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Considering a used prius with a dead battery

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by adric22, Dec 19, 2009.

  1. adric22

    adric22 Ev and Hybrid Enthusiast

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    Looking for some opinions here. There is a local used-car dealer who has a 2002 Prius with 160K miles on it and a dead HV battery. He said he bought it at an auction and discovered it wouldn't drive properly and eventually got a toyota mechanic to diagnose it as a bad battery. So he took the battery out of the car and tried to find a new one, but couldn't. Currently the backseat and battery and lots of trim panels for the rear area of the car are all taken out and laying in his shop. He is asking $3,100 for the car as-is. I offered him $2,500 and he took down my number and said he'd think about it.

    The car is in pretty good shape otherwise, from what I can tell other than it needs new tires.

    How hard/expensive would it be to get a new pack? Also, he said that he used a multimeter and found that there were just a few cells that were actually bad. Does this sound reasonable? Would it be possible to replace those cells?

    Also, are the cells in the Gen 1 and Gen 2 prius interchangeable?
     
    #1 adric22, Dec 19, 2009
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  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    1. Call Toyota but the NHW11 traction battery alone, new, has been reported to be about $2,400. Used is going to be 'luck of the draw,' $500-$1,500
    2. Having it disassembled makes it harder because you don't get the experience of seeing how it was put together.
    3. Include a set of Toyota repair manuals, $150-300 (new)
    4. NHW11 and NHW20 modules are either/or. All one or the other but a total of 38.
    It is entirely possible to rebuild the NHW11 and you'll learn a lot. But don't think it will be cheap. It will be interesting and you'll learn a lot.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #2 bwilson4web, Dec 19, 2009
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  3. adric22

    adric22 Ev and Hybrid Enthusiast

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    Well, this is where it comes in handy that my best friend is a prius-certified toyota mechanic. He can help me re-assemble it.

    I'm sorry.. I don't comprehend this statement. Can you re-word it or expand on this?

    You might be wondering why I'd even post on here with my friend being so Prius-knowledgeable. The thing is, from his standpoint he doesn't ever mess with individual cells or anything like that. They just pull out a battery pack and put a new one in. And as I'd obviously be looking for a cheaper way to repair the vehicle, I need to go a little beyond his expertise.

    I'm actually wondering if it might be possible to replace the original pack with an appropriate configuration of standard off-the-shelf NiMh batteries.
     
    #3 adric22, Dec 19, 2009
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  4. orange4boy

    orange4boy Member

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    He means you can't inter-mix the two types of modules. They are slightly different. You have to build the packs with either all 2000-2003 (Gen 1) or all 2004-2009 (Gen 2) modules. The only problem is the newer packs have less modules than the earlier packs so you need two gen 2 packs to make one gen1 but the newer ones are much improved.
     
    #4 orange4boy, Dec 20, 2009
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  5. adric22

    adric22 Ev and Hybrid Enthusiast

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    I have seen several posts where people have mentioned using the Gen-II modules (by getting two packs) as a theory.. But has anyone actually tried this or confirmed that they will physically even fit?
     
    #5 adric22, Dec 20, 2009
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  6. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I have not done it myself but I've measured the modules and it looks practical.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #6 bwilson4web, Dec 20, 2009
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  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #7 JimboPalmer, Dec 20, 2009
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  8. adric22

    adric22 Ev and Hybrid Enthusiast

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    Yeah, I actually I had already looked at these shortly before you posted. Unfortunately it is sort of an issue that I am not sure I will get the car, so I hate to place a bid. And I'm not sure I'd win the auction at a reasonable price in which case I'd hate to buy the car without knowing. So it is sort of a catch-22 scenario.
     
    #8 adric22, Dec 20, 2009
  9. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Check completed traction battery sales and you'll find they come and go. But it best to get the 'sick' horse before the cure.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #9 bwilson4web, Dec 20, 2009
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The Classic Prius battery is composed of 38 rectangular modules. Each module contains six cells, so the battery is composed of 228 cells.

    It would not be very practical to attempt to replace this design with off the shelf batteries.

    I think it is a bad idea to buy the car, not knowing whether it has other problems that can be very costly to repair. Electric steering gear and transaxle are two examples.
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Dec 20, 2009
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  11. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    This web site

    Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

    currently lists several. It is indeed a concern whether any other problems might be hiding behind this one, and what might be revealed by a carfax or similar check.
     
    #11 tochatihu, Dec 20, 2009
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  12. firegirl

    firegirl New Member

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    Aloha. I have a 2003 prius and the battery was replaced by the dealer last year. The rack and pinion has gone out on it now and I am too remote an area to get it repaired. Maybe you could use the battery or the whole car since the 2002/2003 seems to be interchangeable. Great little car, worth getting it together if you can.
     
    #12 firegirl, Dec 24, 2009
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