1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Restore dead Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by JohnStef, Sep 30, 2016.

  1. ILuvMyPriusToo

    ILuvMyPriusToo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2014
    778
    514
    0
    Location:
    Outside Philly, PA
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Dead or not properly connected. Since this problem has happened since you apparently replaced the HV battery, that is suspect.

    As I pointed out earlier (#25), you are not entering READY (green LED on START button; your photo shows orange). No start, no shift.

    You need juice from the HV battery to turn MG1 to start the ICE. Because you have no HV battery voltage, you don't enter READY and you can't start the ICE. That is the source of your problem.
     
    JohnStef likes this.
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    When you say "all cells look normal" what do you mean?
    What is the voltage range for the Vblocks. Or if you have access, what are the voltage range of the modules.

    You could try disconnecting the 12v battery to clear any errant codes.
    Since previously you said you tried starting the car while the orange plug was not properly seated.

    Check all the harnesses/plugs that connect to the hybrid battery computers as well as the hybrid battery fan.

    Getting a proper tool that can read and clear codes for your car is going to be very important. The car is too old for you to be blinding having to guess each time there is a problem.
     
    JohnStef likes this.
  3. JohnStef

    JohnStef Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2016
    127
    50
    0
    Location:
    Dewitt, Mi
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi Eric
    All cells looked normal in that there were no irregularities, all cells looked perfect, there were no drainage stains under any cells. I did not pull the individual battery cell covers and test cell and cell block voltages. Because the main terminal voltage was 210v I figured it was strong enough to install and use.
    I am using the Torque app and an OBDII blue tooth module to read codes. I just did a scan and there were no codes at the OBDII level. When I first looked at the car a month ago it had code p3030, This was telling me that the battery was disconnected. When the old battery came out and was tested at the main connection it read zero volts. I assumed this was the cause of the P3030.
    I will recheck the plug connectors tomorrow.
    In spite of all of this, won't the Brake indicator as shown on the left of my photos stop the whole show?
    Also Eric, here is a clearer pic of the Energy state, is the red bar and empty battery the issue?
     

    Attached Files:

  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    7,487
    3,763
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Not sure if this is all the problem, but it is a bit too low. As a minimum it should be above 216 V; 221 V would be better.

    Yes you can charge it if you have some sort of grid charger that will put out 235 VDC @ 350 mA.
     
    JohnStef likes this.
  5. JohnStef

    JohnStef Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2016
    127
    50
    0
    Location:
    Dewitt, Mi
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    OK dolj, this is very important. Can the HV battery be charged thru the orange safety plug if it was modified?
    One more question: will the Brake dash light in the upper left (post #40) stop all efforts to start the ICE?
     
  6. jeff652

    jeff652 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2014
    595
    621
    0
    Location:
    Idaho
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    We sell our Hybrid Battery Chargers to body shops/mechanics/private individuals like yourself with self-discharged batteries all the time. You need to charge & balance the battery to return it to its normal operating range in order for the car to start.
     
  7. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    You cannot charge it through the orange safety plug.
    That is in the middle of the battery pack, not the ends.

    You will need to access the leads inside the battery with the cover off.

    You can see and record all the voltages of each module if you buy the Pro version of Torque.
    Require a bit of work to set up, but is an option.

    I prefer techstream when trying to view them all at once. But it can be done via Torque app.
     
  8. JohnStef

    JohnStef Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2016
    127
    50
    0
    Location:
    Dewitt, Mi
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Always look for the simple stuff!
    The battery I got from the salvage yard had been disassembled at the safety plug, I didn't notice the little micro connector was pulled out of position and laying to the side. No matter how many times I plugged the orange plug in, I never had current!
    The car is now idling in my drive, it jumped to life with the motor starting spontaneously when I put my foot on the brake. This was very exciting after all the discussion above.
    Now the system is charging the main battery, this may take a while as the battery read 210v prior to the install.
     

    Attached Files:

    offib, bisco and Data Daedalus like this.
  9. JohnStef

    JohnStef Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2016
    127
    50
    0
    Location:
    Dewitt, Mi
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Update!
    Since getting the battery install right things moved along pretty well.
    The other night after getting it to run, 10 minutes later, the throttle body seized up and it threw a code. The butterfly would not budge.

    I dismantled it all the way to the motor and gear. The butterfly/rod assembly with the potentiometer driver should rotate freely and spring back freely. It would move about 1/16". I rotated it back and forth with rust buster penetrating spray hoping it would free up. No luck, I put a 12mm box wrench on it to rotate with more force, not overdoing it, just a little more force and control. No luck. It was 42 degrees degrees in my garage today, it made sense to me that it needed some heat to get the oil to flow. It worked. It became perfectly free. Re-assembly and installation went well.
    As I said in the previous post, the motor now starts so my excitement is getting pretty high! The restored throttle body now works perfectly and the car now develops Power! I can drive it normally. Very happy. I live outside of town so most of the time my road sees little traffic. I drove it about 2 miles; the red triangle went away, the battery indicator went from 1 red bar to 4 green bars.

    Very thankful and humbled by God's grace.
    Thank you for your support.
     
    offib, Data Daedalus and bisco like this.
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    well done!(y)
     
    JohnStef and Data Daedalus like this.
  11. JohnStef

    JohnStef Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2016
    127
    50
    0
    Location:
    Dewitt, Mi
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    A few more points about the Throttle body rebuild:
    All phillips screws were seized to the extent that the phillips socket would strip before the screw would fully turn. I lost one screw, it broke, which secures the motor cover, I ignored this as there were a couple more to keep the cover secure. To remove these screws I applied rust buster and gripped the head with a small Vise Grip and wiggled back and forth to slowly start the rotation. This issue was the worst part of the rebuild.
     
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  12. ILuvMyPriusToo

    ILuvMyPriusToo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2014
    778
    514
    0
    Location:
    Outside Philly, PA
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Glad things seem to be turning out well for you!
     
  13. JohnStef

    JohnStef Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2016
    127
    50
    0
    Location:
    Dewitt, Mi
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Update:
    Along with Manhal's suggestions I found another guide here in the forum, this list strongly suggested changing the trans oil, which has been done.
    Checked the spark plugs and they looked good
    A trusted Prius mechanic told me not to bother with an Inverter coolant flush - the coolant looks fine, and yes it moves quite a bit showing flow.
    12v battery seems to be acceptable
    Oil was high by 1 qt when the car was purchased, this was drained to read at the top indicator dot on the dip stick. It is either exactly the same or slightly high by 3/16" after 750 miles

    The 1st thing after getting the car running was to understand the codes and correct them.
    P0420
    P1121
    C0200
    C0205

    P0420 is pending correction, I am ordering an aftermarket CAT and will be welding it into the exhaust stream
    P1121 3 way valve is corrected for now, I read on the forum that this can be from low coolant. I added ZEREX Asian formula and it cleared.
    C0200 and C0205 are ABS sensor codes, the ends looked like they were lightly gouged .003 to .012 deep. After replacement with salvaged parts from a wrecked '07 (there were no gouges, one looked new) the codes cleared immediately.

    Currently I am getting 45 mph (mostly highway) and the battery icon typically shows 2 bars below full