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Hybrid battery going bad (P0A80) and occasional weirdness - where to buy the internal modules

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Rrrolfff, Oct 12, 2021.

  1. Rrrolfff

    Rrrolfff Junior Member

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    2010 Prius with almost 200K miles... I just replaced the fuel pump because the car kept dying as if it was out of gas (but got the occasional P0A80 code). Car ran fine for a week, but now I clearly have a HV battery pending demise. Sometimes at a stop light, the engine keeps running - even though the traction battery is full - today - it was running at a stoplight with full (all battery bars - which never happens to me unless I'm going down a big hill). Every 30 min or so of running, I seem to get the P0A80 code. Today, I got the code and a traction battery low warning (it showed 0 bars), but after driving a minute, the battery showed full (?).

    Seems like a basic task to swap out cells, and that's clearly the course I'm on. I'm going to try and figure out which modules are bad (getting a bluetooth OBD reader) - does anyone have recommendations on good load tested cells in the So Cal area? Ebay? Cant find em on Amazon (????). I will post an update when I get at this thing.

    Also - anyone have experience with this (how long before I'm driving a brick - or does it not brick?)? It seems to run OK mostly. I can even run the system with AC and no ICE for periods of like 10 min (so the battery is clearly sort of doing something).

    Wish me luck!

    TTFN! Rolf
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Well technically you can't drive a bricked Prius you can only sit in it and pretend to drive it... :)
    But you're a long ways from that. If you get the gear you can read the subcodes of POA80 on your phone and clear them and keep driving. As long as you monitor the temperature readings from the battery and stop driving if they get too hot you can keep going. Get yourself one of these devices:
    Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus
    and then install Dr. Prius app on your phone.

    As for replacing modules sometimes you can get lucky and do nothing more than replace a module and drive for another year without issue. But to be more thorough/reliable there's lots to learn about reconditioning, load testing, balancing voltages, etc.
     
  3. Rrrolfff

    Rrrolfff Junior Member

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    Thanks! So I ran the car a few miles (15 min), and all 14 modules are really tracking pretty close.16.4 - 16.2 when charged, and 16.2 - 16 when I run in EV mode for a mile. after a mile, the car still shows 3 bars on the HSI - so the battery is working. I have one pack that dipped to 15.8 during that run, but all others are about 16.

    I saw an HV teardown that showed corrosion on the busbars - that's a possibility. I feel the whole pack looks stable, but maybe I need a bunch more data... I throw a HV code once a day - that may give a little more info now that I"m watching the HV pack - anyone know any other pertaining PIDs to look at?

    TIA
     
    #3 Rrrolfff, Oct 12, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2021
  4. Rrrolfff

    Rrrolfff Junior Member

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    I ran the battery pack with the battery pack with the Dr Prius app, and found I've got a bad block on 8, but it also shows I'm at 28% for battery life!!! I'm not cash rich right now, and wondering what my options are. I can fix block 8, but am I throwing good money for bad? Anyone have a good source for these modules? HELP!!!
     
  5. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    If you have no help closer to home, I can easily provide you with tested/verified modules.
     
  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    A $35 module isn't a very expensive repair cost if you do the work yourself. As for the battery life, that number will be much higher once you swap out the bad module.

    Also you can improve battery life by deep cycling each module, which means using a 50W headlight bulb to discharge the module and a hobby charger to recharge the module. First you got down under 6v, then under 4v, then under 2v... After three deep cycles you can restore a pack at 50% back up to 96% of original capacity/performance.
     
  7. Rrrolfff

    Rrrolfff Junior Member

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    I haven't seen sources for modules. Of course 28 packs at $35 is high - is there more documentation on this reconditioning of mod packs? Still looking for a cheaper tested source for these - I have two who also have Prius HV issues :)
     
  8. drbtz

    drbtz Member

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    Can we talk about this a bit more. I know systems like prolong exist and etc but what other forms of charger are there?

    I had wondered if a DC Voltage Generator would do the job but would it provide enough amps? I don't know. I'll admit when it comes to the electronics of the Prius I'm still having to learn.
     
  9. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    The owner's manuals for Prolong are ideal for how to use your own DIY built system that costs less than $100. If interested in this aspect, let's continue the conversation over here: Build Hybrid Battery Maintenance Gear For Under $100 | PriusChat And looks like @TMR-JWAP (see above) can get you some modules, or if that doesn't work I'll tell you about who I get 'em from.
     
    drbtz likes this.
  10. drbtz

    drbtz Member

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    Thanks for the info, I'll head over there! (y)
     
  11. Levi Gonzalez

    Levi Gonzalez Junior Member

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    Anyone have experience with those "china" battery packs from DHGATE and Alibaba / AliExpress?

    They're around $850 plus 200-300 shipping. ends up being like $1100 shipped. But supposedly they're brand new modules.

    They're orange / yellow colored (although I've seen some greens).

    Price is tempting!
     
  12. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Just don't. Best to add on an additional 500 and get new OEM from a dealer, or buy the NPB for 1600 at NewPriusBatteries.com | Home

    Or add another 1k and go lithium is you can afford such : http://www.projectlithium.com/

    Or hunt for a recent NiMH gen2/3/4 wreck with documented low(er) mileage and go that route : Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market
     
  13. Levi Gonzalez

    Levi Gonzalez Junior Member

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    Go to New Prius batteries.com (the one you linked) and scroll down to the picture... they're using the SAME Chinese batteries that I described in my previous post. Orange cylinder battery modules. you can't make this stuff up! lol
     
  14. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    burebista likes this.
  15. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    You know not of what you speak...or recognize the insult that was just thrown........lol...
    2K1 is probably spinning around right now wondering why it feels like he just got punched in the chest.