View Full Version : Toyota Prius Hybrid.


dieseljeep
10-11-2014, 10:51 AM
After four years, eight months and 108,000 miles, my Prius battery pack, has one bad cell.
I bought it in early 2010, with 93,300 miles, at a sub-KBB wholesale price at a local Toyota dealer. Because of the high miles, they couldn't sell it as a certified used car.
That was the good part!
I'm going to try to buy, either a rebuilt or a good low-mile battery, from a totaled car. I might even consider rebuilding the pack, myself.
I guess, all good things have to come to an end. :sigh:

Eric H
10-11-2014, 11:28 AM
That sucks, it's rare for the battery pack to fail that early. We have dozens of Prius' at work going back to 2002 and I can only recall one battery pack failure.

If you were in California the warranty is 10 years 150k.

People are repairing their own batteries by replacing only the bad cell, lots of videos about this on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvEtiQXtTFc

Be careful if you decide to try it, they have something like 300 volts inside.

dieseljeep
10-11-2014, 12:41 PM
That sucks, it's rare for the battery pack to fail that early. We have dozens of Prius' at work going back to 2002 and I can only recall one battery pack failure.

If you were in California the warranty is 10 years 150k.

People are repairing their own batteries by replacing only the bad cell, lots of videos about this on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvEtiQXtTFc

Be careful if you decide to try it, they have something like 300 volts inside.

It all started with a slight mistake, of leaving the rear hatch open for twelve hours, overnight. The 12 volt utility battery is charged by a circuit in the inverter module. The inverter gets all of it's power from the 200 volt battery pack.
I'm a retired Industrial Electrician, so I'm no stranger to higher voltages, but I will be extremely careful. I was never too crazy, about getting shocked.

Eric H
10-11-2014, 03:18 PM
A dead 12V battery shouldn't affect the traction battery at all but the 12v battery is required to start the car since it runs all the electronics.

Leaving the rear hatch ajar is the most common cause of Prius no starts at my work, we have to jump start them often for this reason but it's never caused any other issues.

I don't know why Toyota doesn't have a Battery Saver relay to prevent this problem, or some way to use the traction battery to give the 12v battery a boost.

I recently had to fix a couple Ford Escape Hybrids at work, they had sat for eight months so naturally the 12v batteries were dead, in addition the traction batteries had discharged to the point they wouldn't start the engine.

How to fix that? Turns out the Ford (at least on the older models) had installed an emergency button that would charge the traction battery from the 12v battery enough to start the engine.
Press the button (with a good 12v battery) and eight minutes later the vehicle starts, provided of course the traction battery hasn't been discharged to the point of ruin.
Eight months was cutting it pretty close, they were down to less than 30% charge at that point but they recovered.

Ed in Tx
10-11-2014, 07:41 PM
Leaving the rear hatch ajar is the most common cause of Prius no starts at my work, we have to jump start them often for this reason but it's never caused any other issues.

I don't know why Toyota doesn't have a Battery Saver relay to prevent this problem, or some way to use the traction battery to give the 12v battery a boost...That makes no sense! Even my '02 Trailblazer times out after 20 min and automatically shuts off all lights interior and exterior if a door or the rear liftgate isn't closed all the way. All done in the body control module.

rca2000
10-11-2014, 11:35 PM
My 1986 Riviera ALSO had a battery saver feature--that would cut off any lights left on--after 10-15 minutes or so. my van I have now--a 2001 Chrysler T&C--also does.

dieseljeep
10-12-2014, 10:00 AM
My 1986 Riviera ALSO had a battery saver feature--that would cut off any lights left on--after 10-15 minutes or so. my van I have now--a 2001 Chrysler T&C--also does.

I thought, for sure this Toyota had it as well. When I went into the garage, the next morning, the light was on.
This car has all kinds of tricks. Keyless start and entry, back up camera and climate control. All kinds of options, that spoil you.

