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2nd Battery Code in 3 Weeks

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 'LectroFuel, May 29, 2017.

  1. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    I had my HV battery replaced three weeks in my ago in my 2005 Prius after seeing the P0A80 code. Same exact thing happened again with my remanufactured Dorman battery. Luckily it's under warranty, but I wanted to know if there could be something that is making the battery fail so often or is it just a bad battery.

    My main question is: Can I drive the car for about 5 miles tomorrow with these codes and problems? Could the car die while I'm driving it? I'd rather have the car not start than be stranded on the side of the road. The car is obviously slower than normal, but the gas engine still turns off when stopped with a decent SOC. I'm gonna fix this ASAP, but I'm busy and I need the car for a few days.
     
    #1 'LectroFuel, May 29, 2017
  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    You should be able to drive it at slower speeds with no issues except for a severe lack of power and acceleration since the electric motor side of the equation isn't working due to the failed battery (turtle mode).

    Dormans are rebuilt batteries using the same age or older modules of your original battery. Lots of reports here of folks needing to replace the dormans multiple times. If the replacement fails quickly, I'd check the battery ECU but I believe that throws a separate code(s).

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #2 fotomoto, May 29, 2017
    'LectroFuel likes this.
  3. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    Thank you! I'm gonna baby it! Yes I only had the one common battery code.
     
    #3 'LectroFuel, May 29, 2017
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Nope, just a bad battery. +1 to what fotomoto said.
     
    #4 dolj, May 31, 2017
  5. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    If the battery was replaced with a drop in replacement from Dorman, you would have gotten a different Hybrid Battery ECU.

    Have you had the 12v battery tested as well?

    Check that the fan was cleaned. And double check the pins of the white connector going to the fan for corrosion.
     
    #5 ericbecky, May 31, 2017
  6. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    I haven't replaced the 12v in a while. If the battery fan was clogged, would the car be much slower than normal and why would the battery quickly change from full to one bar? The fan hasn't been noticeable in terms of sound.
     
    #6 'LectroFuel, May 31, 2017
  7. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Technically to have a valid warranty you MUST clean the hybrid battery fan.
    From Dorman there are highlighted stickers that note this.

    If the fan is unable to cool the hybrid battery the system will limit battery use in order to protect it.

    If the fan were unable to work properly it would not sound any different. If it stopped functioning it would be silent, right?

    I would take the time to take a peek at it just to be sure.

    Checking the battery fan and 12v battery are low hanging fruit so that is why I'd start there.

    If you have techstream or Torque app you could also watch the hv battery info live. This might help confirm or rule out issues.
     
    #7 ericbecky, May 31, 2017
  8. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Techstream will also allow you to test the cooling fan steps 1 through 5 to ensure it's working properly.
     
    #8 TMR-JWAP, May 31, 2017
  9. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Still needs a visual inspection.

    Water leak on that side is common.
    I have seen many fan wires with green corrosion on them that make the fan only operate intermittently.
     
    #9 ericbecky, May 31, 2017
  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    If you're right on the coast, salt air will make the connections corrode faster. If the battery is having problems, the fan would normally run full speed. So, if you don't hear it, I'd be very suspicious of it. But, as others said, check the 12V battery because it can cause weird stuff if it's low and it's super easy to check.
     
    #10 jerrymildred, May 31, 2017
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