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2008 Prius with new 12 V battery won't shift; lots of warning lights

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SuzyGS, Aug 20, 2017.

  1. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    That is the high voltage hybrid battery.
    It was NOT intended to be "user serviceable".......at least not by your "average" owner anyway.
     
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  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Good pictures of the hv battery Suzi.
    Good news is that's the updated battery part number from the stock battery so it's probably a brand new battery in there. The pic I need was the one that said
    BATTERY ASSY. G9510-47031
    That's the battery part number. The stock battery was a 47030 I believe.

    Only way to be a 100% sure is pull the pack open it up and check the date codes on the battery modules themselves. Wish I was there a drive in the car would tell me immediately but that's looking very good.

    To bad I was hoping the HV BATTERY was bad. But to be perfectly honest with you if it was me I would still spend the money and confirm. Because you can sell that car in its present condition for a lot more money if it really does have a new battery in it. That adds $2000 to that cars resale if you decide to bail. But a buyer is going to want definitive proof it really is a mint hv battery. And that means pictures of the battery modules themselves.
    The cover needs to be removed and good pictures of the battery modules and all the copper connections.

    The alternative is a transmission winding leakage investigation. That's not easily done by a mechanic it takes what's known as a megger to measure the 3 motor windings for leakage to chassis or another phase. And removing the trans fluid and see if it's burnt. That's not always definitive as the fluid has no interaction with the motor windings. But fluid investigation is cheap and easy.
    That would be the next step as it's looking like it's not the battery.

    Confuses me why the dealer didn't mention the car has a new HV BATTERY as part of its sales
    Routine. A new battery adds years to a Prius life. It's expensive to get a new battery replaced like $4000.
    So the car is well worth putting $1500 for a new trans. But I would make sure.
     
    #62 edthefox5, Aug 25, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2017
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  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Also your pictures were all a little foggy like the lens was fogged up. Next pictures will be important so make sure they are clear please.
    Thanks.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you are over your head suzy, i would refrain from further investigation mechanically.
    start searching for independent shoppes who can help you. 200v DC is not a trivial thing, and can be deadly, if not handled carefully.
    mini vci can also be complicated, and there are many threads here from people unsuccessful in making it work with their laptop. or even in how to use it properly.
     
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Well her brothers got a battery guy. Maybe he can take the battery cover off and take good pictures for her.
    She may want to bail and sell the car. Anyone buying a broken Prius but it has a new battery is going to want proof. The battery alone is worth $2000. If it's mint inside.
    Not asking her to rebuild the battery herself.
     
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  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    There's an alternative to the mini vci it's a VXDIAG. It's pretty plug and play. It plugs into the OBD port and then has a USB Plug to your pc.
    I have one. Works good.

    Just google VXDIAG FOR PRIUS. $75 but everyone needs a Scangauge for its form factor.
     
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  7. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Good. STOP.

    The exterior photo is enough. Here's photos of my original and then the new replacement Toyota battery (cover removed for inspection). The stickers and placements of such are different enough to tell your car has a new one (plus the part number and the repair history from the Toyota owner website).

    IMG_2700 3.JPG IMG_2723 4.JPG
     
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  8. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    well, I can tell you the battery is newer, the original didn't have all those warning stickers..... and yes you can get hurt screwing with the high voltage so DONT DO IT.. sadly its easy to clear the error codes and no lights will come on for a few days or weeks, just long enough to sell the car and screw someone over.. theres no point is buying new parts for it, the labor will be about the same new or used.. in all honesty Id cut my losses and try to trade it in while the lights are off. after this you will get the ABS brake issue sooner or later and thats another $3000 to fix if you cant get it done under the extended warranty... that ends at the end of this year..
     
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Not sure why everyone is cautioning her about high voltage its not like shes going to take the cover off herself and start digging around in there.

    Her symptoms do not seem like a bad trans axle.

    But having a new hybrid battery is awesome its worth alot of money and worth going forward and repairing the car.
     
    #69 edthefox5, Aug 25, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2017
  10. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    I appreciate everyone's input today. I'm glad the car has a valuable battery in it.

