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Driving 2010 Prius lll 90 miles on just ICE engine

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by jimlyons, Sep 10, 2024 at 3:48 PM.

  1. jimlyons

    jimlyons Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2007
    34
    4
    4
    Location:
    East Stroudsburg
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    My traction battery died at 232K miles. I know a shop that can swap this out, but it is 90 miles from me. He does not make house calls. Will it be okay to drive this far on just the ICE engine?

    I thought I read this should not be done.

    Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated.
     
    #1 jimlyons, Sep 10, 2024 at 3:48 PM
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,513
    49,785
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    if the traction battery is dead, the engine will not start. if the engine starts, the traction battery is good, and something else is wrong, but you can drive the 90 miles if there aren't any trouble lights on.
    if there are, you should get them scanned to see what the codes show. some you can drive with, some you can't.
     
    #2 bisco, Sep 10, 2024 at 8:04 PM
    jimlyons likes this.
  3. DirkAshburn

    DirkAshburn Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2020
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    Location:
    Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Have you thought about doing it youself? It's not horribly difficult, there are several in-depth youtube videos.

     
    #3 DirkAshburn, Sep 11, 2024 at 12:00 PM
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  4. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2021
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    Location:
    SacTown, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Yep, @bisco is correct; mode of failure is important here; cause the car can go into limp mode on the highway. You haven't lived, if you never had an 18-wheeler or train baring down on you while your stalled...:):(
    You can also rent a tow dolly and truck from u-haul to drag it down there... Cheaper than a tow. If you have a friend with a 3/4 ton pickup, it's just a day rental of the tow dolly. Drive wheel on the dolly, Please w/parking brakes disabled.

    Hopefully this helps
     
    #4 BiomedO1, Sep 11, 2024 at 3:40 PM
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  5. jimlyons

    jimlyons Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2007
    34
    4
    4
    Location:
    East Stroudsburg
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    This guy replaces it for $1250 with batteries he pulls from Gen 4 cars. Everything else is out of my budget right now.
     
    #5 jimlyons, Sep 15, 2024 at 8:59 PM
  6. jimlyons

    jimlyons Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2007
    34
    4
    4
    Location:
    East Stroudsburg
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I think I have to get an OBD code reader then. The dash shows the yellow triangle and Check Hybrid System message. Except for reduced speed going up a hill, it seemed fine.
     
    #6 jimlyons, Sep 15, 2024 at 9:01 PM
  7. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2021
    960
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    Location:
    South Central PA, USA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Yes, you need to read the trouble codes. If you are interested in buying a scan tool, read this thread first. You want to buy one that can read all the systems (ECUs) in the car.
    https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3290690
     
    #7 Brian1954, Sep 15, 2024 at 9:38 PM
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