I am noob as far as this forum and not especially mechanical. I have a 2007 Prius that I've owned for 6 years that has 237K miles and has been operating with little to no issue until last week. I drive almost exclusively highway miles as I have 2 mile commute to work 5 days a week and then commute 280 miles round trip each weekend ( I got it in 2016 with 90 K and the balance has mostly been this pattern). I had been averaging 43.5-44 MPG which was typical for summer in the northeast the past 6 years. Then last Friday night I was leaving work and after maybe 45 seconds of driving, all the terrible dash lights came on - Master warning, check engine, VSC, ABS etc. I didn't detect any new noises or roughness to the engine, but I had noticed of late that the hybrid battery would occasionally go to blue (more than half bars) more often than it once did, and of course I am already at high miles. Otherwise, no advance warning. I turned off the car, read a bunch of posts on here, reseated the gas cap hoping that was the problem and VSC and ABS lights went off but Triangle and Check engine light remained on, then I drove the two miles to get some sleep. The next morning the car started fine, battery in blue with more than half bars. I drove it the two miles back to work and then left it parked until my Panlong OBDII Scanner would arrive today. I connected the scanner and at first the battery showed about the same bar status (blue, more than half bars). I used the DrPrius app to obtain codes and it showed no engine codes but for battery error it read "HV Battery ECU error code P3000P0A80" but I didn't see how to pull subcodes (I hadn't signed up for a package) then spent a few minutes watching the battery monitor in real time and taking screenshots. Initially the state of charge read 35% and then I drove it around the parking lot a few times, parked again, and state of charge got to 55% and voltages on the blocks were reading from 16.96% to 17.4%. I had also downloaded TorquePro but hadn't read how to use it, but figured out how to log results and drove a few circles around the parking lot again. Then I noticed an intense fan noise I had never heard before coming from the back seat/battery area and saw that the hybrid battery graphic showed it had dropped down to one bar, so I stopped and turned off the car. So far, my impression that my hybrid battery is probably gone bad and I would like to run the full battery test and lifetime expectancy test but am too afraid I will damage something permanently. The other bit of information I would add is that I replaced the CAT with an OEM part just over a year ago, after it was stolen and paid out of pocket so have some incentive to keep this car running beyond the romantic attachment I feel. I would greatly appreciate any tips or confidence boosting to keep at the diagnostics if it is safe to do so. Thank you for reading this far, and if you have advice I'll do my best to repay you or pay it forward elsewhere!
Welcome to PriusChat!! Given the two OBD2 codes (DTCs) that you provided, and the increase in fan speed that you've noticed, we will assume the worst. No need to do a test, and yes that would put unneeded strain on the HV battery, which at the stage wouldn't help things. Plan for a replacement HV battery soon(er), it may work now for awhile, but will fail at some point in the future. That app isn't able to supply subcodes / detailed codes / INFs, you would need to use a mini-vci cable with techstream, or another device. Do you have any interest in tackling this repair yourself, or will you be paying someone to make the problem go away? FYI : you're moderated until you've posted 5 times.
I don't think I am up to the task myself, but am considering whether to look for someone who would replace it using a kit somewhere in central New England, go through a dealer, or if I really should just be looking for another car. I was hoping that it could just be another component like the inverter pump, but I will have to weigh my options now.
Your Prius battery is an easy swap for anybody that can follow basic instructions it truly is but be that as it may there's a bunch of places to get refurbed batteries you may do well with that I'm on the same thing and I also have a car like yours with a brand new battery. Just realize your battery is close to 20 so years old so it did well if you got a new one and it lasted 3/4 of that time you would probably be out of the car so your best bet is probably full with a rebuilt battery from a reputable person that does this kind of work with a brick and mortar shop that are cranking them out
Does anyone know of a list of such "reputable brick and mortar" shops or tips on what to ask a shop to have confidence in their work? This is exactly my dilemma, the mechanic that I most trusted around here retired a year ago, and the only companies I find online are places that come to you, which feels like it could be impossible to hold them accountable if something is wrong in the "warranty period."
that's exactly right. if they don't have a shoppe, you're at their mercy. i would get quotes from as many dealers as you're willing to drive to, but batteries are on b/o at most places. if you intend to keep driving this much, a new(er) car is certainly a good idea, but the market is difficult these days. you can sell the cat for a grande or so, if you can't get much for the car. i for one, would be interested in the codes and sub codes.
The only place I know close to you which is not close about 2 hours is t e t a s garage Paul teta was his name I think I think he's long retired and/or dead now but I'm sure his garage is still open The guys at always work there where the type that would take it over but I'm amazed if you can't find somebody in New London I used to live up that way years ago before Prius but yeah that's interesting
I went to a local dealer to get codes (and had to argue with them to get a copy of the diagnostic report, sigh) These are all the codes: Hybrid Control DTC P3000 Current and Hist HV Battery P0A80 Current Pending and Hist Replace Hybrid Battery pack P3018 Current Pending and Hist Battery Block 8 becomes weak ABS/VSC C1259 Current (I read elsewhere to ignore) /TRAC C1310 Current Tire PM C2122 Currrent AC B1241 Current My interpretation is that is basically the hybrid battery has a (or multiple) bad blocks but that the other codes are just thrown as a byproduct of this problem. I am curious if there would have been another code if the inverter or pump were also bad.
If you paid for the diagnostic service, then they should've included the OBD2 codes with the receipt. Yes, there would have been.
