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high voltage traction battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Richard Bjerke, Jun 19, 2019.

  1. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    What happened? I was driving in traffic, my gas engine quit and I could not get over 40 MPH. Pulled off the road, stopped and now nothing. Had to be towed. This happened after I had a shop replace the coils and spark plugs. They tell me the drive battery is out.
     
  2. audiodave

    audiodave Active Member

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    How did the hybrid battery look and was it charging when you coasted?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  3. audiodave

    audiodave Active Member

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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did you run out of gas?

    did all the dash lights come on?

    who changed the plugs, a reputable hybrid shoppe? dealer?

    you need to get the codes read.

    how many miles on her?
     
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  5. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Most likely it is. Summer heat can be the final nail in the coffin (BTDT).

    You have several options. I list those and what I did first and last to solve the issue a couple of years ago. It's in my signature link.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
  6. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    I did not noticed if it charged when I coasted. It was in Houston's 5PM traffic (all three lanes full) at 5 - 45 MPH. The 12 volt battery is new, tested fine. Car still had two bars on gas gauge. Small hybrid shop. Bisco, could the shop caused this changing the PCV valve, coil & plugs? 220,000 miles on car.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    anything is possible. how many miles did it run fine for after the work was done?
     
  8. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    Only across Houston, 20-30 miles. About half in heavy traffic.
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds like something wasn't connected tightly
     
  10. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    Would that kill the HV battery or come loose, stop the gas engine, run down the HV battery and therefore kill it?
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you run out of gas, the car will keep driving until the hv battery gets low, then all the dash lights come on and it coasts to a stop.
    that was my experience in my 2008.

    i don't know for sure, but maybe the same thing happens if the engine quits for any other reason.

    my battery had enough juice left to start the engine after i put 3 gallons of gas in. don't discount that the gen 2 has a bladder, and sometimes the gauge becomes inaccurate.

    but telling you the drive battery is out isn't enough information to take the next step. in some cases, a recharge from a grid charger is all it needs.
     
  12. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Yes if the engine quits for any other manageable reason while your still going, you will be running on electric only with the engine as a drag. Now if pistons go flying out the hood, obviously this isn't the case. But if you run out of gas, have too many misfires, fuel pump dies, etc you can coast off the road and call for help. Instead of stalling in the middle of traffic and trying to push your car off the highway with people throwing things at you for making their commute even worse.

    If you're on the original traction battery, it is possible this was the last nail in the coffin. It could also be things like the hybrid inverter overheated because the pump stopped working. Texas in what is basically summer heat, this becomes a possibility.

    What are all the codes logged on the car? Everyone is just guessing until we get that answer.
     
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  13. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    thanks for all your help, everyone. I will contact the shot for the info needed?
     
  14. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Re-reading the OP, I'm not sure now what is going on. Motor dies but still can go 40mph on a 10 year old HV battery? That would be extremely hard to accomplish.

    There should multiple alpha-numeric trouble codes but the main ones are like PA080, P0301, etc. Others that start with a C or U are typically secondary in nature or not even related.
     
  15. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    It did not do 40 for long. When the traffic opened up and started to leave me, I could not keep up so I pulled off to the side. Do you think reconditioning could save the HV battery pack?
     
  16. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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    If the hybrid battery is dead, how can I get the error codes?
     
  17. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    The HV battery is not needed to read codes; only the 12v battery needs to be functioning. Does the car power up at all (dash lights, radio, etc)?
     
  18. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

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  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it is possible that reconditioning would work, but idk the qualifiers. read through the threads and contact jeff at prolong

    a ten year old battery with 220k often go forever, that's why taxis do so well. especially gen 2