Can the NIMH battery sit unused for 16 months and still be usable?

I'm no expert, but I've read that leaving a Prius sit for more than two weeks can kill the battery.

 

Two weeks of sitting (with SKS on) will drain the 12 volt battery, not the high voltage traction battery. A jump start will get you going again, although the life of the 12 V battery will be shortened a bit.

do not know how long the HV battery will last if sitting.

 

When Prius is in storage, the traction battery is supposed to be recharged by making the car READY for 30 minutes every two months. So the battery may well be dead after 16 months but you can buy a salvage battery fairly cheaply - $400 or so plus shipping.

 

First, Toyota says the traction battery should be recharged after -6- months by leaving the car in "ready" for an hour or two. I would say you're probably good for at least 12 months or longer.

Second, -fully discharging- BY SELF DISCHARGE -WILL NOT- damage a NIMH battery. That is what happens when it goes dead while off. You won't be able to get the car going, but once recharged the battery will be fine

The caveat is only Toyota have the special charger, and they only have a few. It will be expansive to charge the battery, unless you know what you are doing and can do it yourself. You will need a current controlled charger capable of running at up to 240V DC output, but only an amp or two. This can be dangerous, as these voltages are lethal, so only qualified personnel should attempt this. Toyota will fly in the charger and the person qualified to use it. That's why it's expensive.

 

You have several options.
1. Junk yard - somewhat risky but likely least expensive (particularly if they don't know the value of what they have). You could potentially pick up one for 2 to 3 hundred. You will have to find someone to change it out for you and there are a limited number of auto techs who are sufficiently trained in hybrid systems to handle the high voltage systems.

2. Plug-in Conversions (San Diego area), when they and their distributors/installers do their PHEV conversions they replace the original battery packs which are returned to PICC. Not sure what they do with them but I suspect they resell them. Contact Kim for information.

3. Autobeyours.com sells parts and rebuilds salvaged Prii as their business. They are located in southern Indiana just north of Louisville Kentucky. The owner, Steve Woodruff, has an immense amount of knowledge about these cars and specifically repairing collision damage. He got into the business from the electronics side, which is what he is trained and degreed in, so Prius repair fits well with his skill set. His parts and rebuilt cars come with a warranty. He's also willing to share his knowledge because he is very passionate about what he does (just be considerate of his time).

I've noticed this is at least your third post/thread looking for advice. Given that the internal combustion engine (ICE) spins I assume the car will move. Your focusing on the traction battery, although a concern, is not what I would be worried about (since it is being used to spin the engine). Something else is going on because the ICE itself is not running. This then would point to either a fuel, spark or computer (one of the 13 or so) problem. Without info that can be obtained off the CANbus with a scantool you are in the dark with no way to effectively troubleshoot.

Sounds risky to me, especially since you can't drive it to access its driveability. It could be cosmetically repaired but be hiding unrepaired frame issues. Have you spent the time to look the car over throughly? Missing or misaligned parts would not bode well.

If the car was wreaked in Mississippi, where is it now? And how come whoever has done the repairs does not have the skills/knowledge to get the ICE to work. This is troubling. This car, depending on its level of trim should be worth about 10K or more as a repaired salvage but that is entirely dependent on the level of quality of the repair (I should know, I drive a salvage). If I were you I'd be careful (and call Steve for advice). You should also know some insurance companies will refuse to insure a repaired vehicle.

Good luck, and I hope I didn't scare you too much.

Howard

 

Hello Eatdrumss, thanks for the email.
It has been my experience that non-use will not harm the HV battery.
however, it has also been my experience that repeated attempts to start a 2nd gen prius that has a problem, will deplete the HV battery beyond recovery.

For example a prius showed up here with this problem, We discovered after careful examination that the intake manifold was cracked. Fix the easy stuff before trying to repair the hard stuff....sometimes the hard stuff goes away.

the safest way to charge a prius hv battery is to install it into a prius and start the car.

if you are forced to parallel it into a functional car, use extreme caution as you are working around high voltage.

good luck
Steve Woodruff

 

Your best bet is
steve woodruff STEVE@AUTOBEYOURS.COM mINE HAD A DAMAGED THROTTLE BODY HE FOUND. Dealer wanted $8000.00 Steve *1950 including used high voltage battery bdy work and alot more . Really nice guy

 

prius battery, great deals on eBay Motors, Electronics on eBay!

See TSB PG007-03 that recommends READY for 30 minutes after unloading, and then every two months while in storage.

 

If you use a regular 12V battery charger, set the charging current to 2A. Maximum charging current per the battery warning label is 4A.

You can force-charge the traction battery by starting the car so it is READY, then shift to D, hold the car stationary by pressing the brake pedal with your left foot, then floor the accelerator pedal with your right foot. Since the car can't move, the engine power is diverted into MG1 which will charge the battery. Stop when you see the traction battery SOC gauge is full.

Note that this may cause transaxle overheating so use of this procedure is at your risk.

If you don't want to force charge, then make the car READY and leave the gear selector in P. The battery will very slowly charge. Keep the car READY until the traction battery SOC gauge is where you want it to be, but the gauge may not rise above 3 or 4 blue bars.