Olorin67
10-12-2014, 01:12 PM
There are several places that refurbish prius battery packs, look up the Toyota dealer in Madison, WI, they sell more hybrids than any dealer in the country, They could steer you to someone who does it. My uncle bought one of the very first, a 1999 model, he still drives it.

dieseljeep
10-12-2014, 07:51 PM
There are several places that refurbish prius battery packs, look up the Toyota dealer in Madison, WI, they sell more hybrids than any dealer in the country, They could steer you to someone who does it. My uncle bought one of the very first, a 1999 model, he still drives it.

I'm not going to give up that easy. The prius is still the best engineered, hybrid car out there. It has been my daily driver since I bought it. It has been driven, no less than 35 miles a day. Many days, over 100 miles a day.
I can still drive it, but as long as the fault indicator is lit, the cruse control doesn't work and the regenerative breaking, is less effective.
I'm still doing the research, regarding the repair or replacement of the battery pack. :scratch2:

dieseljeep
10-13-2014, 07:15 PM
There are several places that refurbish prius battery packs, look up the Toyota dealer in Madison, WI, they sell more hybrids than any dealer in the country, They could steer you to someone who does it. My uncle bought one of the very first, a 1999 model, he still drives it.

I looked at many of the Toyota entries on U-tube.
The procedure looks like something, I should be able to handle. I think the high cost involved is the job is very labor intensive.
At this point, I have very little to lose. In the area I live in, its impossible to renew the registration of a vehicle that doesn't pass the emissions test. Even though, the fault has nothing to do with emissions, as long as the check engine light is on, they will not even bother to test it.
A real vicious circle. :thumbsdn:

dieseljeep
10-22-2014, 09:18 AM
I'm not going to give up that easy. The prius is still the best engineered, hybrid car out there. It has been my daily driver since I bought it. It has been driven, no less than 35 miles a day. Many days, over 100 miles a day.
I can still drive it, but as long as the fault indicator is lit, the cruse control doesn't work and the regenerative breaking, is less effective.
I'm still doing the research, regarding the repair or replacement of the battery pack. :scratch2:

I just ordered two used cells on E***. They're from a 2007 pack and check out at 7.8 volts, no load.
This should prove to be one of the more interesting undertakings, removing and disassembling this pack. :scratch2:

Eric H
10-23-2014, 04:33 PM
I just ordered two used cells on E***. They're from a 2007 pack and check out at 7.8 volts, no load.
This should prove to be one of the more interesting undertakings, removing and disassembling this pack. :scratch2:

If we don't hear from you in a couple days we'll call 911 for you. :D

ChrisW6ATV
10-24-2014, 12:12 AM
I look forward to hearing about your battery-repair experience. A Prius will likely be my next car (if I can fit in one OK on longer trips; I am 6 feet 4 and have only taken short trips in a friend's Prius). Used ones are available for less than $10,000 these days.

philcophan
10-24-2014, 09:44 AM
While you're in the neighborhood and if you have the tools to test... I'd recommend load testing each and every battery and kicking out those that don't pass muster. It's been quite a while since I played with the boss's beloved Prius... a vile car to work on for sure... seems you need three wrists and two elbows to get at most things... wait till you must replace the HID lamp or power supply... a real day at the beach...!!! Since I retired, he bought another one... guess I wasn't there to fix the thing. Somewhere around here I have a service manual I downloaded from the bit torrents or one of the newsgroups... hunt it down and download it as it is quite the manual!!! Good luck!!

Jim

PS: BTW, he went to Spain from December to March and the car sat in the garage and the battery came up to 100% within 30 to 45 minutes of driving!!!... not even close to my expectations.

dieseljeep
10-24-2014, 12:03 PM
While you're in the neighborhood and if you have the tools to test... I'd recommend load testing each and every battery and kicking out those that don't pass muster. It's been quite a while since I played with the boss's beloved Prius... a vile car to work on for sure... seems you need three wrists and two elbows to get at most things... wait till you must replace the HID lamp or power supply... a real day at the beach...!!! Since I retired, he bought another one... guess I wasn't there to fix the thing. Somewhere around here I have a service manual I downloaded from the bit torrents or one of the newsgroups... hunt it down and download it as it is quite the manual!!! Good luck!!

