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Replaced battery cell, still errors

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by lordofthereef, Dec 5, 2019.

  1. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Hello folks!

    some background. 2005 Prius original owner (well it was my moms but she moved in with us and so we use her vehicle for the mpg). Vehicle had a two bad cells, blocks, whatever you call them (two bad single units) about two years ago. Replaced them and all was well until a week ago, red exclamation. One bad block (based on low voltage of 6.1 when all others were 7.8-7.9).

    I'm getting the exclamation point today (edit: after replacing another bad cell I diagnosed last week), and beyond that, the car became sluggish, which is a symptom we hadn't yet seen before. We are topping out at 25mph, which was a little scary.

    Is it time for an entire rebuild? Was hoping I could get another couple years out of an inexpensive fix. Considering something like green bean battery, but unsure if sinking the money into a vehicle worth around $2k makes a ton of sense.

    She has always struggled getting up our driveway if there's any snow at all (steep grade) so I'm leaning towards retiring her.
     
    #1 lordofthereef, Dec 5, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2019
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yeah, it doesn't look good. most module replacements dont last long without proper balancing.

    how many miles on her?

    p.s. getting up a steep snowy drivewai with difficulty is common to prius
     
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  3. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Why not try another module swap? Since you already have done it once this time will go quick.

    Get snow tires. Amazing difference.

    Prius Powered Snowplow - Just For Fun | PriusChat
     
    #3 strawbrad, Dec 5, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2019
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  4. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    201k
     
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  5. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    I guess I wasn't clear. I did swap the bad module this second time. But it's still showing a bad battery. :(
    We have snow tires. Brand new this year which makes it hurt a bit more lol. Our driveway is STEEP. Haven't measured it but the oil delivery truck won't come
    Down it lol.
     
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  6. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    What codes did you get? What are you using to read codes?
     
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  7. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Back when I originally had the issue I bought the software and dongle Toyota uses on amazon (I have since learned they're literally selling pirated software....) but I could only ever get that to install with an old windows xp laptop. That laptop got recycled (wife didn't realize we still used it... doh!) and I couldn't get it working on our more modern units.

    I just have a cheapo Bluetooth scanner that I can scan codes with on my iPhone now. It doesn't come up with anything (they never do with these cheap ones from what I've read) but the dash lights up like a Christmas tree.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    these cars can have a long life, but there's no predicting the future. if you're prepared to tackle come what may, it could last 3-400,000 miles with a new battery.
    but if you can afford a newer vehicle, that may make more sense. it's really a personal decision.
     
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  9. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Haha. Well, "afford" is one of those funny words. We could do it, but being completely without a car payment for the last six years has been wonderful.

    I could tap into savings and buy the Tacoma I've long wanted, but that just feels like splurging. Though it makes more sense doing that and "paying into savings" per month than getting a loan and paying the bank for the privilege.

    we've been talking about getting a truck since we use the van to haul bigger stuff like our yearly pellet stove pellets, and of course to make clearing snow a hell of a lot easier, so we may go that route.

    I work from home and my wife works five miles away now, so it's not like the fuel savings would be massive.
     
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  10. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Without codes you are trying to fix your car in the blindfolded in the dark. Try another app.

    Do you know about the extended warranty on the Tacoma frames for rust?

    Click the link.

    Prius Powered Snowplow - Just For Fun | PriusChat
     
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    in that scenario, i don't see how a prius is worthwhile at all
     
  12. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Two years is a really, really great run after replacing a couple bad modules. You can repeat that process and get more months, maybe even years out of the pack. Or for as low as $1650 you can buy a brand new pack and forget about it for more than 10 years. Which means you can also use this pack in your next Prius Gen2 or Gen3 too!

    Of course first step is finding out what the error codes are. It's possible it could just be something really easy and inexpensive to fix. Let us know once you know?

    Also what region you live in is essential information in terms of who's near by and most able to directly assist you. For example if you're in the Seattle area, sometimes I can put in a loaner pack while you sort out what's wrong with your pack.
     
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  13. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    sadly I live in MA, so pretty far from Seattle. But that's super cool of you to offer!

    I no longer have the code reader (well, I do, but I don't have the laptop the software was installed on). Is it absolutely essential I run codes? I basically "diagnosed" the problem by testing voltages and replacing the one that was around 6v.
     
  14. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Is there an app on iOS you recommend?

    I did hear about the Tacoma frames. Apparently it extends to some tundras too. Most used vehicles I see are already being listed with new frames. Not surprising; New England is brutal.
     
  15. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Dr. Prius is only thing that's Apple compatible, but only intermittently... Of course if Steve Jobs wasn't dead everyone else would be catching up and trying to make their systems as compatible as his. But these days you're better off donating your bank account to charity than expecting Apple products to be responsibly&respectfully affordable...

    They've literally been scamming people into buying laptops for triple the price even though the systems inside haven't been updated in any meaningful way in almost a decade. When someone tells me they want something compatible with IOS I don't reply... But tonight, I'm feeling a little bit happier than
    usual...
     
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  16. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Lol. Well, if it makes you feel better I'm still rocking an iPhone 6s. She's about half a decade old now.
     
  17. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Replacing the 6.XX voltage module was a good move. If it had worked you could go back to driving the Prius a couple of more years. However, there is still something wrong and you don't know what the problem is. So yes, reading the codes is essential.
     
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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did you check for corrosion inside the battery and at all the connector harness pins?
     
  19. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    So, there is corrosion around the connectors; the orange strip things is what I'm calling the connectors. Some of the bolts themselves were pretty bad too. One of them got rounded out as I tried to disconnect it.

    if I'm being honest it looks about how it did when I first did it so I didn't think too much of it. But having watched some more videos by folks who seem to m is what they're doing (actually hybrid mechanics) these parts seem to be completely replaced in most cases.
     
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    exactly. you can find info on how to clean them as well, if they are in decent condition. corrosion can throw codes even with good modules

    also, improper torquing of the nuts
     
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