Odd issue with 08 Toyota Yaris

[GoinAllTheWay]

So we own an 08 Yaris. It's been outside all week during the cold snap. No issues with that at all, the odd thing is, the nights we haven't plugged it in, it seems to lose power somehow as all the radio presets are gone and the clock shows the wrong time.

As far as I know, plugging in the block heater has nothing to do with the rest of the cars electrical system unless that's changed in recent years? Perhaps it's a coincidence that this happened on nights we didn't plug it in? Anyone have any idea what would cause that?

[ken0042]

Battery has a bad cell? Is there a battery blanket as well as a block heater? Or maybe the battery is close enough to the block heater to receive enough warmth?

[CaptainCrunch]

weak battery?

It gets too cold and doesn't maintain a big enough charge to the electronics.

and no your block heater plug has nothing to do with the rest of your electronics.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Could be a bad battery I suppose. It's very likely it still has the original battery. But if the battery was suffering, wouldn't that be evident when you try to turn the engine over? As far as I can tell, it's still doing that with as much jam as it always has.

I think maybe I'll change out the battery regardless as if it is the original I should replace it.

[Fuzz]

I'd check for loose battery connections first. But ya, at 8 or so years old the battery is probably on its last legs anyway.

[Locke]

Have you tried pushing it over a cliff? While its on fire?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Locke

Have you tried pushing it over a cliff? While its on fire?

You monster!!
It's been such a great car! I'd never!

[blankall]

I'm not a car guy, but I believe that a car's ability to hold time while off relies on the "engine off" current. If you have a problem with any of the parts or fuses in that circuit, your car will not be able to remember what time it is when the car is turned off.

This might make sense if the car is reliably able to start.

That being said, I just replaced my Toyota Matrix battery after 7 years, as the battery was only holding a partial charge.

[GoinAllTheWay]

I tend to agree blankall. The more I think about it, the more I think there might be an issue elsewhere. Still want to replace the battery but not sure it's going to be that easy of a fix. It's a good a place to start as any.

[PaperBagger'14]

Swap the battery for sure and while you do that, clean off the connections to the main wires. I've seen those get so corroded over time they have caused issues with cars starting.

[starseed]

I have an 08 Yaris, and had this problem. There was some loose connections that needed to be tightened up. The battery seemed pretty loose, and I wonder if it happened when I got rear ended a while back. Have not had an issue since... she is a glorious vehicle!

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by starseed

she is a glorious vehicle!

Ya know, they really are! I rolled my eyes a bit when she said she wanted to buy it off her dad but since owning it, we've been to Vancouver Island and back without any issue. Starts on cold mornings, does well on gas. Just a solid little car. I regret my eye rolling.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by blankall

That being said, I just replaced my Toyota Matrix battery after 7 years, as the battery was only holding a partial charge.

Our 2006 Matrix starts reluctantly on the original battery if plugged in at -25. Unfortunately I have no idea on the mileage due to the odometer fixed at 299999.9. Really, Toyota? Your cars are never in operation past 300,000?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Wow. you certainly got your moneys worth out of that car.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Wow. you certainly got your moneys worth out of that car.

We're driving it until the wheels fall off.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by Reaper

We're driving it until the wheels fall off.

I had that happen on an old Hyundai I owned...

Not a good experience.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Nufy

I had that happen on an old Hyundai I owned...

Not a good experience.

Toyotas can last into the 550,000km range with synthetic oil. We got lots of time... probably.

[wooohooo]

Yeah man it sounds like a bad battery. Just bring it into canadian tire or some car store and they can check to see if it's good or bad.

And yeah, I know what you mean about these cars not dying. I had a corolla and we drove the crap out of it and tried to get it to die but 10 years later it's still here. We gave it to a friend but it's still driving! What a car...

[Table 5]

That's the good and bad about Toyotas...they are never going to be the most cutting edge in terms of engineering and tech, but what they do use tends to tried and true, and will serve your practical needs very well.

We're not in the 90s glory days of Toyota (where you got the pinnacle of build quality and good honest design) but they are still the most reliable cars around.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Toyotas can last into the 550,000km range with synthetic oil. We got lots of time... probably.

My girlfriends dad has a 92 Ford Aerostar with over 600,000km on it. A good chunk of that his highway but impressive none the less.