Expected mpg with bad hybrid battery

Have him check the 12V battery voltage.

 

When (if) his traction battery goes, his Prius won't go, so the question isn't answerable.

 

If only you had asked here.

Prius parts

 

When the HV battery starts to fail (yes I have recently had the experience at 195k miles):

1. Your ICE starts to rev up more on acceleration and when going up hills than it normally did.
2. The Battery SOC starts to vary rapidly
3. A few trips later the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree (code P0A80)
4. When the battery gets worse, your Prius will finally get lower MPG and have poor acceleration.
5. The final step will be when the HV battery fails to spin the engine and you will need a tow

There are several options available to replace the battery.

1. A Toyota dealer to get a new one ($3400 to $4000)
2. Order a refurbished battery from Re-InVolt (NC) for $1500 plus shipping ($100-$200) and either install it yourself (be careful) or find a local installer (My Toyota dealer in CT will do it for $400). A Re-InVolt associated installer will charge about $300.
3. By a salvaged battery for about $600 but that is Russian Roulette.

Good luck.

JeffD

 

All good advice. With a stone dead HV battery a Prius doesn't move. It can't run on the gas engine alone.

The rest of the advice relates to a failing HV battery. Normally codes will be logged when the battery starts to fail.

Tom

 

The above sounds a bit too high compared to Toyota USA Newsroom | Our Point of View: Prius Battery Change is No Big Deal.

Hopefully the OP's friend is in a CARB state and it dies before the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty expires. Without knowing any details about the friend's drives, it's hard to give an answer. It's very possible to get below 40 mpg even on a good battery given short city drives, esp. in cold weather + a variety of other factors.

 

I think this installer should be 'near' him.
Modesti's Car Care Center | Auto Repair Culver City, Playa Vista, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Mar Vista, Los Angeles, Westchester, Venice, Santa Monica, Palms, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills | Hometown Family Service You Can Trust Since
If they are farther east than I think
http://www.philsautoonline.com/

 

This is good advice. If it is still under warranty, a new battery may be in his or her future.

 

The dealer will not touch a hybrid battery for warranty replacement unless it has a triangle code.

I don't think it is possible to have a battery "stone dead." One module with a bad cell is generally all that is required.

Junkyard batteries are best if they have been sitting for less than 6 months.

Jeff, what are you doing in your case? Full refurb? Junkyard swap?

 

BTW, jdenenberg, was your battery fan also running a lot more often (like when it wasn't hot) or at high speed? IIRC, that's another symptom.

 

I'm being a little lazy, Dave at Re-InVolt is shipping me a battery ($1475+$125 shipping) next week and my Toyota dealer will do the install (I'm a little too busy to take on the install myself). That's about $2k or $0.01 per mile for this repair.

JeffD

Note to Cwerdna: Dealer installation of a new battery is listed as a 5 hour job. This puts the installed price for a Gen2 battery in the low to mid $3k range. Some dealers mark it up further. The Re-InVolt battery is an easier install since it comes complete with all the electronics whereas a new Toyota battery needs to use the electronics from your old battery.

 

Do you send the old battery back for a core refund? If not, what do you do with the battery?

 

Nevermind. I see they want your old battery.

 

Yes, that is a good question. If you have a module with a dead cell, then the remaining cells in that module will in theory overcharge/overheat as the computer attempts to bring the block pair back into balance with the rest of the pack.

 

Dumb question. How do you know if the battery fan is running? Is there something on the scangauge that will tell you or do you have to put your hand somewhere to feel the air flow?

 

You can hear it running in the back seat.

Tom

 

QUICK QUESTION - I've heard that when the HV battery goes (the large battery) it will charge and discharge quickly. Now with that said and done, I've noticed that when I have the air conditioner on, and i'm not really going anywhere, sitting in traffic, the battery will discharge quickly and the ICE has to turn on for a while to charge the battery away from the two purple to three blue bars.

When I say it discharges quickly, i'm saying within minutes. is this normal?

Thanks in advance.

 

Due to circumstances, I get to keep it without suffering the core charge.

I'll be taking it apart for the pieces (ECU & good NiMh modules). I'll recycle the failed modules.

JeffD