2010 Prius Hybrid Battery P0A80 pinpointing which cells need replaced Techstream diagnostic included

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by GreenTea&SaltWater, Feb 9, 2022.

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  1. GreenTea&SaltWater

    GreenTea&SaltWater Member

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    Hello. I am a Prius owner with about 149k miles. When i bought this car at 132k miles it came with a hybrid battery pack issue. Got a P0A80 within 100 miles of driving it. Yeah i got fu**ed by the dealership. I learned how to pinpoint the bad cells with the help of this forum and youtube videos and it was good for 15k miles then the issue came back. I tried replacing 3 cells back in October but i targeted the incorrect blocks.

    I did another diagnostic today and I'm seeing something that didn't show last time which Techstream is giving me a code P3015 - Battery block #5 weak. Upon checking the battery voltages on techstream i found that it is indeed the weakest block. Here's a 3min screenrecording of the cell voltage readings as i drive around at 10mph in circles with the high beams on and radio and AC. If you don't want to watch the video I also included 4 screenshots from highest charge to lowest. The lowest I was able to get it to was 13.20v on Block #5. And I also noticed that blocks 2 &12 are particularly weak.




    How bad is it? Can I get away with replacing just block 5, or block 5 &2, or block 5, 2, and 12? Or does the entire battery pack need replacing?
     
    #1 GreenTea&SaltWater, Feb 9, 2022
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    What you're doing is considered a "whack a mole" type of repair. It most likely will not last long and you will have to do this over and over again.

    I think your car is still fairly low mileage and with the car prices being so inflated now, it would be a good idea to keep this car running reliably for a longer period of time. The best solution to your problem is to put in a brand new battery for $1600+ and then you'll have trouble free (in terms of battery) for 8+ additional years. And when it's time for you to sell the car, the new battery will add significant value to your car. So it's something that will pay for itself eventually
     
    #2 JC91006, Feb 9, 2022
  3. GreenTea&SaltWater

    GreenTea&SaltWater Member

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    I'm not planning on keeping the car. I recently bought a trailer and i'm living in it and i need a vehicle that can haul me around. I wanna replace enough cells so that it runs for another 15k miles at least with a disclaimer and a discount to the buyer of course.
     
    #3 GreenTea&SaltWater, Feb 9, 2022
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    whack a mole type of repair will not guarantee anything. If you want it to last 15k miles (remember the modules are older than when you first repaired them), you'll need to properly recondition and balance ALL of the modules. That way you'll have a longer lasting repair, possibly giving you 15k miles of trouble free driving
     
    #4 JC91006, Feb 9, 2022
  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    These words above are most often said by wealthy people with zero experience in rebuilding hybrid packs because they don't think twice about spending $2500 on a something that only costs a pack rebuilder $30 per bad module.

    Many people get lucky and get a year or more when they replace the first bad module or two. And the more you learn how to properly test and recondition modules, the easier it is to offer a 3 year warranty with a rebuilt pack. It's such a relief when the warranty expires on your pack and it never came back! :)
     
    #5 PriusCamper, Feb 9, 2022
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I don't know how any rebuilder can comfortably offer a 3 year warranty on a rebuilt pack. Of course if you charge enough money for a rebuilt pack, it wouldn't be so bad to service a pack a few times during it's warranty period.

    I've rebuilt many packs and have the equipment to do so. But all my cars have newer batteries in them. Call me lazy, but I like easy and trouble free driving.
     
    #6 JC91006, Feb 9, 2022
  7. GreenTea&SaltWater

    GreenTea&SaltWater Member

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    Yes I was considering learning how to rebalance the battery pack as well. I understand vaguely that you need several battery chargers to discharge and charge them over the course of a week or so right? I’ll look into it. But can you tell me your analysis on what cells you think I’m better off replacing? Should I do blocks 2, 5, and 12?
     
    #7 GreenTea&SaltWater, Feb 10, 2022
  8. GreenTea&SaltWater

    GreenTea&SaltWater Member

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    I swapped out 5 cells. Car is running fine and doesn’t feel sluggish atm. Ill consider the test passed once I reach 200 miles. If the issue persists then from my experience it will show up by 100 miles
     
    #8 GreenTea&SaltWater, Feb 21, 2022
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Whack a mole problems can show after a few hours or a month. After a month, it should be good until the next module fails
     
    #9 JC91006, Feb 21, 2022
  10. GreenTea&SaltWater

    GreenTea&SaltWater Member

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    Well luckily I carry a spare mallet around in the trunk!
     
    #10 GreenTea&SaltWater, Feb 21, 2022
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