Landed a Gen II Prius in need of repair for next to nothing

Welcome Steve in NoVA...sometimes we advise owners to contact Toyota USA for possible financial assistance on batt replacement...In this case we might not expect too much assistance, but it's a wild card. Usually takes a week or so to get a ruling. Always want to make sure small 12v is strong and not giving spurious codes. Rare chance clogged HV batt vent fan can throw the code...don't think so here in winter but that's something to clean out as a Gen2 generic issue.

Another option is buy Toyota batt for best price (~$2200) and self install. By the way replacement with new Toyota HV batt is the best practice long term fix. Rebuilds may be guaranteed but that just means you'll be going back to them for another replacement under their warranty.

 

the steering issue was a safety recall, check the vin number on Toyotas website
rebuild the battery yourself for $50 with parts off e bay\

 

Steve,

You're already getting good advice here, and Steve Keith is one of the best hybrid battery guru's Priuschat has if you choose to rebuild your current battery. Although 12v health is of great importance to keep a Prius from acting flaky (and I think you should load test or at least dig down under the cables and check the manufacture date of your your current), the P0A80 is typically for real, since the Hybrid ecu is reading a voltage discrepancy.

Personally, I'd buy a new battery from Toyota and do the install myself. At 144k and being you're a capable DIY guy, there's a good chance you can roll another 144k without anything much other than tending to your P0A80 and general maintenance. Rebuilding your well aged battery will yield a temporary result, too much so for me when considering the time involved in a proper rebuild. Another very good option is sourcing a recently salvaged Gen 3 battery and moving the modules into your Gen 2 case.

Regarding the steering shaft, this was a factory recall with a free fix for pretty much ever. I'd guess it's still open and the dealer is playing the game on it, but it is possible that it's closed. I'd check with corporate or perhaps another member here will know what's up with it.

Register an account with ToyotaOwners.com and run your VIN. You'll be able to observe any and all dealer service or recall work done on the car. The biggies are recalls for the inverter water pump and steering shaft. Also look for these services:

- Transaxle fluid drain and refill
- Inverter coolant loop drain and refill at around 100k miles or when water pump recall was performed
- Engine coolant loop drain and refill at around 100k miles
- Spark plugs at around 120k miles
- Throttle body/MAF clean, I'd do this one again anyway. Pull the air box right up off the body so you can get good access and mop the oil and cleaner out the bottom of the body as a last step.

If these aren't showing you'll want to tend to them straight away.

Additional wear items for gen 2 are:

- front wheel bearings
- 3-way coolant valve for the gas engine loop, will show up as P1121 or P1116 and sometimes a lack of cabin heat.
- water in spare tire area or 12v compartment from cracks up around the hatch hinges and rain gutter snaps for the black rubber strips.
- check oil frequently til you get a feel for how rapidly it burns. Most Gen 2 burn oil as they age.

Everything I've listed has tons of threads you can search for tips, but I'd guess you'll find the Prius easy to work on. Get that Mini VCI right away, and there is a 64-bit version on ebay for $60. Many here just run the 32-bit set-up on a dedicated beater, XP laptop. This is a Chinese hack of Toyota Techstream, complete with complimentary Trojan virus. It's really very kick-nice person, and pretty much a requirement for any HV troubleshooting. It works for all Toyotas, too, if you have others.

Edit: Looks like a Taco in the pic - you'll love mini VCI.

Good luck!

 

Sounds like you have a Prius and a Project both of which you are enthusiastic about.

Here's hoping as events unfold you are able to maintain your enthusiasm.

From what I've read over the years, single cell Hybrid battery rehabilitation is a challenging prospect, that has mixed long and short term results.

But who am I to rain on your parade?

If you enjoy the prospect of a Hybrid project, and have minimal investment at this point? Then enjoy.
Sounds like you don't have much to lose...and might end up with a working viable Prius with less than 150,00 miles on it.

Be careful working with the battery.

 

Rebuilding by dropping in a good voltage module replacing a low voltage module is definitely temporary.

Building as above but taking the extra steps to recondition and "balance" the modules is temporary too, but you'll likely not be back in the pack for years/tens of thousands of miles. Couple this with grid charging/discharging for periodic in-car "reconditioning" and you'll optimize this even further.

 

Make sure and check the VIN at Toyota Owners. You'll get an immediate idea whether it's seen dealer fleecing every 5k or has done 144k on possibly nothing but 87 octane.

With regard to your squeak, the gas engine water pumps are occasional failures on Gen 2, also. Look for pink crust buildup around the pump and/or where it's been flung onto the underside of the hood. Serpentine belt is another good item to replace, especially if it's not shown anywhere in the dealer service records.

Currently I maintain an 07' and 10' Prius w/160 and 120k respectively, an 05' Sienna w/150k and a 99' Camry I4 w/196k. The Mini VCI gets quite a bit of use. You won't believe the capability it offers for the spare change it costs to buy.

Pics of the carb project and the Spitfire!!

 

No and mostly no. NiMH don't like to be charged at high rate below freezing. It it's below freezing, limit charge to 0.65A or lower until the pack is above freezing.

 

don't charge the cells out side the pack, the might swell at the bottom and will not go back together, clean the cooling fan and duct while you have it apart

 

You may find it easier to deal with the pack particularly if you will eventually mix modules by removing it from the base (while the bars are still intact)

 

Agreed. Due to the weight and need to manipulate a heavy object, one of the first things you should do is remove all bus bars before you attempt this.

 

Love the Spitfire. Awesome british green. That car is minty.

I learned how to drive stick on my big brothers 63 Spitfire. I gave that thing a beating. What a pos lol that thing was. Constant carb didling. Lots of fun though. He then had 2 brand new TR6's one in baby blue with fawn interior. Thats was a really nice car.
I have had some MGB's also.
The town I grew up in NJ had a British Leyland Corp headquarters and there were MGB's and Spitfire's and Triumph's everywhere.
My buddy had a Rover too. Really fast car.

 

Nice....

Ah the world famous Bosch electrical system... but still most fun cars to drive ever though.

 

My first car was a 63 TR4. I owned it for 3 years and the twin SU carbs never needed any adjustment. There were factory installed problems (bent push rod, leaking gas line) so quality control was an issue and the Lucas battery lasted 12 months. It was a great car for a young driver, but the insurance companies disagreed.

JeffD

 

I called it Bosch electronics (jaguar) but its actually Lucas in those cars. Thanks for reminding me...been quit a long time but very fond memories. The 63 TR4 is a very cool car. But the constant never ending tinkering after a while gets on your nerves. But driving them is pure fun.

I watched Spectre the other night...that Aston Martin wowee....