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2005 Prius- !, check engine and other lights on

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chrisj, Jan 12, 2017.

  1. chrisj

    chrisj Junior Member

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    2005 Prius- The battery fan in the back seat is always on at this point as well and acceleration(transmission)is acting a little funny. Is there any way this could all be related to the 12v battery? I've never replaced it and currently the odometer is at 160k. I'm trying to decide if ihould put money into the car or send it to the grave yard :(
     
  2. chrisj

    chrisj Junior Member

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    2005 Prius- The battery fan in the back seat is always on at this point as well and acceleration(transmission)is acting a little funny. Is there any way this could all be related to the 12v battery? I've never replaced it and currently the odometer is at 160k. I'm trying to decide if ihould put money into the car or send it to the grave yard :(
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    unlikely, but it's worth checking. the 12v can make funny things happen, but the fan and driveability problems are usually related to the hybrid battery.
    it's alway worth checking the cooling fan as well. that and the 12v are easy.
     
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  4. SnT08Prius

    SnT08Prius Active Member

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    If the HV fan is always on the HV battery may be over heating. May be a sign of bad cell within the HV battery.
     
  5. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    This belongs in the Gen 2 Forum, I believe. Probably not 12V battery related, but worth a health check given the miles/years. Very important to make sure the traction battery cooling vent is not blocked or clogged with debris. After all that, you need to report how the traction battery holds state of charge. A failing traction battery from Gen 2 will swing quickly from low (purple bars) to high (green bars) and vice versa under load/no load conditions. Quickly means a mile or two of coasting will take the battery full green or a mile or two of climbing will run the battery down to purple. It would not be a surprise that a 2005/2006 with 160K miles has exhausted the traction battery.
     
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  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Where are you located? Seems to be a battery failure
     
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  7. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    If the 12 V battery is over 5 years old, that would be a good place to start.
    After that, you probably need a shop to do a diagnostic before you decide on the next step.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    chris, why did you post 2 threads about the same thing? i'll report it for you.
     
  9. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    if you don't fix it sell it on craigslist, its worth more than junk.should bring 1200 if its in good shape...odds are you need a HV battery rebuild, sometimes its only one module you can buy on ebay for $30. if you don't want to do it yourself it should cost around 400 to rebuild at a shop, check around
     
  10. chrisj

    chrisj Junior Member

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    Thanks guys, I accidentally posted this in the Gen 4 forum as well before I noticed there were split up, dedicated forums for each generation. I'm in MA....the lights came on over the holidays briefly then went out for the better part of two weeks. As of the day before yesterday, they are on full time along with the battery fan....no lights have come on related to the batteries/hybrid system though. Checked the 12v battery earlier today, it read 12v so I assume it's ok. Unfortunately the body is pretty beat up at this point. 10 years of parking around Boston/Cambridge will do this to a car! I just hate to have to pay a dealership to run diagnostics if the repair is going to cost more than the car is worth at this point.
     
  11. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    NOT a good assumption.
    With no load, it should read 12.6-12.8 if fully charged.
    12.0 is only about 40% charged and is NOT good.
     
  12. chrisj

    chrisj Junior Member

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    Ok, I'll run the test again to be sure. Is it possible that the 12v is causing the described issues? No lights have come on specifically related to the hybrid batteries, but the fan is running....
     
  13. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I can understand you clutching at straws, but in reality, no, it is very unlikely a bad 12 V will cause the fan to run.

    No lights are on as the system's thresholds have not yet been met. But they probably are not far away.

    If the fan is running at an audible speed, the HV battery is running warm/hot. This is one of the precursor signs of HV battery failure. You could check the HV cooling fan to make sure it is not clogged with lint/pet hair. But other than that, you should be saving so you can have the cash to replace the HV battery in the near future.
     
    #13 dolj, Jan 13, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2017
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  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Yes, this fan problem has nothing to do with the 12v battery. You can check the 12v health, but a bad 12v would not make that fan go on
     
  15. chrisj

    chrisj Junior Member

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    Thank you fellows, any idea what the batteries cost to replace? 2k if I remember correctly? I'm not sure the car is worth that much at this point. May be time for the scrap yard.....don't think there will be much market for it on CL and doubt any dealer would accept it as a trade in.
     
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I would take it, as there's always value in a car with tons of usable parts.

    I'm sure you can sell it on CL if you really wanted to. Even with the bad battery, it would fetch at least $1000.
     
  17. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    You don't know until you try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
     
  18. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    You don't KNOW that for sure.
    The computer that senses HV battery temp is just as prone to getting false reports when the 12 V is weak as any other part of the car is.

    I certainly would take a $200 gamble on a 12 V before I'd gamble $2000 on a HV battery.
    Actually I wouldn't do either without some tests to get at least a clue as to what the REAL problem is.
     
  19. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The car doesn't require the use of the 12v battery when it's on. You can disconnect the battery and it'll operate normal. So you can be certain the fan is not caused by the weak battery while the car is in ready mode
     
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  20. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Unless the converter ( charging system) is also not working right.
    Without a good battery in place, minor fluctuations in the converter can become BIG fluctuations.