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Methodologies for checking health of hybrid battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by ukiltmybrutha, Nov 1, 2020.

  1. ukiltmybrutha

    ukiltmybrutha Member

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    2005 Prius
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    I know that there are some videos out there articulating how to see what the health of the hybrid battery is but those seem to not be conclusive and put you in a position to draw your own vague conclusion from what I have seen.

    I just picked up this 05 Prius with 213k and I am reading that is pretty much a death sentence.

    I can get it up to 7 green bars pretty easy but it sometimes surprisingly drops to 2 red bars just sitting on ready in my garage after no time at all even with no accessories running. During driving it is 6 blue bars up and down without any quick changes like I would imagine.

    Should I just replace the hybrid battery ahead of time?

    Are there any tools out there which can give me an accurate level of battery health without being invasive?

    Seems to me that if I am going to be messing with the battery at all it will be for a new battery not tearing into it.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 ukiltmybrutha, Nov 1, 2020
  2. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Get an OBDII bluetooth enabled adapter (that plugs into the diagnostic port under your dash). You can then run several apps that give info on battery health such as Dr. Prius, hybrid assistant and Torque Pro. Dr Prius will give you a rough estimate remaining battery capacity and whether battery is currently functioning properly.

    You are at risk of battery death but when that may happen is uncertain, could happen tomorrow or in a few years.

    I'd wait to replace it. A new Lithium battery replacement may be available soon. See Rainbow Prius Hybrid Powered by Lithium! | PriusChat

    Battery conditioning might buy you time. Lots of discussion on the forum.
     
    #2 royrose, Nov 1, 2020
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  3. ukiltmybrutha

    ukiltmybrutha Member

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    Pretty concise post. I have had an ELM327 BT adapter for so long that it is almost completely worn out from use. I would like Torque Pro since it can work with so many other cars. Do the other 2 do something that torque pro cannot do like non intrusive repair (sorry for the loose term) of the battery?

    Thanks.
     
    #3 ukiltmybrutha, Nov 1, 2020
  4. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    I found Torque Pro to be a bit complicated to use, so I have stuck with the other 2. Hybrid Assistant ( android only) is free and gives you a nice dashboard as you drive. Dr. Prius does a battery capacity test that has a low one time fee. Neither fixes anything.
     
    #4 royrose, Nov 1, 2020
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  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Torque will generally work with any quality of adapter, other apps may require something faster or of higher quality.

    Read this before replacing your BT adapter : Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus
     
    #5 SFO, Nov 1, 2020
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