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

lost on what to do next

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Kris Coffman, Dec 28, 2016.

  1. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hello Everyone

    I've noticed I've been losing MPG over the last month or so. then yesterday as I was driving I got the red triangle notification along with the yellow indicator, check light and VSC. after I got home and restarted the vehicle the red triangle and check eng light stayed on and the rest went off. I took it to the mechanic and they said they suspected the hybrid battery was bad but they don't work on hybrid systems. So, I took out the battery and voltage checked the cells. They all were about 8.0 to 8.5. this morning they are reading 9.0 or so. Does this sound like a bad battery or should I focus my attention somewhere else. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,482
    8,400
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    If you plan on working on this car yourself, you would need to have proper diagnostic equipment to read codes.

    You can't guess with a prius. Go and get the codes read
     
    jerrymildred and Mendel Leisk like this.
  3. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Alright, that's my next move then. do you have any suggestions on what reader to buy
     
  4. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2014
    270
    551
    3
    Location:
    Dallas -Fort Worth
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Are you testing voltages on the 28 hybrid battery modules or the auxilary battery?
     
  5. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I am testing the 28 individual cells on the hybrid battery
     
  6. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2014
    270
    551
    3
    Location:
    Dallas -Fort Worth
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Ok just checking, 9 volts at rest is way to high. If that is what you were measuring I wouldn't trust that meter.

    On scanners don't waste your money on anything from your local auto parts store. Order an OBD 2 adapter online and download an app for a few $.

    I like Engine Link for iOS devices or Torque for Android.
     
  7. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thank you for the advice. I'll get a new meter and recheck the voltage, and order an adapter.
     
  8. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    After you get that new meter, check the 12V battery too. There are threads on this forum on testing modes and thresholds. A small drop in mpg is one indicator of a failing 12V.

    But definitely get a good scanner. Some of us use the Mini VCI adapter and an old 32-bit laptop--it's not very robust or user-friendly, but it works for DIY and if you have an old laptop, it's under $20.
     
    goldfinger likes this.
  9. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
     
  10. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks. I'll recheck the 12V. does anyone what the voltage ranges are for the cells, and can I check this without a load applied.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,570
    38,732
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Are we talking about the 12 volt or hybrid now? The hybrid I'm completely clueless, but I believe you should check their behaviour with load?
     
  12. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Someone on this forum has detailed a method to put the hybrid battery through a charge cycle using the car, while graphing block voltages using the Mini VCI adapter. Others laboriously bench test each module with bench charger(s) and light bulbs. There are threads about that too. It seems to take over a day to do that.

    Note there are 14 blocks, each an assembly of two modules. The modules contain the battery cells. The car's ECU is able to track block voltage and internal resistance.

    The 12 V battery, by comparison has six cells and the individual voltages cannot be measured.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,918
    49,504
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome!

    how many miles on her?
     
  14. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    thanks everyone for the comments
    update: I got a good multimeter and retested everything
    12V Aux battery is 12.26 v
    all cells read 7.94 to 7.99 except one cell that read 6.67v
    I ordered a OBD-II adapter and a new cell to replace the 6.67

    the car has about 135,000 miles on it

    thanks andrew for the info on using the car to do a charge cycle.
     
  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,511
    14,113
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Sounds like you're on the right track with that cell. I would also order a grid charger from Prolong Battery Systems. Extending the life of your hybrid. – Hybrid Automotive . I had two Gen 2 Prii till I traded the '05 in the other day on a Plug In. The one I traded had 150,000 miles on it and the battery still acted like a new one. The '07 with 120k on it runs just as well. These grid chargers can often rescue a failing battery and it will for sure extend the life of the battery. I won't bore you with the details here. There are lots of threads here about it and a good explanation on the web site.
     
  16. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks Jerry

    That seems to be the way to go.Ii was just reading on how to rebalance the cells once i got the new one installed. this seems like the easiest way of doing it and it keeps the battery in top shape.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  17. plgradw

    plgradw Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2016
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    AU
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi Kris, for your triangle of death issue I recommend an OBDLINK LX reader and Hybrid Assistant application.

    These will allow you to read the cars hybrid system, and torque will allow you to read, and clear any codes.

    Take a note of any codes, and Google the codes, and you should be able to get an idea of the problem.

    Hope this helps, Paul.
     
  18. plgradw

    plgradw Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2016
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    AU
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    These two applications (found on play store) and reader are for Android. If you are on Apple, there is a Wi-Fi OBDLINK MX, and you'd need to check the app store for applications

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  19. Kris Coffman

    Kris Coffman New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    11
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Awesome thanks plgradw for the tip. I downloaded both apps.
     
  20. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2012
    535
    402
    0
    Location:
    Buffalo
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three