    Still pondering the gauges, especially since we have the other Prius as well. If the VX DIAG for Prius is more expensive but easier to use, I guess I would spring for it - found it for $77. On the other hand my college-freshman son is a computer whiz and could probably figure out the VCI thing, too. He's following this forum thread with me so I will ask him.

    Beachbummm, one of the illuminated warnings was the brake light. Do you think that means the brakes are going out? Or is it just that with the problem the car perceives, the car's computer disables all the systems including the brakes? Do the ABS brakes typically fail around 100K miles? What have others experienced with the Gen 2 Priuses? I actually slightly misstated the miles on this car the first day; it has 103K. I guess they have a 10-year warranty, sounds like.

    As far as deciding on whether to keep the car or sell it, if you think we'll have an ABS repair AND a transmission replacement, it does seem like it might be too expensive to keep. Does anyone know a way to determine if the brake system is about to fail? I'll try to find something on this forum to get an idea of the average age/miles this repair is needed.

    I don't think I would sell it to an individual, unless he were just a re-seller like the person who sold it to us, but maybe we could trade it in to a dealer, who could more easily afford to fix it if something went wrong. IF that's even a possibility. My daughter is in love with this car, and we've invested time and money, including the new license, sales tax, oil change, windshield wipers, floor mats, 12 V battery, etc.

    I sent a letter to Toyota Customer Care. I got a case number and called them early this morning. I don't know if they can or will help, but they were sympathetic to the idea that the local dealer may not have explored every avenue before recommending the transmission replacement. She mentioned it might be a good idea to get a second opinion. I told her they were the only game in town, and she decided her next step would be to call them and discuss the case with them to make sure the code doesn’t indicate something else is wrong instead. She called the dealership while putting me on hold, but of course they didn’t answer the phone, AND Adam, my service advisor, isn’t there today.

    I’d personally love a second opinion from a Toyota dealership but I don’t know if I’d be comfortable driving the car that far (probably 50 miles). But I would not mind driving to a local repairman, if I find the right person.
     
  11. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    This is a very encouraging post. I would love to find a reason to keep the car. It's really a beauty, and has Softex seats. My daughter probably won't like me posting this photo since she was smiling through tears, but it's a good photo of the car.
     

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  12. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Thats great. Thanks for posting. Now you must keep the car! Lol...With the new battery well worth keeping the car its the toughest little car on the road and will last forever if properly maintained but at its age the battery gets you. I bought mine new in 07 and its been a fantastic car nothing really has gone wrong with it. My wife loves the car as a around town car it cannot be beat. The hybrid battery started to show its age but you can buy an outboard charger for it that works well so I have been charging it and it helps.. But you wont need one of those for at least 10 years!!
     
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  13. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    Well, I'd surely LIKE to keep it...When we bought it, we dared to hope it might last until our daughter graduates from college. I haven't had a chance to look at the ABS brakes posts. Have you had to repair yours?
     
  14. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    without getting a list of error codes from the dealer or someone with the techstream program there no way of knowing whats going on..
    the brake light could be on if the 12 volt battery is low, you will know the ABS Actuator is bad if you hear the pump cycling on and off when you first get in the car as it tries to build pressure. mine went out at 156000 miles and was covered this month..... again the error codes will tell you if theres a problem and that code and the vin number will determine if the repair is covered..
     
  15. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Why not, I did that awhile back. Sometimes, now I get some random muscle "jerks and twitches," but other than that....And, my battery looked fine.
     
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  16. johnjohnchu

    johnjohnchu Active Member

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    Typical ABS actuator leaking symptom is periodic low level buzzy sound under the dash even when no braking action has been applied recently.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think we are proceeding with caution because of this post. seems reasonable to me, rather than asking a novice to diagnose and repair their own car.
     
  18. Max Finch

    Max Finch Active Member

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    If it's a transmission I'd personally have some local ASE shop put a used one with less miles into it. They don't go for more than $300-$500. Labor would be the most expensive part. Everyone I know with Priuses have 100k-300k on them with little to no issues. Actually I would probably tinker with it with some friends myself over some beers and pizza. I've got all the tools available to me, but that's just me.


    iPhone ?
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    road trip to alabama?
     
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  20. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    LOL, why is Oregon so far away...!? I wish all of you lived in my neighborhood. I'd serve beer and my killer tropical drinks!
     
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