generation 1 prius with gen 2 modules

[statultra]

ok so some of you know my HV battery on my 01 prius is on its way out, originally there was 1 bad module, but since i load checked all the modules i found another 2 that are bad.

heres my dilemma, using two 04-09 prius to rebuild a 01 prius pack, or buying modules whenever this problem comes up.

to me it seems that I would have to get new NHW11 modules everytime i get this problem, which i think would happen again, for peace of mind, im considering buying two 04-09 prius batteries. But will the same problems occur on the new prius battery?

Also if anyone knows an alternative module that would work, providing the proper 7.2-7.8 volt and correct capacity let me know.

[Patrick Wong]

I think the NHW20 batteries are more reliable because they have dual interconnections for the cells within the modules, and are not as prone to leakage. If I were in your situation I would definitely buy two NHW20 battery assemblies esp since they are so inexpensive currently, with most 2G still under hybrid system warranty.

If you do this, pls take some photos showing the NHW20 modules within the NHW11 case.

[statultra]

Alright ill post pics, im gonna locate a deal on these batteries, if i can get two packs for 600 that would be great, i found a couple junkyards selling the packs for 400.

[Patrick Wong]

I know that Carolyn of Luscious Garage in SF has already done this, you might check out her website.

Bob Wilson previously verified that the physical size and footprint of the NHW11 and NHW20 modules are similar except the busbar terminals on NHW20 modules are at a different height above the base of the module, which is one reason why you have to replace all 38 modules if you switch to NHW20 modules.

Good luck.

[statultra]

Great news, i got my hands on two 05 prius batteries for 500 dollars low mileage.


If this works i might put the 28 good modules from the 01 into the new prius battery case and paralelling it with my current 05 prius battery. Not sure how this would work yet.

[statultra]

i think i just had the deal of the year, i got a HV battery from a 07 prius with ~50k miles for 150 bucks, no bad modules!! i will post pictures tommorow, im just waiting on a second battery now.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by statultra

Great news, i got my hands on two 05 prius batteries for 500 dollars low mileage.

If this works i might put the 28 good modules from the 01 into the new prius battery case and paralelling it with my current 05 prius battery. Not sure how this would work yet.

I don't know how this would work as well. The problem with putting battery modules in parallel is that the module with less internal resistance is going to suck up the charging current while the other module won't charge sufficiently. This is why Toyota has the modules in series, so that every module experiences the same charge/discharge current.

Originally Posted by statultra

i think i just had the deal of the year, i got a HV battery from a 07 prius with ~50k miles for 150 bucks, no bad modules!! i will post pictures tommorow, im just waiting on a second battery now.

Great, I suppose this deal replaced the "two batteries for $500" that you mentioned above?

It will be interesting to see whether you have to charge one set of batteries in order to get both sets to similar state-of-charge.

[statultra]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

I don't know how this would work as well. The problem with putting battery modules in parallel is that the module with less internal resistance is going to suck up the charging current while the other module won't charge sufficiently. This is why Toyota has the modules in series, so that every module experiences the same charge/discharge current.


Great, I suppose this deal replaced the "two batteries for $500" that you mentioned above?

It will be interesting to see whether you have to charge one set of batteries in order to get both sets to similar state-of-charge.

Yup the deal replaced the two for 500, im going to try to sell the 07 battery ECU with the case to recoup my 150. Im also still looking for another battery, anything under 300 is a good deal for me. My plans are to pick the pack with lower voltage and charge the modules up individually to the higher voltage on the other pack. I recently purchased a NiMh charger so this should not be a problem.

Heres something interesting i found out on the 04-09 prius HV battery. The 01 prius had a service plug which in theory connected two halves of the battery ~ 140 volts on each half. The 04-09 prius has a 66 volt and a 144 volt "half" that is jumped by the service plug. I just found it interesting that its not exactly half as on the 01 prius.

Also something i noticed was the 04-09 Prius battery has almost no corossion on the copper plates.

Also pardon my word "jump" i just use it to describe the service plug connecting the two halves in series.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by statultra

...The 04-09 prius has a 66 volt and a 144 volt "half" that is jumped by the service plug. I just found it interesting that its not exactly half as on the 01 prius.

Also something i noticed was the 04-09 Prius battery has almost no corossion on the copper plates.

Yes, I had also noticed that, and the question is why. Having taken the covers off, do you see any particular reason for the service plug to break the string at that particular point?

Could it be that the Toyota engineers think that ~140VDC is safe enough? (note the Classic battery, when the service plug is removed, becomes two batteries of nominal 136.8V each)

Good to hear that you do not see corrosion on the 2G busbars, that should mean a long life for the 2G battery modules.

Have you gotten to the point where you have disassembled the Classic battery case, and tried a 2G module to confirm whether 38 of them will fit without a problem?

[statultra]

The gen 1 case is disassembled and a few modules are out, seems pretty easy once you loosen the sides, and the bar on top.

I didnt get time to take apart the gen 2 battery, today i finally got my 2nd battery ordered for 250 from a place in NY. SO i ended up paying 400 total for two HV batteries, which is a great deal in my opinion.

as far as i can see, I cant explain the reason behind the service plug and those two connections, im guessing, but not sure that the 144 volt is isolated from the ECU portion, while 66 volts would be, which means its a lot more safer to work on with 66 volts.