Jim

PS: BTW, he went to Spain from December to March and the car sat in the garage and the battery came up to 100% within 30 to 45 minutes of driving!!!... not even close to my expectations.
Mine has the regular halogen, incandescent type lamps. It was still fun. You had to use a mirror, because it's so tight in there.
There was some kind of a coolant valve, that was leaking. $434.00 later, the check engine light was still on.
I always address any leaks, as my cats have access to the garage.
More later, Gentlemen.

dieseljeep
12-01-2014, 08:52 PM
Mine has the regular halogen, incandescent type lamps. It was still fun. You had to use a mirror, because it's so tight in there.
There was some kind of a coolant valve, that was leaking. $434.00 later, the check engine light was still on.
I always address any leaks, as my cats have access to the garage.
More later, Gentlemen.

I just have the battery loose and ready to lift out. My younger neighbor wasn't around to help me lift the heavy beast out. I'm excited to see how the repairs work out.
After tearing this thing apart, it's easy to see why cars are so expensive today. There is a lot of electrical wiring and components, present. It's little wonder why some people would rather have a car that's 30, 40 years old.
In this area, if we want a older model car, we have to get it from a non-rust belt state. The tin-worm is always busy around here. :thumbsdn:

dieseljeep
12-07-2014, 11:19 AM
If we don't hear from you in a couple days we'll call 911 for you. :D

Operation was a success, the patient lives!
They recommended just removing the one bad cell, but the way they're sandwitched together, it still required removing the cells, preceeding the bad cell. There's all seriesing links on both sides of the cells. The on line proceedures recommended just cutting the plastic between the cells. I just disassembled the entire bank, as one of the cells that had a slightly lower reading and it was the last cell.
There's 28, 7.2v nickel metal hydride cells in the bank, one read 6.4 volts and the other 7.2, where the others read 7.8. Those are all no-load readings.
Will I do it again! Absolutely! :thmbsp:

Eric H
12-15-2014, 01:32 PM
Great news!

We've only had one or two Prius batteries fail in the fleet I work for, they were covered by warranty so I didn't get to experiment.

We had a couple Hybrid Escapes that sat so long (eight months) they wouldn't start because the traction battery had discharged too much. Ford included a hidden switch that you press and it recharges the traction battery enough from the 12 volt battery to start the engine, it only takes about eight minutes.

dieseljeep
12-16-2014, 09:25 AM
Great news!

We've only had one or two Prius batteries fail in the fleet I work for, they were covered by warranty so I didn't get to experiment.

We had a couple Hybrid Escapes that sat so long (eight months) they wouldn't start because the traction battery had discharged too much. Ford included a hidden switch that you press and it recharges the traction battery enough from the 12 volt battery to start the engine, it only takes about eight minutes.
Now, I was greeted with a buzzing left front wheel bearing. The right one, was changed about 40 K miles ago.
It seems, all cars are created equal. Get a few miles on them and it's nickel and dime time.
I still shouldn't complain. I still a great daily-driver. :thmbsp:

dieseljeep
06-24-2016, 10:20 AM
Operation was a success, the patient lives!
They recommended just removing the one bad cell, but the way they're sandwitched together, it still required removing the cells, preceeding the bad cell. There's all seriesing links on both sides of the cells. The on line proceedures recommended just cutting the plastic between the cells. I just disassembled the entire bank, as one of the cells that had a slightly lower reading and it was the last cell.
There's 28, 7.2v nickel metal hydride cells in the bank, one read 6.4 volts and the other 7.2, where the others read 7.8. Those are all no-load readings.
Will I do it again! Absolutely! :thmbsp:

I should have never made that statement. I had it apart twice this year. One cell-pack failed in April and replaced, another failed last week, just before I was going to the swap in Illinois.:thumbsdn:

dieseljeep
06-27-2016, 10:10 AM
I should have never made that statement. I had it apart twice this year. One cell-pack failed in April and replaced, another failed last week, just before I was going to the swap in Illinois.:thumbsdn:

I finished the battery pack and installed it. Back to working properly and 51.9 MPG. I still have to replace all the trim panels in the cargo area. :scratch2:

oldtvsandtoy
07-07-2016, 10:17 PM
Sorry to say but IMHO it's junk. Be American buy American. I know this might start some sh&t but that's the way I was brought up.

dieseljeep
07-08-2016, 09:54 AM
Sorry to say but IMHO it's junk. Be American buy American. I know this might start some sh&t but that's the way I was brought up.

