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"Cooling of battery" ...not working properly

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Oceanakatm99, Jul 28, 2019.

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  1. Oceanakatm99

    Oceanakatm99 New Member

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    Hello, Newbie Here!
    I have a 2014 Prius that is posting "cooling performance of hybrid battery is low, take to a dealer " but I'm weary of going straight to a dealer and spending A LOT of money if it's something I can get fixed elsewhere for less. Does anyone know what needs to be fixed?
    Thank you,
    Kat
     
    #1 Oceanakatm99, Jul 28, 2019
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It’s possible the fan blades are covered in dust, restricting air flow (otherwise maybe the fan motor has failed completely).

    If you’re technically inclined, you could take apart the trim pieces near the battery vent on the rear passenger side to access the fan and clean it out.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Jul 28, 2019
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  3. Oceanakatm99

    Oceanakatm99 New Member

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    Thank you! That is very helpful. I will try that tomorrow
     
    #3 Oceanakatm99, Jul 28, 2019
  4. Oceanakatm99

    Oceanakatm99 New Member

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    I did drive up to the high desert to visit family 2 days ago, driving for about 1 mile on a dusty dirt road. Might this have caused this? Or no, because that vent is inside the cabin?
    Again, thank you for your feedback
     
    #4 Oceanakatm99, Jul 28, 2019
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Have a look at @NutzAboutBolts video #21 here. One thing: I found it's not necessary to remove the rear seat bottom; there's a single (12 mm socket size) bolt that needs to be removed, in behind the seat cushion, but you can reach it by just pushing apart the seat and back at the junction, reach through with maybe a 6" and 3" ratchet extension. Don't drop the bolt...
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Jul 29, 2019
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  6. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    BUT.....beyond that, you probably NEED a dealer.
    Cars these days are complex combinations of mechanics and electronics........and "shade tree" mechanics are at a loss a lot of times.
     
    #6 sam spade 2, Jul 29, 2019
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    make sure the intake grille is clear and clean
     
    #7 bisco, Jul 29, 2019
  8. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat!!

    Has your vehicle posted this warning before, or was this the first time?

    There is the possibility that nothing needs to be fixed :)

    Caveat, do you drive around with pets/kids in the back seat? (ie. clean the fan as mentioned by @Tideland Prius)

    Can you please tell us more about the conditions that preceded this issue; the time of day, ambient outside air temperatures, AC on and set to recirculate, doing 85 in the slow lane, multiple short trips around town, parked in the blazing sun with the windows up, backseat loaded up with stuff which in turn blocked the fan intake, etc.
     
    #8 SFO, Jul 29, 2019
  9. Oceanakatm99

    Oceanakatm99 New Member

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    Hello,
    Well I WAS going to go into the battery fan and clear it out today, but before I even did that, I looked into the filter on the back seat. It was completely covered with dust and cat hair. I mean, I could barely see one thing section of the vent the rest was covered. We used a long tool and pulled the hair/dust/dirt matted combo out with tweezers. I will upload the photo of what was pulled out. I went to the car wash and used the vacuum to suck out any remaining dust. It was so bad that I'm thinking that was the problem. I tried to reset the dashboard alert using the same procedure as with the oil change reset. Didn't work. My plan is to reset and see if the alert/ message reappears, then I'll go further into the actual fan to clean that out.

    Does anyone know how to reset these message board of this alert? Thanks

    P.s. in reply to your questions: I had just come back from driving in the high desert, 90° weather, don't take cats in the car but cat hair covers my whole life lol, and I've never had this alert before in my 5 years of owning this car.

    Again, thank ALL of you for your helpful advice
     

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    #9 Oceanakatm99, Jul 29, 2019
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  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Beyond that, yes I agree.
     
    #10 Tideland Prius, Jul 29, 2019
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The fan probably looks like a small furry animal: don't dick around, clean it!
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Jul 29, 2019
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  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    One drive won't do it. It's probably a culmination of years of dust. Although I see that your other post said it's full of pet hair. That could very well be the case.
     
    #12 Tideland Prius, Jul 29, 2019
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    well done! you never had trouble before because it has to clog to a certain point and the battery has to heat to a certain point, and when the two meet...boom!

    now, on to the fan!(y)
     
    #13 bisco, Jul 29, 2019
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  14. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    No, not true at all... Online forums like PriusChat are incredibly helpful and it makes it so you can diagnose and fix everything better than even a car stealership can do it and you get the added bonus of not getting ripped off or lied to, as well.
     
    #14 PriusCamper, Jul 29, 2019
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  15. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Blinders.

    The world in general is NOT a bunch of "car nerds" and most people don't seem to be able to master checking the oil or putting air
    in the tires.

    Do-it-yourself if fine for some people.......but a very small minority.
     
    #15 sam spade 2, Jul 29, 2019
  16. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Since you have a cat....
    You should get this filter. Got the larger filter from Toyota, and the other is a/c filter from home depot or lowes...
    I just wash it with water once a month and let it dry.
    The extra foam helps keep the fur out.
     

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    #16 ASRDogman, Jul 29, 2019
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  17. Oceanakatm99

    Oceanakatm99 New Member

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    Thank you, ASRDogman. That's super helpful
     
    #17 Oceanakatm99, Jul 29, 2019
  18. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Checking the car's engine oil and checking tire pressure is extremely easy. ANYONE can learn to do it!
    Adding oil to the engine and air to the tires is also easy.
    I told my son, easy get a job where you make a lot of money so you can pay someone to do that stuff for you.
    Or learn to do it yourself.
    He learned to do it himself. :)
     
    #18 ASRDogman, Jul 29, 2019
  19. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    You are very welcome!
     
    #19 ASRDogman, Jul 29, 2019
  20. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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    With all the previous threads that mentioned cleaning the battery fan, this is the first time I realized there is a specific message that comes up to tell you the battery is not cooling properly. I think I'll just wait to until I see the message before I tear into the fan.
     
    #20 Pluggo, Jul 29, 2019
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