Can I replace the battery myself in my 2008?

mgatollari · Apr 14, 2017

Changed battery, alarm is going off, car won't start, key fob won't shut alarm off

JuneBug said:
I replaced the battery in my 2008 back in January with an AutoCraft Gold 700 CCA from Advance. It was a simple replacement no different from any other car I've owned. Nothing was damaged, no security codes were reset, and nothing was fried. All I had to do was re-program my favorite radio stations. I think they were being lazy because of that black plastic cover. Do you know how to remove those fasteners by pushing down in the middle?

I replaced the battery on my car, made sure the battery's facing the right way, but when I connect the negative terminal the horn starts blaring and the car won't start and my key fob won't shut the alarm off. I haven't replace the battery, but earlier this morning I just used the key fob to unlock the car so I don't know if that's the issue. I tried turning the key to the "on" position and connecting the terminal, no luck. All of the doors were unlocked and the car's alarm was disable when I removed the battery.

It's a factory alarm. 2008 Rav4, awd base model.

mgatollari · Apr 14, 2017

RTexasF said:
I replaced BOTH of our RAV batteries this year myself. Nothing happened other than the car starting like it should. If you have an alarm it will go off when you hook the new battery up. That's a heart stopper if you're not ready for it. Reset the radio buttons as JuneBug said and away you go. The cheap ass Toyota batteries that came out of the cars did not have a handle to lift them by so that was tough on my screwed up back but that's it.

How were you able to bypass the alarm after it went off? My key fob won't shut off my alarm, starting the car won't work either. All of the doors are unlocked

Blogson · Apr 14, 2017

mgatollari said:
I replaced the battery on my car, made sure the battery's facing the right way, but when I connect the negative terminal the horn starts blaring and the car won't start and my key fob won't shut the alarm off. I haven't replace the battery, but earlier this morning I just used the key fob to unlock the car so I don't know if that's the issue. I tried turning the key to the "on" position and connecting the terminal, no luck. All of the doors were unlocked and the car's alarm was disable when I removed the battery.

It's a factory alarm. 2008 Rav4, awd base model.

Are you certain that the positive battery cable was connected to the positive battery terminal and not to the negative terminal, etc.? Some batteries have the positive and negative terminals arranged opposite of what they need to be for RAVs even though the battery is of the correct size, so even though the battery was facing in the what seems to be the correct direction the terminals can be in the wrong place.

mgatollari · Apr 14, 2017

Blogson said:
Are you certain that the positive battery cable was connected to the positive battery terminal and not to the negative terminal, etc.? Some batteries have the positive and negative terminals arranged opposite of what they need to be for RAVs even though the battery is of the correct size, so even though the battery was facing in the what seems to be the correct direction the terminals can be in the wrong place.

I hope that's the issue. The thing's currently sitting at an Auto Zone parking lot about a two mile walk from where I work so I'm going to head over there and try that when my shift is over. Could very well be the case as the kid behind the counter was changing it for me while I was turning in the old battery and paying for the thing. From what I remember it looked good.

Blogson · Apr 14, 2017

Good luck, and please keep us updated.

mgatollari · Apr 15, 2017

Overzealous AutoZone employee fried my A120 Alt Fuse NIGHTMARE

Blogson said:
Good luck, and please keep us updated.

So I found out what happened. Early morning I took my mother in law's Rav4 to AutoZone before I get to work. There's one that opens early next to my job so I stop there. No one's there, I go inside and ask the salesperson for a socket wrench to remove the battery, he comes out to help get it out. Great. I get a replacement battery, he scans my older battery, and says he'll replace the battery for me while his co-worker rings me up. Awesome.

He puts the battery in, he tries to put the terminal back in and the alarm goes off. He takes it off. I try to start the car disable the alarm, nothing. He tries again. I look up the problem online and tell him, "Hey, I think the battery's in backwards can you check?" He denies it, saying he put it in the right way.

Well, I was late for work at this time, so I lock the car and walk to work, call up a mechanic friend. I get an answer ya'll about the battery in backwards.

Bingo, turns out it was. I replace it for one with a positive terminal on the opposite end, try starting the car but it's not igniting. So I check the fuse box, two of the mini fuses are fried so I replace them. Still not working. I look at the main line fuses with the clear cases. The Alt 120v Fuse (big one) is clearly fried.

If you've never replaced one of these before, it's not fun. I basically had to break apart the fuse box after unmounting it to get behind the Alt V fuse, squeeze an 8mm wrench into bolts on both sides. It took hours and hours. I finally got the bolts out, one of the bolts snapped when I removed it and a piece of it got stuck in the fuse box. Since I didn't have a threader, I couldn't get the piece out. I finally gave up and got it towed to my mechanic who can hopefully fix it.

I called AutoZone corporate and made a complaint. And I let the other store managers know what happened. They're gonna have to front the bill for whatever it costs. I just hope the module isn't damaged.

I just don't know how the hell anyone puts a battery in backwards and connects a clearly positive terminal to a clearly negative one. What gets me is that I didn't even ask for his help and he offered and he had zero idea what he's doing and he messed up my mother-in-law's car. I just feel bad because she works her ass off with special needs kids who kick and scream and bite her all day. She changes diapers, gets hurt, and sews dresses and bakes and sells cookies when she isn't taking care of children and she bought this car after years of saving and it took one moronic employee who doesn't know the difference between negative and positive to give me all this trouble.

Will update tomorrow with what the mechanic says. That fuse box is a nightmare but at least none of the wires/metal bits were harmed.

RTexasF · Apr 15, 2017

So sorry to hear of this. Hopefully Auto Zone will step up to the plate and pay for their employee's blunder.

RAVN4RED · Apr 15, 2017

This thread has a similar story and a step-by-step guide of how to fix it. If a mechanic is not familiar with the fuses, they may appreciate these instructions:

http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/247194-effects-cross-connecting-battery-electricity-youre-doing-wrong.html

Let us know how it goes.

Blogson · Apr 15, 2017

mgatollari said:
So I found out what happened. Early morning I took my mother in law's Rav4 to AutoZone before I get to work. There's one that opens early next to my job so I stop there. No one's there, I go inside and ask the salesperson for a socket wrench to remove the battery, he comes out to help get it out. Great. I get a replacement battery, he scans my older battery, and says he'll replace the battery for me while his co-worker rings me up. Awesome.

I just don't know how the hell anyone puts a battery in backwards and connects a clearly positive terminal to a clearly negative one. What gets me is that I didn't even ask for his help and he offered and he had zero idea what he's doing and he messed up my mother-in-law's car. I just feel bad because she works her ass off with special needs kids who kick and scream and bite her all day. She changes diapers, gets hurt, and sews dresses and bakes and sells cookies when she isn't taking care of children and she bought this car after years of saving and it took one moronic employee who doesn't know the difference between negative and positive to give me all this trouble.

Will update tomorrow with what the mechanic says. That fuse box is a nightmare but at least none of the wires/metal bits were harmed.

Thanks much for the update! You've gone through a lot of hassle because of that person's incompetence and hopefully the RAV will be fixed as it should be when this is all finished and AutoZone will pay for the cost. Your mother-in-law is engaged in quite a great ministry and deserves better than what happened with her car. Please continue to keep us updated.

Can I replace the battery myself in my 2008?

mgatollari

mgatollari

Blogson

mgatollari

Blogson

mgatollari

RTexasF

RAVN4RED

Blogson

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities