1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Sat Idle long time, now has issues (Batteries & Brakes/ VSC)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by cdfccf, Dec 3, 2020.

  1. cdfccf

    cdfccf New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2020
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    92544
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    First of all, thank you all for this website, there is a wealth of information available here!

    This is my first post.

    2005 Prius 198,411 miles.

    Please bear with me, Iw ill provide a little background info, and my questions will be at the end. Thank you in advance for all guidance andknowledge provided.

    Here goes:

    Last February Car developed indications of a the beginnings of a leaking head gasket. Before I could address the issue, I had to go out of state on a work contract. Upon return in November, I found that the car was dead. Aux Battery was at 5.8vdc measured on multimeter. ( I should have disconnected battery befor leaving )

    Anyway, I removed the aux battery from the car and used my battery charger on 2amp setting to recharge it, I managed to bring it back to 12.8v ( not sure if this is as high as it should be )

    After reinstalling the aux battery, I tried to start car - no joy - Push brake and hit power button. Ready light flashed a couple times ( also heard a couple clicking noises from somewhere behind me ) and had a bunch of "dummy" lights on the dash come on including red triangle of death and what appears to be a bunch of brake, VSC and ABS related lights see dash photo attached.
    dashboard lights 12-4-2020.jpg


    also system display showed Main battery light and only one purplish color bar on battery charge indication - see attached photo
    Prius system display 12-4-2020.jpg
    Sorry I do not have techstream ( I am presently working on setting up an old laptop to install it on ) but I do have Torque Pro.

    anyway I ran codes on the torque app, the onlycode that came back was PA080 - Bad news
    Also looked at the HV battery using Live Data on Torque with results as shown. see attached photo
    Prius_TorqueData_12-4-2020.jpg

    I have accepted that the Main battery is is probably done, but I have some questions:

    1. how can all the cells come back as having between 8.8 and 15.1 volts, but, overall HV Battery State of charge be zero ?

    2. can a dead HV battery be responsible for all the other warning lights? Brakes, VSC, ABS ? Or, should I be looking for some other underlying reasons for these lights?

    3. IF HV battery not the cause of the other lights why do you suppose that no other codes came back except PA080 ?

    4. Also, a local hybrid repair shop near me quoted me $1700 for a "remanufactured" HV battery, installed, with a 18 month warranty. Would you consider that price in the "acceptable" range?
     
    #1 cdfccf, Dec 3, 2020
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,117
    4,524
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hopefully your OBD2 is compatible with Dr. Prius app... Here's buyer's guide if it's not: Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus

    Torque app doesn't read the sub-codes of general HV battery issues in PAO80 error code and Dr. Prius app does. Once you know those sub-codes you can determine if repairing or replacing is best.

    $1700 is near how much a brand new Toyota battery pack, or an aftermarket http://newpriusbatteries.com/ costs... Both of these options will last for 10 years. Of course there's a labor cost to install if you aren't DIY...

    "remanufactured" HV batteries are good for 3 months to 3 years depending on who did the work. Generally those sell from $600 to $1400...

    But if you like learning to fix stuff yourself and you're patient I've had many experiences where I got a pack healthy again for less than $100 in parts.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Dec 4, 2020
  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    8,020
    4,754
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    1. Your battery is only as good as its weakest link, in this case its this third module being way too low. A dealer could attempt a recharge. But if its original, it may be time if you plan to keep the car for a few years.

    2. Yes the hv battery can be a bad boy. Basically you are not achieving Ready so lots of ecus are not happy.

    3. See number 2.

    4. $1700 for a refurb? I say no. If you are going to trade your used battery for another used battery start out with a $1000 dollar version. Both may fail in months and often refurb warranties are slow or none existent in reality. Shop around for a new Toyota battery that might last another ten years. Some are getting them for $2,000-$2300 these days. I understand the wholesale price is around $1650.

    But you might want to try to recharge your existing if funds are tight. The "signs" of a leaking head gasket might worry me about fixing up a 2005.
     
    #3 rjparker, Dec 4, 2020
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2020
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)