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HV battery Questions - Prius 2001

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Curious, Feb 15, 2011.

  1. Curious

    Curious Junior Member

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    1. Could someone tell my how much (minimum) voltage is required in the HV battery to operate a 2001 Prius that is otherwise in great shape.
    2. How do I measure the voltage on the HV battery?
    3. I just replaced the 12-volt car battery with a new one. I was under the impression that a flat 12-volt battery gets boosted by the "big" battery. A certified Prius mechanic told me that's not the case. Is it or is it not?
    4. Does anyone know where I can buy a rebuilt HV battery for my 2001 Prius in Canada?
    Your wisdom is greatly appreciated.
    Many thanks in advance
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. The nominal voltage is 273.6V and that is probably around the minimum requirement. However, the battery usually fails because one module produces significantly lower voltage vs. the other 37. This is unrelated to the total battery voltage available.

    2. You would have to remove the battery case top so that you can access the battery wiring. An extreme shock hazard exists if you do not know what you are doing.

    3. If by "boost" you mean that the 12V battery will be charged when the Prius is READY, you are correct. However if you mean that the Prius has some way to jumpstart on its own when the 12V battery is dead, then that is not true.

    4. Try ReInvolt, however their remanufacturing process appears to consist of installing salvage 2G modules into a Classic battery case, bringing the modules to the same SOC, and then charging up the battery so that it is ready for use. You'll have to evaluate the relative cost and longevity of that alternative vs. buying a new battery from your dealer.
    Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs
     
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  3. Curious

    Curious Junior Member

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    Thank you Patrick!

    3. that's what I meant...not jumpstart.
    2. I somehow figured this would be dangerous.
    Thank you for the link. I checked Re-InVolt, but I am waiting for a shipping price.
     
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    A little context would help here. My clairvoyant powers tell me that you're asking these questions because less happens when you turn the key than you would like.

    Does anything happen when you turn the key to ON (but not past the spring-loaded point to START)?

    If not (or things are really dim/flakey at that point) then you probably need some quality time with your 12 volt (smaller) battery, before worrying about anything else.

    If you get dash lights, etc., at that point, you can probably also read the battery voltages over the on-board diagnostics port, which saves you having to open anything up or expose yourself to unfriendly voltages.

    If you can buy (about $150) or borrow a ScanGaugeII or an ECROS Technology Mini-Scanner (Bob Wilson on this forum has some available for a refundable deposit), you can read the total HV battery voltage as "Bat voltage" on the Mini-Scanner, or program the ScanGaugeII to read the voltage by keying in the "btV" xgauge codes you can find in the classic Prius and ScanGaugeII thread. (If you have some other kind of programmable OBD-II reader, you want to take the first 8 bits from PID D1h from the ECU with physical address 16h, and multiply by two for a reading in volts.)

    With the ScanGaugeII you can also read the voltage on the 12V battery - though that isn't hard to do directly, and that reading is also available in the built-in MFD diagnostics. You would key in the "vLT" xgauge codes from the scangauge thread (or get the first 8 bits from PID D8h on the same ECU, multiply by 4 and divide by 51 for a reading in volts).

    By keying in other xgauge codes with the scangauge you can read voltages of individual module pairs within the HV battery, or find the pair number and voltage of the highest and lowest pair. For those details see the scangauge thread or the PID database for Classic Prius.

    -Chap
     
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  5. Curious

    Curious Junior Member

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    Hi again,

    The information you sent was very helpful.

    I had the HV ECU replaced but it turns out that my Prius does need the HV battery replaced. I have been very lucky. My 2001 Prius has 255,000 Km and had no major problems except for normal wear and tear stuff. It had the free battery overhaul in 2005.

    I contacted Re-InVolt and want to purchse a remanufactured battery but they don’t ship to Canada. So I have to arrange for my own shipment which turns out to be complicated and costly. They tell me that they have sold batteries to Canada but the customers arranged for their own shiping. Has anyone (or someone you know) shipped a Re-Involt HV battery to Canada and what methods they used? Re-InVolt does not have information on these clients so I could contact them.

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