2006 Prius - Check Engine and Red Triangle

I use Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market to find junk yard batteries. The best deal I found close to Knoxville, TN is a $300 core at Hayes Auto Parts in Bowling Green, KY. Welcome to Hayes Auto Parts Buying cores is a crap shoot. You might get a battery just like yours with just a few bad modules or it could be all bad modules. The only thing you can check before purchase is the voltage to give you an idea if there is anything of value. Having two complete batteries will allow you to pick and chose the best modules from both. And you will have spares ready for the next time a module goes bad. You then need a way to charge the modules to full and a standardized discharge to compare all the modules.

I agree that one at a time is a way to get really good at taking your battery apart. I recommend testing all the modules and not just guessing at which are bad.

Brad

 

I would buy either of those happily, and without concern - as long as they are accurately represented as a complete battery pulled from a working vehicle (as opposed to a "remanufactured" battery where modules have been swapped in and out.) People let their Prius sit for 6 months or more at a time (for example, snowbirds who have two or more homes) and there is no problem with the traction battery.

Further, the point of buying a complete and functional 3G battery and moving all 28 modules over is so that you can avoid the rebalancing exercise.

I suggest you bring some tools so that you can remove the battery case cover and inspect the 28 modules, looking for sequential serial numbers and any signs of tampering within.

$1,325 is a pretty high total price - see if you can do better by continuing to look around.

 

The issue here is self discharge. It takes just one module with excessive self discharge to disable a whole a pack. Patrick is right that with a 2010 this should not, but could, be an issue. Modules with excessive self discharge are junk and should not be reused. This is also a golden opportunity to do a self discharge test. Just measure the voltages of all the modules. This must be done before any load or charge is put on the packs. It is also one of the few times when static voltage means something. The voltages should be well within a .1 volt range. I have noticed that the two end modules tend to run at a slightly different voltage than the rest of the pack. You must also remember that until the bus bars are removed high voltage is present. If the modules pass the self discharge voltage test you are good to go. The module terminals and bus bars should be cleaned before reassembly. Your core has value.