2006 - P0a80 error

It is extremely likely you have a single failed/failing module in Block 3 (based on V and IR). For simplicity, if you think about battery capacity, that (failing) module is acting like a AAA rechargeable battery while the other 27 modules are acting like rechargeable D cell batteries. They can have the same voltage, but they have completely different capacities. Use those D cells on your favorite flashlight and it works just fine. Use that AAA battery in the same flashlight and it will be drained in just moments. Same thing on the charge side. Plug that flashlight into the charger with the D cell batteries installed, and it may take a while for it to fully charge. Use the same charger on the AAA and it will be completely charged very fast.

That's what's happening inside your hybrid battery right now. That AAA battery drains super fast, so the ecu sees the rapidly dropping/dropped voltage and thinks the entire battery is low. Then it starts to charge and that AAA battery fills up very fast, now the car thinks everything is full.

This is not saying there aren't other modules that are also weak, just that right now, block 3 (likely) has one that is weak enough to be causing codes.

 

It would not be the cause of your fob issue; that would just be another thing to resolve.

It would cause the warning triangle (lit directly by the HV ECU), and the ABS/skid/((!)) lights, because the brake/skid ECU will know the HV ECU has reported an issue.

 

The car with the battery removed is a boat anchor. Among other things, that battery is needed to start the engine.

There are plenty of threads here about replacing a few individual modules at a time, but that tends to devolve into whack-a-mole; the other modules you don't replace might not have given up the ghost yet, but they're 15 years old also. You eventually get very fast at taking your battery apart.

The general opinion of "refurbishers" here has declined; such batteries might be better or worse cobbled together collections of other people's n-year-old modules.

The highest recommendations on PriusChat these days generally go to: getting a new battery from Toyota, or getting a new one from NewPriusBatteries (also built out of new NiMH cells but cylindrical, looks different inside).

The newest thing with quite some enthusiasm is an offering from NexPower that uses lithium chemistry instead, for a lighter battery with some advantages. Because it has only been out a couple of years and is a change of chemistry from what the car was designed for, it's still mostly early-adopter types who are trying it out, but reports seem to be favorable.

As for how long you can keep driving with the P0A80, that seems to be hard to predict. The experiment may end with some bangs and bad smells from the back of the car at some inopportune time, but for some people that won't happen for quite a while.

 

tough call. if it were me, i'd look at primes. people are still getting decent deals

 

check the pricing thread. i think they are still giving a couple thousand off, plus the state and fed incentives

 

When you watch that Dr Prius page, do the bars stay consistent? I am just learning about Dr Prius myself (free version only) but my readings show those bars always rising and falling and the lowest cell constantly changes. A single screen shot for me might look like yours (never had a high yellow bar yet), but in the next instant a different cell will be the shortest and the different color... So I'm just curious what you are seeing and if that's how you're basing your conclusion that you need a new battery.

 

The way Dr. Prius does its bar graphing grossly exaggerates the voltage difference across the blocks (and I hate it) which makes it hard to compare information when you are comparing across several screenshots. Have you thought of giving Hybrid Assistant and Hybrid Reports a shot?

What I look for is the Voltage Diff field in the middle there and if it is below 0.30, I don't take much notice of the bar graph.

However, in your case of 0.32 V is worth looking at. It is obviously having enough of a difference to have P0A80. It is one module (probably) in block 3 that is weak. If you could find another PriusChatter in SF that could help get you set up to use the HA equipment for an investment of purchasing your own harness and come to some arrangement for use of the charger/discharger equipment (maybe for some cash/beers) it might be worth giving that a shot. It might buy you a couple of months. There is a meetup group in the area that you could connect with (@SFO, @Raytheeagle?) who could help with that if you turn up. Not sure myself of how to get you details of that, though.

As for dropping $29,000+ on a new car, when $2,000-$2,500 would get you a new battery +$400 for a Cat shield, it does not make sense to me. But that's just me, I don't buy new cars and I do my own work and keep my cars going until the wheels fall off.

The only new tech that interests me is adaptive cruise so I don't feel like I'm missing out on much.

 

When I got our 2019 Prime, I gave up my claim to the Hybrid Automotive equipment.

But @SFO has it.

He's usually down for a good adventure and assist.

 

hybrid automotive prolong charger > /

but your battery may be beyond help

 

How many miles are on the vehicle/hv battery, and has it spent most of its life in SF?

Only a few approaches, single channel chargers or multi-channel chargers, or a grid charger, which charges the whole pack at once. The learning curve (keeping the pack or modules compressed, properly cooling, not overcharging or discharging, etc), vehicle down time, and added expense of multiple hobby chargers, can make the grid charger option viable for some.

Many will argue against buying a hodge podge collection of mix matched "used" modules, but if you're flipping the vehicle then whatever.

There is someone locally selling a newer used battery with under 20k miles from a recent hit and run "total", they are trying to recover some lost monies from the accident and are asking for "best offer", which was at 500 plus whatever has been offered since. Once found, I tried to interest another gen2 member here who has an older HV battery, but they aren't jumping at the moment. Could be a good fit for you, depending on how high it goes or when it actually sells. There is also a 2 month old OEM cat for sale, with dealer papers as well.

Hard to find the right sub, and it took me like 6 months or a year to locate this particular thread : Possible Monthly install meets. Bay Area-Fremont | PriusChat

Have you already checked this thread (or a similar thread) : https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-prime-official-prices-paid-thread.174763

A quick top balance using a grid charger, or multi-cycle reconditioning with a charger/discharger might just do the trick.

Hybrid Automotive sounds related to Hybrid Assistant/Reporter, the former sells 'grid charger' setups, and the later offers an OBD2 App.

Here is a thread for building a DIY grid charger (or use the 'advanced search feature' as there may be others) : DIY Grid Reconditioning Charger | PriusChat

Here are a couple of commercial options that include grid chargers, and some discharger options :

Prolong Battery Systems | Hybrid Automotive California, USA - possibly more expensive
Maxx Volts Hybrid Automotive Grid Charger Reconditioning Systems - possibly less expensive

The equipment that @Raytheeagle was referring to above, is the "Deluxe" Prolong reconditioning package from Hybrid Automotive. This early release version is currently sitting in SF, and sometimes lives in the Concord area. And for those that don't want to purchase there own, there is available an optional harness.

 

You install the harness and the equipment stays outside of the Prius .

Nice little package and way to maintain a battery or rebuild it.

The process takes a couple of days if reconditioning or rebuilding, but it's the easiest way to rebuild or maintain a pack .