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Battery Help?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SeanD13, Jun 24, 2018.

  1. SeanD13

    SeanD13 New Member

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    Hi all, hoping for some help with my wife's '05 Prius. The other day, on start-up the Red Triangle of Death and various warning lights came on. My cheap OBD scanner told me that it was a P3017 error - a problem with the batteries in block pair 7. I took the battery out, and tested each battery - they all showed between 7.5 and 7.6- So, no obviously bad battery. I did notice that one battery seemed to be leaking something - some greenish ooze down the side, and the tray was corroded underneath it. So, swapped that one out, and the one next to it to replace the block. Everything put back together, drive down to the gas station, and.......P3017 pops up again, followed by P3015. Driving home, the car gives a lurch, and the hybrid battery then completely stops charging/discharging, according to the energy flow monitor.

    If I can't figure this out today, my wife is going to have to take my Suburban for her daily commute to Philly on Monday. And I'll be stranded at home with 4 kids and no option to drive to the park or bribe them with McD's for lunch.
     
    #1 SeanD13, Jun 24, 2018
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    you probably need a prius aware scanner, but you have to load test cells to find the bad ones. then you have to balance the pack after replacing the bad cells, to get any kind of longevity.

    there are lots of how to threads here. all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 24, 2018
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  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Welcome to Prius Chat (y).

    Some questions:

    • How many miles on your Prius?
    • How are you counting blocks?
    • How long do you want these repairs to last?
    • Do you have access to Techstream?
    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
    #3 Raytheeagle, Jun 24, 2018
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  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There also a good possibility the replacement modules are not good. You need to properly load test the entire pack and balance it afterwards. Or you'll end up doing this again really soon
     
    #4 JC91006, Jun 24, 2018
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  5. SeanD13

    SeanD13 New Member

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    • 260,xxx miles
    • counting L to R, starting at the 'deepest' cell closest to the circuitry connections
    • a year or two would be nice
    • isn't that one of the Decepticons?
    I'm fairly certain now that I was counting the blocks backwards :confused:

    I also realize that my OBD scanner is likely missing a lot of information. For $4, it was a start, but it's time to upgrade.
     
    #5 SeanD13, Jun 24, 2018
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  6. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    You started on the wrong side of the pack. Start the other way and measure each module voltage and see what you get;).

    You can pick up a Mini vci that has Techstream off of Amazon for around $20 or vxdiag for $80 with Techstream then pair it with an old laptop:).

    With the situation you find yourself in, you need the right tools to help get to the root cause;).

    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
    #6 Raytheeagle, Jun 25, 2018
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  7. SeanD13

    SeanD13 New Member

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    [​IMG]

    So, the constraints of time and family conspired against me, and I called a guy to simply swap out my battery for a whole new reconditioned one. Hybrid Battery Doctor out of Baltimore was pretty quick about coming out, and quick with the work - I'll post any issues we have with the new battery, but it seems to be holding up so far.

    I would appreciate a shopping list if anyone has one handy - some of the specialized tools for working with batteries. Brakes, radiators, a/c systems, even turbos and exhaust I can work with, but this is my first hybrid, so I'm a little short-handed when it comes to tools for this.
     

    Attached Files:

    #7 SeanD13, Jun 28, 2018
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best!(y)
     
    #8 bisco, Jun 28, 2018
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    battery rebuilding is not for everybody. It's for people with a lot of time and aren't really afraid of break downs. Most people would be best with buying a new battery and getting 10 more years of reliable worry free service
     
    #9 JC91006, Jun 28, 2018
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  10. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Major tools you'll need are an inch pound torque wrench, a multimeter and Techstream ;).

    YouTube and google are your friends too(y).
     
    #10 Raytheeagle, Jun 28, 2018
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