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Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Anthony Park, Jun 23, 2016.

  1. Anthony Park

    Anthony Park Junior Member

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    Ok so what we don't know kills us lol.

    I watched a video about replacing a faulty module on utube. All modules read 7.53-55 and the closest on EBAy I could find said 7.63 so thats what I have.

    none of the videos talked about "rebalancing"/charging them with RC chargers..

    In the comments one person mentioned it but it seemed an after thought. People were disagreeing left and right and there was no consensus.

    Now I am having the same problem as Greg Grieve, another forum member. I tried the power button twice thing to no avail. The car lights up like a christmas tree still and will not do anything but P and N when attempting to shift.

    So here are my questions:

    1) I need a code reader and have settled on techstream/mini vci... but which version do I need for a 2004 prius? Apparently there are multipe versions on Amazon. This is the one Im looking at.


    Hopefully it includes the software.

    2) is it absolutely necessary to do the charge/balancing thing to get the car to run/shift/drive?


    3) If what I have done cannot be salvaged. Who can I reliably purchase a reman battery from at EBAy like prices: e.g. $500.00-$800.00

    I'd prefer to keep this battery and eventually charge/balance this myself as a spare.

    I love this car and I'll be 90 years old when I let it leave ma hands...Christine is my baby


    4) where is the best place to get techstream for free/lowcost?
     
    #1 Anthony Park, Jun 23, 2016
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    You can really get any minivci you want. Generally comes with pirated version of techstream.
    You don't have to balance since you are only doing a partial job and will have to come back and do it again in the future anyway. Get it close and move on. You probably have better ways to spend your time.
    You will not get a reliable battery for $500 - $800, ever. Buy what you can and plan on fussing with it regularly.
    You will become very good at it with all the practice. This will make you faster at the job each time you do it.
    You could even bring tools and extra module with you if you go on a long trip.

    To be a ble to have some sort of assurance of longevity, it takes quite a bit of time and effort to do the job right.
    This is why a pack that is warrantied for 3 years costs much more than $500.
    This is why a pack that is has NEW CELLS and will last as long as the original one costs several thousand dollars.

    If you don't have much money, but have a lot of time, you will be able to hack away at your existing battery and get it "good enough".
    Just don't plan on long term reliability. Hone your repair skills.

    Getting a few simple tools will help you better diagnose the cause for each future failure.
    Buying a few more tools (like a Prolong full battery charger) may help you keep it a bit more reliable for a bit longer. But that costs money. So it's a trade off.
     
    #2 ericbecky, Jun 23, 2016
  3. Anthony Park

    Anthony Park Junior Member

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    OK so any thoughts about why I am having the same problems as Greg Grieve? I think you responded in that thread too?
     
    #3 Anthony Park, Jun 23, 2016
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The main concern on the mini VCI is that software is Windows XP, but you can get it to run on Win 7-8-10 if you know what you are doing. I bought a version on EBay that was supposedly Win7 capable, but it turned out my old computer was XP so I did not need to try the Win7 software.
     
    #4 wjtracy, Jun 23, 2016
  5. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Anthony,

    I'm in the Mesa area. Please give me a call, 480-628-9769

    Steve
     
    #5 S Keith, Jun 23, 2016
    strawbrad likes this.
  6. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Call Steve.

    You can not find anyone better at batteries.

    Brad
     
    #6 strawbrad, Jun 24, 2016
  7. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Haven't heard from him. Oh well.
     
    #7 S Keith, Jun 24, 2016
  8. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Anthony called me. I'll be swinging by to check things out tomorrow. He left the blower controller disconnected, so that may be the first issue.
     
    #8 S Keith, Jun 28, 2016
  9. Anthony Park

    Anthony Park Junior Member

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    So i broke the positive battery terminal off of the 2nd battery out from the ecu side.

    Please tell me im not screwed....i was tightening down with the torque wrench and it aheared the terminal off... i kept waiting for the click..

    I now know what 48 inch lbs feels like.

    But do i have to order a new module or do i get lucky for a change...
     
    #9 Anthony Park, Jun 30, 2016
  10. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    You are out of luck. You need a replacement module.
    Edit: To make it worse, this is the harder of the two ends to get to.
     
    #10 ericbecky, Jun 30, 2016
  11. Anthony Park

    Anthony Park Junior Member

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    Eric... you aint kiddin. Disassembling the battery took 20 minutes and a lower back herniation lulz but its out and waiting for a new battery module.

    I ordered 3 more but i want this car on the road asap and it takes like 7 days for it to arrive from the east coast.

    If steve has a module he can sell me id be so happy. Maybe he can take an hour to stop by and watch me not f this up again....



     
    #11 Anthony Park, Jun 30, 2016
  12. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    I'll be heading out to Anthony's place again this weekend to get everything squared away.

    Steve
     
    #12 S Keith, Jun 30, 2016
  13. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Finished up this morning over at Anthony's. Out of the 5 eBay modules I've encountered, his is the first that I would regard as good. In fact it was very good.

    I put in a module from my collection that was 3 months newer than his pack with decent numbers. We charged all his modules to the same peak voltage @ 30A current in a quick attempt to balance them and put everything back together.

    Fired up great and even showed him how to top off his A/C with straight R-134a. Cool as a cuke.

    No reconditioning of any modules was attempted. This was simply replacement of an obvious failed module. I am extremely confident in the module I supplied and the eBay module, but the other 26 are uncertain. At least they all were in a tight voltage spread.

    I encouraged a grid charge/discharge operation for him. His pack is likely a good candidate for a long-term repair on top of what was done.

    Steve
     
    #13 S Keith, Jul 2, 2016
    SFO likes this.
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