Whether with scangauge or physically removing the battery cover to expose a date of manufacture stamp, is there a way to confirm the age of the battery? The reason I ask is I picked up a 2001 Prius with 130k at an auction and of course I have no repair history of the vehicle so I'm curious if the battery was replaced at some point.
I have not. It's not a local car, it's from another state so I thought they wouldn't have any records unless the dealers link repair records.
Run you're VIN through the Toyota owners website (www.toyota.com/owners) (you will have to register). If the battery was replaced at ANY Toyota dealer, it will show up there. If it was replaced by an independent shop or an individual, good luck finding out. I saw a post by Avi (an independent shop) and he said an original battery will have one sticker on top and a replacement will have three. I have not independently verified this but, he has been very trustworthy.
Wow, thanks! I registered at that sight and discovered that the HV Battery and transmission were both replaced within the last few years! Also the power steering warranty work was done. On the negative side, there was a recent note made right before the previous owner traded in the car that stated someone put transmission fluid in the inverter tank instead of coolant. Funny because my mechanic swore to me before we flushed it to change the electric water pump that there was transmission fluid in there instead of coolant. I better get that flushed a few more times to make sure we get it all out.
New replacement batteries from the dealer do have 3 large decals on the metal top cover. (Both Gen1 and Gen2 batteries). However, installers don't always change the top cover since the old one will work just as well. I've also seen a "3 decal" cover on a bad battery being sold as good so buyer beware. Ideally you can look at the datecode on the slices inside the battery module. Anyone got a link to the datecode format Toyota uses?
Well, I''m glad that helped. Now you know you have a fairly new battery and transmission (lucky you). That's too bad about the tranny fluid in the inverter loop. You really do need to get all of that out of that loop. The bad thing is that water will not get it all out. Since tranny fluid is an oil, it will not mix w/ water. I really don't have a procedure for you but common sense tells me you could use Dawn to get the oil out and then flush with water. What a mess!!!!!!! That's probably the reason your inverter pump went bad (trying to pump oil instead of water). I don't know what you're experience will be with the '01 Prius but mine has been fabulous. I hope you have the same positive experience with yours. I was just thinking yesterday that in reality, there aren't many improvements between the Gen I and Gen III. Good luck with the car.
The modules can be moved to a different pack so the serial number on the sheetmetal is not definitive, but can certainly help. To know the true age of the battery you'll need to decode the data on the modules (I call them slices) themselves. Notice 3 large decals on top cover. This is how new batteries come from the dealer. Model/serial number plate on sheetmetal. "new" pack from dealer purchased November 2012 (what's under the cover) "new" slices from dealer battery purchased November 2012 Here's an interesting factoid for those of you that don't know, those 2 dimensional QR codes you now see everywhere where invented by Denso (Toyota subsidiary) in 1994 for use in manufacturing. Then Denso basically shared the QR code standard in the public domain so now everyone uses them without paying license fees. Pretty cool Toyota! QR code - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
Here is the guide for determine the age of the modules. (I'm now using standard term "modules" instead of of "slices") The 4th digit of the module serial number tells you the year of manufacture. After 2015 the letters go sequentially. i.e. R=2016, S=2017, T=2018, U=2019 etc.
Is there a way to track down the number (a serial number) of the OEM HV battery originally fitted in to the prius. Does Toyota disclose any such data /
Nope. There are no VINs or serial numbers that tie the battery back to the car, at least that the public has access to. Maybe Toyota corporate has a way to tell but I've been told they don't. The best you can do is remove the battery cover and look at the date codes on the modules, which would be a PITA if you're just evaluating a used car etc.
