Please help! P0A80 at 67k miles 2012 Prius C

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ken136, Oct 17, 2016.

  1. ken136

    ken136 New Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
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    I have been reading a lot of stuff on this forum and it has been a great help. Hope I can get some advice here.

    I'm in Singapore (tropics) and bought this car from a direct owner at about 60k miles. He's the only owner and my mechanic didn't find any problems. I rented it out to 2 Uber drivers who each do 12 hour shifts every day. About 2 weeks later at 67k miles, "check hybrid system" came out. Toyota dealer told me it's P0A80 and since I don't do my oil change with them, there is no more warranty. They wanted SGD 4700 for a new battery and $150 for labor.

    I took it to my regular workshop and a hybrid car workshop, and I think they all only found one code (P0A80). Best price I got was $4000 for a new battery or $2000+ for reconditioning.

    My regular workshop cleared the code but it came back after about 2 days and 600 miles. This time, driver said he was just cruising at about 50mph and battery was about 1 bar below the mid-point.

    I checked the fan and it looks only slightly dirty and not clogged at all. I cleared the code again so I can log some data with Torque. Attached is the data using the Gen III Prius PIDs. I tried to charge and then drain the battery by putting in reverse and ac at max. Maximum voltage difference was 0.63V. It has been a day and about 300 miles, and the code is not back yet.

    I'm guessing corroded bus bars or loose wires? I think it will cost about $3000 to get a new battery from Japan, or $1500 used. Now I'm planning to take it apart, clean the bus bars and do some charged/discharge cycles. What do you think is the problem, and what should I do? Any help is greatly appreciated!

    Update: The code is back again after 1.5 days 400 miles
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 ken136, Oct 17, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2016
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! sorry, no idea, but i'll give you a bump so more eyes will see it. all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Oct 17, 2016
    Annella likes this.
  3. Got2bHam

    Got2bHam Member

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    I've heard of used Prius C batteries going for $500 (one on another thread). that'd be the way to go. find a low mileage donor or go for the reconditioned if nothing else. best of luck!
     
    #3 Got2bHam, Dec 13, 2016
  4. Runed0S

    Runed0S New Member

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    A bit of googling and I found something hilarious

    P0A80 can mean several things. The first one I found is that you need new cells because they don't have a good enough capacity in them anymore. This is the expensive option. You can try cycling the batteries to restore them, there is a lot of information on that.

    The other thing, and I think this is the hilarious/bad design thing... The code could be for a clogged battery fan!
    Apparently some cars came without a filter for the fan that blows air over the battery! Different cars have the filter in different spots, but if yours doesn't have a filter you should definitely take the fan out and clean it (and ofc add an OEM approved filter or ducttape a dollar store scrubpad over the opening)!
     
    #4 Runed0S, May 11, 2021
  5. Scubaman

    Scubaman Junior Member

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    Are you good at DIY? Do you have some basic Electrical knowledge? If you do, then there are things you can do to save yourself some $. But first it requires that you remove the pack and get a grid charger for the pack. If you think you are up to the task and have some time to spare then let me know.
     
    #5 Scubaman, May 12, 2021
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