WHO TO BUY MODULES FROM?? I need 5???

Really ??
I think he is much closer to the truth than YOU are.
A battery cell that is worn out because the chemical processes are used up is NOT recoverable by any kind of "reconditioning".

 

Have a look at this article and then decide if you haven't changed your mind.

BU-807: How to Restore Nickel-based Batteries – Battery University

That's where this little gadget helps alot.
Prolong Battery Systems. Extending the life of your hybrid. – Hybrid Automotive

 

That is great......for YOU. Not everybody has your tolerance or love of "tinkering".

As your own story shows, your first "repair" only lasted 8 months......and you don't KNOW how long the next iteration might be, if I follow the story correctly.

Then there is that last statement which might be critically important.
It would be a shame if the engine "blew up" right after you got that last module changed.

One needs to be practical about the things that they undertake.
And I think those who characterize others who try to put things in the proper perspective as "naysayers" or "haters" are not really doing the average Joe a favor........by in effect saying "How dare anybody disagree in the slightest little bit with my analysis of the situation."

 

Nope. That changes NOTHING.

That is talking ONLY about the "memory effect" of NiCad batteries.
Other battery designs/chemistrys do NOT have that problem.

That problem is widely known as is the "fix".......which produces varying results because you can't tell before hand if the loss of capacity is due to the memory effect OR if the cell is just worn out.

I'm pretty sure that no hybrid vehicle ever ran with NiCad's. Certainly not any production model.

 

well done anthony!

 

Allow me to butt-in here for a moment....

First....To Anthony > I appreciate the good words thrown in my direction. I'd be happy to help anytime.

Second.... I am a proponent of renewing a Gen 2 battery by performing a complete swap of all 28 modules using the modules from a wrecked/salvaged Gen 3. Forum member John C. now has one of these batteries in his car. It would be great to hear from him with regard to both short term and long term results. I'll contact him to see if he'd be willing to post about it now and then.

Third... As many others have done, in earlier times, I also successfully repaired my 2005 battery (at 235k mile point) merely by swapping out the blatantly obvious bad module. Drove it for a year and put 30k+ miles on it, including many 600 mile trips from SC to Ohio (mountains of NC, VA, WV) and then decided to build another battery using (2) 2013 Prius C batteries to supply the needed modules. That was done merely because I planned to let my son use it for college and I wanted it to be as reliable as possible. That rebuilt 2005 sat on the shop floor for almost a year, when it was picked up and installed in another 2005 that I purchased that had a failed battery (260k miles). That car fired right up and ran like a champ for almost a year (15k+ miles) before another driver decided they liked my lane better and sent me off the road, totaling the car. So, can this be done and can it work? ABSOLUTELY. Will it work perfectly every time? ABSOLUTELY NOT. For the competent DIYers here.....have at it and have fun, just do your best to ID the culprit module(s), use common sense, take a hundred photos if you need to help with reassembly. Feel free to contact me if you need guidance. A little bit of planning and preparation can put you in the 'win' column on these battery pack rebuilds.

Fourth....As I'm sure others have done also, I have been and continue to do, short term and long term testing of Gen 1, Gen 2 and Gen 3 modules. I went on a 12 hour round trip drive to acquire the HV battery from a very low mileage 2015 wreck in order to have a standard for comparison (actually 28 standards, right?) to use against "refurbished" modules. I've invested a bit more $$ into test equipment than the typical DIYer. I know for fact how an essentially 'new' module reacts and behaves under different testing methodologies. It's very easy to perform the same testing on a used module and compare the results. The difference between a "pos", "ok", "good" and "great" module is easy to recognize. It's not uncommon to fully test the 28 modules of a, let's say 2007, battery pack and have some that test great, some that test good, some ok and the rest be "pos". IMHO, anything other than great or the very high end of good falls under the category of "pos".

Anthony and I had a couple discussions about his battery, the bad modules, the "shorting" event and the potential cell/module damage that may have resulted, along with discussions of the Prolong device. His concerns were totally justified. 6 modules shorted. ~45 volts with near zero resistance when a wrench welds itself to terminals is one heck of a current spike. IMHO, looking back on it, he made the right call by replacing them all. Many posters immediately jumped to the conclusion these modules were replaced because the entire battery pack was old and weak and he's going to chase his tail forever replacing one or two modules at a time. I personally do not feel that will be the case.

As for the Prolong....Now that he has his battery in a reasonable working state, I see no downside to it. Will a prolong help a battery that has a failed cell/module. Not IMHO, and I don't care who says it will, because I feel it will not, and I'm a damn good electronics tech, electrician, multi-craft tech or anything else you want to call it. Will it help a battery that is already in good condition, by helping to keep it in good, balanced condition? Probably so, but the only way to know for sure is to do a real scientific test. Unless Prolong wants to install a thousand of them for free to compare to a thousand cars without it, we'll just never have true long term data to look at.

And...if you take the time to read through this topic, you may notice there's more than one person who seems upset that everyone else isn't immediately falling in line behind their opinion. Just remember the world would be a mighty boring place if we were all the same.

 

That's exactly my concern. My understanding is that it's neither contaminants nor chemicals being used up, but rather the electrolyte forming crystals. Keep in mind that I'm not a battery expert, so my description may be way off - it is supposed to be a smooth gel. Not unlike what happens with honey when you store it in the fridge. The crystals form as you discharge the batteries, and partially - but not fully - dissolve again as you discharge it.

In new batteries, the crystals are small, but over time they build up. Usually, rechargable batteries can be recharged about 1000-3000 times before the buildup becomes excessive. I suspect that the same number is also true for Prius cells. After using NiCad batteries in laptops and other devices for decades, we have quite a bit of experience about how to prolong their lives.

These crystals don't act as electrolyte the way the gel form does. Less electrolyte means less capacity.

You can reduce the formation of these crystals by never fully discharging the battery - that's why the Prius will keep the battery within the 40% to 80% charge range. It's also why running out of gas damages the battery.

Some of what this prolong system seems to do may help prolong the battery life of a new battery - the slow charging would prevent a deep discharge when the car is parked for a long time. But deliberately deep-discharging the batteries seems incredibly harmful to me on a new battery. In an old, dying, battery, it may help give it a little bit of a boost, but it doesn't last long. It may be enough to get you on the road again, but probably only enough to drive to the nearest dealer for a new battery...

 

Unfortunately not only was your first chemistry comment off the mark but your second comment shows how little you really do understand about battery technology or chemistry. I mean saying things like "chemicals get used up" in the battery module, seriously?! NiCD are totally different battery designs/chemistrys, really?!

Nickel–metal hydride battery - Wikipedia (read the second sentence, also read "loss of capacity" section)

Luckily most finding this thread later are usually smart enough to sort out those who feel the need to speak from those who are worth listening to but hey, what do we know, right.

 

Oh I see.
Thank you Mr. Trump for showing me the truth.