it would show OK. I do not know.:headbang:

 

You need a new battery.

 

That's the same crap I went through Twice! Both times the dealer had no idea what the problem was. They told me I should change the battery. I did not. I have not had the problem since about July of 2012. So in my case it was most certainly not a battery problem.

I am sure no lights of any sort were were left on. :facepalm:

 

The last time I had the battery mystery death was around July 2012. I never changed the battery in my 2009 Venza.
The problem seems to have gone away almost as fast as it came.

You cant guess the battery bad anymore than you can wish a million $ by your bedside when you awake in the morning. The only way to tell if a battery is bad is to test it under load. The new handheld electronic testers that some NAPA auto part stores, as well as some other part stores do a great job of testing the whole electrical system under load.

Here is an interesting article on batteries deaths and charging...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...tips/how-often-do-i-need-to-use-my-car-to-prevent-battery-death/article4490484/

 

Thanks

The last time I had the battery mystery death was around July 2012. I never changed the battery in my 2009 Venza.
The problem seems to have gone away almost as fast as it came.

You cant guess the battery bad anymore than you can wish a million $ by your bedside when you awake in the morning. The only way to tell if a battery is bad is to test it under load. The new handheld electronic testers that some NAPA auto part stores, as well as some other part stores do a great job of testing the whole electrical system under load.

Here is an interesting article on batteries deaths and charging...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...tips/how-often-do-i-need-to-use-my-car-to-prevent-battery-death/article4490484/

Thanks for the reply. I read before someplace that the battery problem went away. I was going to save the old battery and use it for something. Kind of to see how it held charge. I am going to leave it sit for 5 days or more now and see what happens. It did start after 4 days. I did not realize that idling does not charge the battery. Thanks for posting that link.
:thanks:

 

Our 09 Venza with original battery has sat for 10 days at a time this winter & still fired right up. As far as charging while driving you won't get a battery up to 100% unless you put it on a charger. I hook ours up to a charger a couple times a month.

 

I dispute this claim. Number 1 what evidence do you have that the battery is not "fully charged"?

"While driving" the battery is charged and the electrical drain is minimal ( and is driven by the alternator anyway). The fact that your battery starts the car after 10 days means nothing (except that you have a good battery)

 

I've heard It works pretty much like this...

Depends on battery state of charge.

The alternator is designed to put out a constant voltage.

That's 14.2 volts.

If battery is at 12v then the alternator push around 50 amps per hour exceeding most home 8 or 10 amp chargers.

If your battery is at 14 volts then the alternator has only a difference of (14.2-14v) to push current through the cars internal connections and the output will be reduced to a little amperage.

In this case the home charger can win because it is designed to raise its voltage so that it can put out a constant amperage which it will trickle it down as needed.

The car alternator can quickly charge a battery partially and replace the starting current but would take a very long time to fully charge a battery. I've heard most batteries have a nominal state of charge around 80% 85%.

Excerpt from Battery University...

A common cause of battery failure is acid stratification. The electrolyte on a stratified battery concentrates on the bottom, causing the upper half of the cell to be acid poor. This effect is similar to a cup of coffee in which the sugar collects on the bottom when the waitress forgets to bring the stirring spoon. Batteries tend to stratify if kept at low charge (below 80%) and never have the opportunity to receive a full charge. Short distance driving while running windshield wiper and electric heaters contributes to this. Acid stratification reduces the overall performance of the battery.

 

getting a battery tender

I've heard It works pretty much like this...

Depends on battery state of charge.

The alternator is designed to put out a constant voltage.

That's 14.2 volts.

If battery is at 12v then the alternator push around 50 amps per hour exceeding most home 8 or 10 amp chargers.

If your battery is at 14 volts then the alternator has only a difference of (14.2-14v) to push current through the cars internal connections and the output will be reduced to a little amperage.
I read about a battery tender that Northern Tool sells. It has what the call a desulfater feature. Amason sells some with that too. I think I will get one from Amazon. Free shipping. Unless I get one close by. Suppose to keep the battery in better shape.:thanks:
In this case the home charger can win because it is designed to raise its voltage so that it can put out a constant amperage which it will trickle it down as needed.

The car alternator can quickly charge a battery partially and replace the starting current but would take a very long time to fully charge a battery. I've heard most batteries have a nominal state of charge around 80% 85%.

Excerpt from Battery University...

A common cause of battery failure is acid stratification. The electrolyte on a stratified battery concentrates on the bottom, causing the upper half of the cell to be acid poor. This effect is similar to a cup of coffee in which the sugar collects on the bottom when the waitress forgets to bring the stirring spoon. Batteries tend to stratify if kept at low charge (below 80%) and never have the opportunity to receive a full charge. Short distance driving while running windshield wiper and electric heaters contributes to this. Acid stratification reduces the overall performance of the battery.

 

I saw a TSB for "no start on extremely cold/sub-freezing temperature". They are changing the "power block". It is a circuit attatched to the fuse box under the hood. The only thing is it is a free replacement if you are under warranty. I check the price and its about $156 and it seemed like a easy swap. Next time it happens maybe you can try warming up the fuse box and see if it will start therafter.