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Battery removal/install safety question

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by bmparent, Jun 1, 2019.

  1. bmparent

    bmparent Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2014
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    Location:
    barre ma
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
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    N/A
    So now that I've confirmed I need a new battery, and have taken my car half-way apart, and even seem to have convinced the nearby toyota dealer to sell me a new battery, I've carefully watched a few different youtube videos, looked at the manual someone shared with me here on Priuschat and will soon be ready to actually do the swap out. So my question is about just exactly where the most dangerous, electrically speaking, part of this job might be. I do have insulated gloves and obviously will be disconnecting the negative terminal of the 12v and taking out the orange safety plug, in that order. I see that most people doing battery work online are working with bare hands at least most of the time. Besides standing in a pool of water and putting my hands on both battery terminals at the same time, what is it exactly that presents the most danger when handling the battery?
     
    #1 bmparent, Jun 1, 2019
  2. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2009
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    Location:
    Torrance, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    IGNORANCE.
    Incorrect tools. Not applying the correct torque to the nuts/bolts. Relying on YouTube videos; accuracy of info is all over the place on this medium.

    Insulated gloves meaning electrical lineman rubber gloves with a class 00 or 0 rating? Did you buy the leather outer protector for this glove? The protector is there to prevent nicks/scratches on the rubber glove. A deep enough nick/scratch could essentially make the glove useless for obvious reasons; electrical current could enter through this opening. Did you even know about this?

    Few people buy electrical tools. These tools are insulated for safety. They unfortunately cost a lot. Thus the lack of use, except by trades people.

    Do you have a quality torque wrench that is accurate? Do you know what the torque values are for the nuts/bolts on the HV pack?
     
    #2 exstudent, Jun 3, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2019
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