I acquired two refurbished battery modules assuming that one bank failure had both modules being bad. For one, could not locate new modules and the suggestions are for used modules. Anyhow, looking at the battery module I see that the module is completely sealed. So, how was the refurbishment done to make the module being able to be used? Does this also mean that the failed module can be refurbished? Has anyone ever done this or is refurbishment a module not worth the time?
"refurbishment" is really just several series of full discharge and full charge cycles. On a good module, this will consistently restore some of the lost capacity which occurs over age and use, but results can vary greatly depending on the condition of the module. It's easy to monitor this, because modern charge/discharge equipment will track how much energy is charged and discharged each cycle. A failed module typically has an internal defect which cannot be recovered, regardless of cycling. I've performed this process on thousands of modules and when I sell them, I include at least a one year warranty. I've never had a complaint, other than one time where I didn't notice one module had a mounting screw broken off in the bottom threaded insert.
Thanks for the response. I see that the module is not actually torn apart and just by charging and discharging, causes some modules to recover. Is it worth the time and money to recover a failed module?
I have tried to repair a hybrid battery by adding water, charging and discharging. I have set different cut-off voltages and different discharge speeds for discharge. Overall, I think the probability of success is very low. The only success was in the 2004 Honda hybrid car, which was solved by adding water. After adding water, the capacity was restored significantly, and the temperature was significantly reduced, while the battery in the later Honda was unsuccessful. Other batteries including prius 2en 3en have not been successful, maybe because of different batches of batteries, there are subtle differences in internal chemical or physical structure, some can be recovered, some are irreversibly damaged.
They are sealed. To add water you need to unseal it by drilling holes into the module. The conundrum is then how to reseal it when you're finished.
The most common failure of a Prius battery module is a short in one cell. Each sealed module has six 1.2V cells. So a failure causes the voltage for that block to be around 1.0V to 1.5V lower than the others. A shorted cell cannot be repaired. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Thanks. I see that the unit is completely sealed and cannot be opened. Also, I did notice that there was a difference of 1.4vdc between adjacent modules.
