Driving prius with bad battery

Hey all, sorry for the late reply, I tend to work 48 hours at a time.
I live in Los Angeles CA, not to many hills, mainly flat. Well, it was in the shop for about a month and that was when I started to notice the change. But after driving it for a week, it actually is getting better. I never hear the fan on. The charge is holding now, and the heat hasn't been as bad when it was sitting at the dealer getting fixed. I think I might still take on cleaning the fan, I want to make sure it is good. lol The MPG is good, averaging around 50 miles to the gallon. at times it says way more than that, which is crazy since I am using to driving a big truck.
Thank You everyone!
I'll keep you guys updated with any changes.

 

Hey,how did it turn out with you purchasing and driving the prius with a bad battery?

 

I repaired a battery in which a gentleman had driven for God knows how long, with a bad block. I will have to post pictures soon, but the two modules essentially exploded. Also, I've had several customers recount having their car accelerate and lurch forward at an intersection while driving on a "bad" battery! When I break open a pack, I can definitely tell who has been doing this after the first discharge cycle.... Having to replace half a dozen bad cells is a kick in my pocket!
Jessica

 

Wouldn't it be easier just to have it recovered on a truck ?

 

do you think he's been waiting 5 years for an answer?

 

LOL I didn't notice the date on the post, but it is a possibility that he's still driving it home in limp home mode
(or he never made it )

 

My 2010 Prius was working fine until it got cold where I live. My battery level showed a charge level that was high but my car wouldn't start! Is what you were writing about the same problem, if so what do I do get it back on the road again. Any Suggestions.

Thanks
JerryH

 

welcome! you probably need a new 12 volt battery.

 

Here's a little experience driving with a bad hybrid battery and replacing cells... I had a 2005 with around 130,000 mi and the battery warning light came on after the car had sat unused in the sun for a few very hot days. I ordered a couple of reconditioned/tested cells from eBay and continued driving around town for a few days, maybe a total of 25 miles. Acceleration was slow/non-existent in general and on very steep hills, the car would creep slowly, maybe 4 mph, since the gas engine is surprisingly weak by itself. I never tried driving on the highway. After disassembling the battery, I was able to locate the bad cells (two) based solely on their voltage being lower than all the others (use a good digital meter). If memory serves me right, the bad cells were maybe .4 volt low. I replaced the cells and reassembled the pack without doing the recommended voltage leveling and reconditioning (controlled charge/discharge of each cell). There is no real high-voltage hazard requiring lineman gloves. When you have the battery exposed, you pull out the orange safety plug, which effectively splits the battery in two and eliminates all voltage on the output terminals. You would have to go out of your way to get shocked after that. Two tricky parts: 1) The cells are under a lot of compression to keep them from expanding. If you charge a cell outside the battery, it immediately swells up. Getting the cells back together and reassembling the pack is a royal pain. The frame around the cells gets very flimsy once you open the bolts. Metal edges are sharp and cut easily. 2) With the repaired battery back in the car, getting the orange safety plug back in and properly seated is a pain. Pay close attention when you take it out, as it took me three or four tries to get it back together.

When reassembled, the car worked fine, but the battery warning light stayed on. After letting the car sit for a couple of days the warning light went off and stayed off. Got about 1,000 miles of driving on the battery and everything was fine until I was rear-ended and my car was totalled, prematurely ending the experiment. Now in a used 2013 with 15,000 so hopefully I won't have this problem again for a few years!

 

welcome and congrats! (i think)