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Best place to find batteries

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Prius2006Owner, Jul 14, 2022.

  1. Prius2006Owner

    Prius2006Owner Junior Member

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    My batteries are going down to Purple levels.

    I would like to replace as many batteries as possible to stay in Green most of the time. Where can I find good batteries?

    Of course I don't want to pay an arm and a leg to get them but lowest possible price and good batteries.

    Do Toyota dealer sell battery cells?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no, try 'newpriusbatteries.com'
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    You'll never stay green that's not how it works. When the battery gets used when the electric motors are running the batteries need to go down then the inverter kicks in at whatever point and allows the batteries to charge back up to get to possibly a green state but if they're cycling so much you might not see green for a couple of days is possible especially with somebody else driving y'all don't go anywhere it seems like or a lot of you don't.
     
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  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Nothing wrong with your pack, it just needs deep cycling to restore capacity: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) | Hybrid Automotive
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    have you tried batteries plus bulbs?
     
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I think these two things are mutually exclusive.
    No, not battery modules, they did use to sell the complete set, but some are speculating that they have just stopped selling Gen 2 batteries. Others speculate it is a disruption to the supply chain and they are just temporarily out of stock. However, you could always buy a Gen 3 pack and swap them into your Gen 2 pack - not cheap, but definitely good.

    As others have said, you might not even need a new pack. It would pay to find out.
     
  7. Prius2006Owner

    Prius2006Owner Junior Member

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    Thank you for all for your replies!

    'newpriusbatteries' - How long would those batteries last?

    "You'll never stay green that's not how it works." - That is very odd. Mine was always green without 1 less bar for more than 5 years when I bought 3 year old Prius. I am almost certain it was always green first 3 years before I got Prius. Maybe there were blue for few seconds although I never recall seeing blue during those years.

    "it just needs deep cycling to restore capacity" - Thank you. I will try restoring capacity.

    "batteries plus bulbs" - No, I haven't tried. I will check it out.

    "Gen 3 pack and swap them into your Gen 2 pack" - I did replace 10 batteries with Gen 3 and few are good, few are bad so now it seems like I would need to replace them.
     
  8. Prius2006Owner

    Prius2006Owner Junior Member

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    upload_2022-7-15_7-38-53.png

    should I be replacing block 1,2,4,5,6,7,9,10?
     
    #8 Prius2006Owner, Jul 15, 2022
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 15, 2022
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    newpriusbatteries should last as long as oem. they are well tested, but not in service more than a few years.
    battery indicator generally hovers around mid range except under certain circumstances when it wil go full green or 2 purple.
    don't know what you were seeing for 3 years, but it is not usually reported.

    what are you reading the batteries with? you need to put them under load
     
    #9 bisco, Jul 15, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2022
  10. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Well, let's hope so. However, my experience with similar replacement batteries when I owned a 2003 Civic Hybrid was not good. The packs made with Chinese cylindrical batteries were just not reliable.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed, but these are different. a lot of testimonials here, but again, real world only a few years.
     
  12. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    My batteries are going down to Purple levels.

    This means absolutely NOTHING unless you put some context with it!!
    when does it go to two purple bars? Two purple bars are quite often a NORMAL condition, especially during the summer if running AC and idling a bit.

    Mine was always green without 1 less bar for more than 5 years when I bought 3 year old Prius. I am almost certain it was always green first 3 years before I got Prius.

    You're remembering wrong. NO GEN 2 prius controls at the green SOC level as a normal thing. It's not designed that way.
    If you were seeing that, then something was wrong with your car from the day you bought it..

    Your battery block voltages in post 8 aren't all that bad. Do you have any codes? It looks to me like you're jumping the gun just a bit and trying to find a problem where one doesn't exist.
     
  13. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Well, that changes things. Frankenbatteries are a whole different ballgame.
    As people have said context is important. As TMR-JWAP said the normal place the BMS likes is around the 60% mark which equates to the 6th bar and is also the last blue bar.

    However, when I drive a lot in hilly terrain I see green bars more often and with the way I highway drive, I see green a lot too. In normal flat city driving, I see mostly only blue bars.

    Another time I see green more often is after reconditioning the battery.
    If the part of Virginia is hilly or undulating terrain this may very well be. If not then maybe it is just a case of selective memory, especially if the 'Energy' screen is not showing all the time.
    I'd tend to second this thought. You may be seeing a change but this does not necessarily mean you have a problem.
     
  14. Prius2006Owner

    Prius2006Owner Junior Member

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    Ok. Thank you. Maybe there is no problem. I do recall seeing purple bars before Red Triangle appeared before.
    I would rather fix it then seeing another Red Triangle.
     
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  15. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    It might have been a good idea to lead with the fact you got a Master Warning Light. With this there will be codes to read. What they are might change what advice you might receive.
     
  16. Prius2006Owner

    Prius2006Owner Junior Member

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    dolj - Where did you get your batteries? 50.6 mpg? That seems like new batteries.
     
  17. nancytheprius

    nancytheprius Active Member

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    Might have other non-battery issues! check your oil level, read codes, and go from there!
     
  18. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I got my batteries from Toyota - they came with the car. As far as the HV battery goes, the only thing I do is recondition it maybe every 18 - 24 months. I have been doing this since they were roughly 10-years old.

    I don't consider 50.6 MPG (US) to be particularly spectacular, just an average with which I am happy.
     
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  19. Prius2006Owner

    Prius2006Owner Junior Member

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    so you never changed your HV batteries? They are original and all you do is recondition?
     
  20. alftoy

    alftoy Senior Member

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    Possible to have more context instead of musing? How exactly did you pinpoint which cells to replace with Gen 3 batteries? Have you done a load test with Dr Prius, Hybrid Assistant or Techstream?
     
    #20 alftoy, Jul 19, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2022