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Batteries are leaking

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by 299K, Jan 21, 2020.

  1. 299K

    299K Junior Member

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    My traction battery has started leaking. Thoughts?
     
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Fix it before it leaves you stranded?
     
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  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    It will soon throw a red triangle of death on the dash and go into limp mode. It will throw a ground fault nag.

    One or more battery modules have cracked leaking electrolyte.

    New battery time.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    be careful of your skin
     
  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    It's possible it's just one of 28 modules that leaks and can easily be replaced with one of similar age and health... These are often caused by too much heat. Perhaps your hybrid battery cooling fan needs cleaning? First step is to pull that pack out and clean everything, replace corroded nuts and bus bars and voltage sensors and find out ho many modules are leaking.
     
  6. Priuslover09

    Priuslover09 Member

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    Is it a big or small leak in the battery ?
     
  7. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    How would one determine if it was big or small?

    Would it be by the number of modules, or by the number of DTCs, or something else?
     
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  8. 299K

    299K Junior Member

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    A couple modules are leaking where stud enters the cell. Just spread around some baking soda, no codes or triangle yet.
     
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  9. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    While that's the most common place to notice the leak, it doesn't mean that it's the exact location. If I were you I'd pull the pack and deep clean everything, replace bus bars, voltage sensor harness and nuts so you'll have an easier time detecting the location of the leak.

    Because there's no ground fault error code, if you're lucky the leak was NOT from a crack in the base of the module where the stud enters but instead from where the bus bars connect which could of been caused by a single over-heating event and if you keep don't have anymore overheating events you'll be good for a while.

    Check you hybrid battery cooling fan, when that gets clogged that's when things heat up. You'll be in the clear if there's no more signs of leaking this coming Summer.
     
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  10. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Get a new one.....
     
  11. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    wasteful & irresponsible...
     
  12. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    That's kinda harsh... I've played the battery game. I drive my prius long distances.
    I need daily reliability especially when hundreds or thousands of miles from home often.
     
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  13. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    One person false sense of reliability, is another person's sense of throwing the baby out with the bath water... And with 2/3 of US citizens having less than a $1K in emergency savings, rebuilding a pack is often the only option they can afford.
     
  14. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    You win..... : )
    Been through this before.
     
  15. 299K

    299K Junior Member

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    The leak appears to be at the terminals where the buss bars are bolted.
     
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  16. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    If you just have some greenish looking fluid on the sides of the modules, just clean it up a bit and roll on. It'll let you know if it ever really needs work done on it. A HV isolation fault will not leave you stranded, as it will let you continue to drive even after triggered (until you turn the car off). Once you turn the car off, it won't let you go ready again unless you reset the code (disconnect the battery)
     
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  17. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yes, what he said... The leak most likely was a one time event when things were hot... If the leak was coming from below it would likely be something that you'd need to address. So you lucked out for now!
     
  18. 299K

    299K Junior Member

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    Thanks!
    I carry a paperclip and an obd reader/eraser along with a 10mm wrench wherever I go. I did rememove the bussbars and soak them in vinegar, then reinstalled. No problems so far.