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Replaced hv battery and still get vsc , check engine and red triangle light

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Ahmdeezy, May 11, 2018.

  1. Ahmdeezy

    Ahmdeezy New Member

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    Good evening to all. I am reaching out to someone for desperate help. I have a 2009 Toyota Prius with 170k miles on it. Recently as I was driving the red triangle of death came on as well as the check engine and vsc lights. Went to oriley to get it scanned and the guy that worked there told me it was due to the hv battery failure. Looked on YouTube to see how to find out which cell/cells went bad and how to replace them. Checked all the cells they all red 8.0 except one of them red 6.7. In the video they say if it’s below 7.0 it needs to be replaced. I got a used cell from a junkyard for $65 and when I tested it it was 7.6. I then put it in and the car ran good until an hour later all the lights came on and the started losing power. I then cleared the lights and the car was running fine again. The Next morning I turned on the car and the lights were back on then the battery went completely dead. What’s causing the battery to drain? What did I do wrong? I know all the cells are good. I filled up the coolant because it seemed a little low. My only other theory is that the coolant adverter pump is out but how can I know that? And if I do decide to replace the pump what if the lights turn on again. One more question. Since the battery drained again does this mean atleast one or more cell went bad again?
     
    #1 Ahmdeezy, May 11, 2018
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat!!

    Which part of California do you live in?

    You can check for inverter pump function by looking in the reservoir for movement on the liquid surface, or by feeling the pump for vibration.
     
    #2 SFO, May 11, 2018
    m.wynn, Ahmdeezy, jerrymildred and 1 other person like this.
  3. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    You say the battery went completely dead.
    Do you mean the hybrid battery went completely dead? Or the 12v battery went completely dead?

    If it is the 12v, charge it up and then have it checked. Replace as necessary.

    If it is the hybrid battery, you probably need a bit more detail like the overall voltage and the block voktage.
    For around $75 you could buy some diagnostic tools
    - Android phone/tablet
    - Elm 327 Bluetooth OBDII reader
    - Torque Pro app

    Another thought is that you didn't fully seat the big orange plug for the pack. It is a 3 step process.
    1)Insert plug
    2) swing handle upward
    3)slide handle straight down until it clicks into place.
    Many people miss the 3rd step.

    Feel free to call me for clarification.
     
    #3 ericbecky, May 11, 2018
    dansiantamour, m.wynn, Ahmdeezy and 2 others like this.
  4. Ahmdeezy

    Ahmdeezy New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Thank you for the help. I was talking about the hybrid battery went completely dead. Also I did make sure I did the 3rd step by clicking the orange switch down. Today I replaced the hv battery ecu and the red triangle and other lights came back. It’s driving me crazy. I don’t know what’s causing the red triangle to come back. I tested the overall volts for the battery and it was 222 volts. Do you know if that’s enough to keep the car going?
     
    #4 Ahmdeezy, May 12, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2018
  5. Ahmdeezy

    Ahmdeezy New Member

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    I’m in the Bay Area. I did feel for the pump and felt vibration
     
    #5 Ahmdeezy, May 12, 2018
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  6. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    222v is enough, but you are still flying blind.

    Get some diagnostic equipment and then you will more easily pinpoint the problem.
    It would be best if you could see the live data like the voltage of each of the 14 battery blocks.
     
    #6 ericbecky, May 12, 2018
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  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    If you narrow your location down even more, there are a couple of us here that have Techstream and could help with diagnostics;).

    Keep us posted (y).
     
    #7 Raytheeagle, May 12, 2018
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  8. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Did you load test all 28 modules? If not, there could be one or more weak cells hiding behind "good" resting voltages. Also, need to double check your work; a poor connection or broken wire in the harnesses can trip a fault and no-run condition. Were/are the buss bars corroded? Like others are saying, you're flying blind without diagnostic reading equipment; a simple code reader isn't enough.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #8 fotomoto, May 12, 2018
    SFO, PAUL SCHULTZ and Raytheeagle like this.
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