I was 66YO when I bought this car. I bought it to replace my beloved Jeep Liberty Diesel, that was totaled in kind of a freaky early winter accident.
The cars I now own are a 2006 Jeep Wrangler, bought new, a 2000 Dodge Dakota, also bought new and the Prius. I bought many cars in 52 years, both new and used, Dodges, Plymouths, Fords, one International and one big lemon of a Chevy, never a Japanese make. My two main jobs were Union, so that was one reason.
If you study the theory of operation, the design is much better than any other Hybrid. The American firms can't build anything as efficient.

oldtvsandtoy
07-08-2016, 11:46 AM
There is the Tesla. Its a American automotive and better then any Prius.
I just say buy American or all are cars will be like our TVS none built here.
Lets keep Americans working and not the Japanese. It only helps all of us. :yes:

Eric H
07-08-2016, 12:29 PM
This is veering dangerously close to politics so lets steer it back on topic.

oldtvsandtoy
07-08-2016, 01:09 PM
This is veering dangerously close to politics so lets steer it back on topic.

Sorry dont see it as politics just what I see as facts

dieseljeep
07-08-2016, 07:00 PM
Sorry dont see it as politics just what I see as facts
It's time that your forum name is removed from this group. We don't need your kind here. As your name implies, you are nothing but a junk peddler, looking for some free advice, how much you can get for some of the scrap, you're picking up and trying to resell.
You're the one who started this foolishness. Get a life and get a job! :thumbsdn:

oldtvsandtoy
07-08-2016, 07:51 PM
It's time that your forum name is removed from this group. We don't need your kind here. As your name implies, you are nothing but a junk peddler, looking for some free advice, how much you can get for some of the scrap, you're picking up and trying to resell.
You're the one who started this foolishness. Get a life and get a job! :thumbsdn:
I do have a job, I am a Industrial Electrician for the big 3.
And as my name implies I collect old toys and tvs

WISCOJIM
07-08-2016, 09:03 PM
Be American buy American. I wish it were that easy to do, I'd be all for it. I know a lot of people locally that say the same thing. It's amazing to them when I walk inside their homes and point out all the foreign made stuff they actually own, even when the same products are still produced here (at both higher cost and lower quality). Often they just assume the old brand name they are familiar with is still produced here, and time and time again they are wrong.

The world is what it is. It's now a global market, for better or worse.

I personally like the freedom to choose to buy what products I want, no matter where they are sourced from. If American products had the best quality at the lowest cost, you can bet I'd be buying more of them.

.

Electronic M
07-11-2016, 08:33 PM
My folks used to buy American cars till mom's ~1989 Chevy Beretta....That thing was a total lemon and spent more time in the shop before it even hit 60K (gaskets failing and injectors plugging well before then, and costing a lot to fix) than it did out of the shop......At that same time my uncle had a similar age Honda, which he drove 100K without ANY maintenance....He never even changed the oil!...And it was STILL going strong when he sold it at 100K miles.

Next car the folks bought after the Chevy was a Honda and the folks never looked back....They have been good cars. of the 4 we've had the first got returned at the end of the lease, the second totaled by an idiot that did not stop with highway traffic, and the current 2 are still going strong and have been FAR more reliable than the last American car the folks bought.

I personally am coming to really dislike modern cars sold in the USA....There is way too much electronics in them, and they are not so much drivers cars anymore as they are nanny-mobiles designed to prevent you from having problems texting and driving on the highway (which should be obsolete with modern voice command capable phones that are saturating the market)...Most of the controls are not even mechanically linked and have to go through a computer to take the fun out...That and all the stupid warnings that never used to be there and pointless tech for tech's sake....It makes me really like that the last owner of my 78 Lincoln unplugged the warning buzzers.