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My Prius Battery rebuild experience

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by MichaelN77, Feb 9, 2019.

  1. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Well... Yeah it actually might.

    78820_Prius_Battery_Damage.jpg

    But generally you have some time after it first throwing a code to when it death spirals. Weeks usually. Sometimes months. The car has told you it is dead but you can give it amnesia by clearing the codes and keep going. The next time it tells you, by throwing a code, it is worse than before. And so on. Ignore it long enough and it will eventually strand you at the side of the road best case. Worst case damage the battery enclosure, ECUs, or the entire car. All of which are money.
     
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  2. Phildo

    Phildo Active Member

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    I read on here somewhere ages ago that running the car that way will further damage the modules by running them too flat.

    The car stops putting charge into the modules but will take charge from them.

    If you intend to completely replace the hybrid battery (or modules, eg from a wreck) then continue.

    If you intend to rebuild/recondition your battery then driving the car will make this task more complex and expensive.

    Note: Hopefully someone with an actual clue will come along soon and clarify/correct this (ie I'm low-level novice at this).
     
  3. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    Almost done getting the funding to do this. Fully the Prius can hold out a little be longer.
     
  4. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    No more Prius driving it is barely accelerating even though the battery is supposed always full. Is it possible to do this repair with a torc wrench?
     
  5. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Yes

    He uses an electric wrench just to speed the process up. I think you need 2 Torque wrenches though.
     
  6. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    You should use a torque wrench to get the correct spec's instead of just "by feel". You don't need 2 different ones, but it helps as the nuts on the batteries are torqued to a low inch-lb value whereas the big bolts are torqued to a much higher ft-lb value. It's unlikely for a cheap torque wrench to be calibrated for both value ranges. The important one is the nuts on the battery. The bolts that hold it to the car are less important in my view. But to do it right, every nut and bolt on the vehicle has a spec from the factory.

    I personally do NOT recommend using a power tool for any of this. Yes it will take longer. However, I have seen the effects of people using power tools installing my modules as well as others. It is VERY easy to slip and now you short two modules together. It may only be a second or two, but you will melt bus bars, fuse/weld terminals and basically cause at least 1 battery module worth of damage. Go slowly. Take your time. Be methodical. Be safe.
     
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  7. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    It is possible to use normal wretches and socket wretches?

    The good thing is we are not planning to use power tools. Honestly I am kind of scared of them. I used a drill to make a hole on the bottom of the front cup holder to pass a Lightning cable through for Apple CarPlay. That drill took forever to make a hole large enough through plastic. I know I was not using it right for it take that long. I could find any information on that particular project.
     
    #27 MichaelN77, Feb 19, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2019
  8. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    You NEED at least 1 torque wrench to do the job. The harbor freight inch pound one will work for the bolts electricity flows thru.

    Some auto parts stores rent tools. Have you checked to see if you can rent one?
     
  9. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    Yes we have plenty of Auto Zone stores. I am planning on renting one if I have to. Which I guess is yes. Then picking it up on the way to my cousin's house. I am not sure if the Prius can make the seventeen miles to his house anymore. So I am trying to figure out if I can tow it there. Thankfully our insurance company has free roadside assistances with towing. Not sure if it covers seventeen miles though. At least the DIY Battery Replacement Kit is paid for now.

    I should probably ask this now. What is the exact name and/or model of this wrench I need when I get to Auto Zone or purchase it at Harbor Freight please?
     
    #29 MichaelN77, Feb 19, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2019
  10. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    You should really do some research and figure that out by yourself. You need to be prepared.
     
  11. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Inch....pound.....torque.....wrench.
     
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  12. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    48 inch pounds is the spec ;).
     
  13. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    Thank you and thank you. So it actually called that, fascinating?
     
  14. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    I guess technically it could be call just torque wrench.

    But torque wrench come in many scales, drive sizes, and other variatons.

    Scales
    Inch pound
    Foot pound

    Drive size
    1/4 inch
    3/8 inch
    1/2 inch

    Can be
    Beam type
    Click type
    Electronic

    So my more specific reccomendation for you is a 1/4 inch drive, click type, inch pound torque wrench.

    You can look at YouTube videos to see how to properly use it.
     
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  15. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    #35 MichaelN77, Feb 21, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2019
  16. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    That doesn’t mean it is not a thing. It just means you haven’t heard of it.

    Now imagine you are the person writing instructions to describe precisely how tight “when it gets tight” is. Then you will get an understanding of being able to say, “tighten to 48 in*lbf”. A very precise statement that has no ambiguity.
     
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  17. MichaelN77

    MichaelN77 Junior Member

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    The installation has hit a bit of a snag. We cannot seem to figure out how to get the harness installed. Also I closed the lift gate to keep the feral cats out while we worked outside. Is there anyway to get it open without the HV inside the car?
    IMG_2414.jpg IMG_2415.jpg IMG_2416.jpg IMG_2417.jpg
     
  18. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    The proper procedure to open the rear gate when you have no power is listed in your owners manual. I suggest you reference it.
     
  19. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    You are probably best to phone newpriusbattries.com and have them advise you.
    As Bob mentioned, in the owner's manual:
    Manual back door opening.png
    Put a folded rag over the catch hook so you can still close the hatch but so it won't lock, to prevent getting in this situation in the future.
     
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  20. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Well I can tell from you still having all the original orange plastic and wiring harness you haven't followed the manual which says to fully remove it. You need to get that out of there so you can start to install the new wiring harness.
     
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