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Had Hybrid battery rebuild and still getting code to replace battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Jack Panozzo, Feb 20, 2018.

  1. Jack Panozzo

    Jack Panozzo New Member

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    I had my Prius battery hybrid rebuilt he said he did two cells change the straps and cleaned it up got it home the triangle of death came on again code to replace battery popped back on call the guy and he said that it possibly is the two grounds that are in between the transmission and the engine I am trying to find where these are so that I might be able to clean them up myself I cannot afford to spend more money on the car then I already have for it not to work so if there's anybody out there that can help me with any advice the battery seems to be charging fairly well and holding a charge and not dropping below 5 bars but the fan is on and the code reads to replace the battery do we think it could be the ground or another cell or so has dropped after he built the two I have not drove it since I brought it home Thank You
     
  2. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    If they did not properly match module voltages & rebalance the pack it was not properly rebuilt and could still show an unbalanced pack.

    Properly rebuilding & testing a pack is a time consuming process. Most every company selling rebuilt battery packs does not take the time to do the process properly. That is why we recommend buying a new pack from Toyota or, if DIY, buying the kit of new cells from @2k1Toaster here. The link is in my signature but I think they are currently backordered.

    @TMR-JWAP and others here have taken the time to rebuild packs as a hobby.
     
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  3. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Get a scantool that can read the battery voltages on a block basis. That would tell you, if the blocks are balanced and matched. If you find any below(14..volts) or above (16..volts), there might be some problems.

    Post the battery block voltages, here, if you can.
     
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  4. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Name the person/company who did this "repair," so others can avoid him like the plague. Was this a craigslist person?

    Does NOT know what he is doing.

    The fact that you can hear the HV battery fan, means the HV pack is overheating. NOT GOOD.

    These are the likely scenarios:
    1) he didn't replace any modules.
    2) he replaced the bad modules with other bad modules.
    3) he replaced the bad modules with slightly good modules, that became bad again.
    4) he replaced the bad modules with slightly good modules, but other modules became bad.
    5) he replaced the bad modules with working modules, but other modules in the HV pack went bad.

    Module replacement is a temporary solution. It does not provide you long term reliability.

    What did you pay for this alleged "repair?"

    A 100% NEW, OEM, Toyota HV battery pack could be had for $1625. Genuine OEM Battery Parts for 2007 Toyota Prius Base - Olathe Toyota Parts Center

    A 100% NEW, cylindrical HV battery replacement kit can be had for $1600; New Prius Battery Kit (GEN2, 2004-2009) - New Prius Batteries LLC

    A well rebuilt battery from a company/person who knows what they are doing will cost you some money. Matt in Texas charges $950 for a quality rebuild, w/ a guarantee. Texas Prius Battery Replacement

    Unfortunately, the old adage, you get what you pay for, applies here.
     
  5. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    You quoted a Kansas dealer that does not ship to help a user in Michigan?? The Toyota battery has a 1 year warranty if a dealer will sell you one to install and you need to return your old battery. Some dealers have refused to take remanufactured batteries as cores.
    The battery kit, also mentioned in my signature. is a good alternative for $1600 including shipping but I believe it is back-ordered until April.
     
  6. Jack Panozzo

    Jack Panozzo New Member

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    Ok and that was what I was thinking I'm pretty sure one of the other cells might have dropped but I was trying to figure out where these front grounds were in between the transmission and the engine so that I would at least be able to have some type of proof when I go back to him that I tried everything that I could do on my end but I cannot find these grounds for anything about them and thank you all for your help so far
     
  7. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    @TMR-JWAP and others have used some Android apps with an OBDII dongle to monitor voltages and other parameters.
     
  8. Jack Panozzo

    Jack Panozzo New Member

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    Thank you I will check into that
     
  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I'm trying to figure out what this guy is even talking about.
     
  10. Jack Panozzo

    Jack Panozzo New Member

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    Me to I think he screwed me but not literally
     
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  11. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    No dealer will ship the HV battery.

    Olathe was provided as a price point reference. Anyone can perform an Internet search to try and find a Toyota dealer that is closer and sells online too. A simple search of "genuine oem toyota parts [your city, your state]," usually provides a long list of sites to vet. Not rocket science. Leave some work for OP to do, unless he is that lazy.

    Correct. Not all parts department will sell the HV battery to the public, and sometimes even other mechanics. OP will have to put in some effort for himself.

    Yes. 1 year warranty if the battery is not installed by Toyota, 3 years when installed by Toyota. But, your are paying a hefty premium for those 2 additional years. You do realize the batteries rarely fail in 1 year, let alone 3. IIRC Ericbecy will honor the 3 yr warranty, but charge his customers the difference; no one takes him up on the 3 year warranty. IIRC, Matt @Texas Hybrid Batteries, does give his customers the 3yr warranty, but it's a safe bet of zero warranty claims, even though he would be on the hook for anything beyond the first year. Assuming you bought your Prius new, did your HV battery fail in 1yr, 3yr, or neither?

    Not getting core credit for a Frankenstein battery by Doormat (Doorman), FraudTec (Greentech), etc., would be the OP'S problem.

    Yup, I agree 2k1Toaster's batt kit is a good alternative, thus the inclusion. But it's great to see the OEM batteries coming down in price from earlier lows of $1900.

    Sadly, OP wasted $ on a Craigslist type hack, and got what he paid for.
     
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  12. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Is anyone aware of a ground in the HV system. I was under the impression that it wasn't grounded to the car chassis, only the 12V system.
     
  13. jadziasman

    jadziasman Prius owner emeritus

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    Why do people keep calling the company this? It's Dorman.

    upload_2018-2-21_12-52-23.png
     
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  14. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    They have a proven poor track record here. I guess people want to emphasize their disdain for them.
     
  15. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

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    We actually give a 4 year warranty on our new batteries. Over 400 of those installed and never had a single issue, nor will we.

    When it comes to NEW OEM batteries from Toyota the warranty means nothing. There were over a million Gen2 Prius sold and to my knowledge nobody had battery issues in less than 8 years and most lasted 10+. On everything else (rebuilds/remans) you should assume that it will fail as soon as the warranty ends, maybe sooner. There is a reason why Dorman and Greentech both pulled there warranties back to 12 months or less.

    IMHO, with the new pricing on the Toyota batteries you would be crazy to consider anything else unless your just fixing it to sell.

    When it comes to returning your old battery to Toyota the only thing that they will be concerned about is if it has been painted. That's something that Dorman and GT did in years past but very few independent re builders would take the time to paint the cases. So your rebuilt battery should still look just like an original battery except for having a few modules swapped out and you won't have any problem returning it and getting your core deposit back.
     
    #15 Texas Hybrid Batteries, Feb 21, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2018
  16. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I have seen vendor labels on packs. I assume they need to be removed too.
     
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  17. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

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    Exactly. A lot of people put stickers, tamper seals, or sharpie marker on the cover and/or on the modules. We always clean all of that off before they go back to the dealer. I have a pile of Dorman, GT, and Falcon cases in my shop that can't be reused, very annoying.
     
  18. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    How about @2k1Toaster 's new cell kit? Didn't you test one of those? I think they are back-ordered right now though.
     
  19. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

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    No, that was @ericbecky who tested the new kits. How long will they last? Only time will tell. The only thing that's proven to last is the OEM packs and they are only a few hundred dollars more than some of the other available options. I know I would't even consider selling the Chinese kits to my customers until they had at least 4 years of real world testing and were proven to last.
     
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  20. Jack Panozzo

    Jack Panozzo New Member

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