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Fixing a Nutty Mess ;)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by MrPete, Apr 6, 2022.

  1. MrPete

    MrPete Active Member

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    Working on my HV battery pack, one of the module power stud nuts got rounded a little...then a little more...and more.*** Today, I simply could not remove that nut. NOTHING worked: not WD40, not heat, not vice grips, not a hammer and small pointy things ;)

    I was settling in to dismantle the nut with my dremel tool, when I had one more idea.

    It worked.

    Here's what I had to start with:

    My thought: if I could bend the copper bus bar enough to slip it off of the neighboring power stud, I could twist it...and surely loosen the nut!

    So, I went after it using small punch pins, etc, mostly from the back side. Here's a sequence from the front:
    ...and from the back:

    Grabbed the whole thing with vice grips and twisted. No problem!

    Yes, the plastic is slightly mangled. The copper bus bar too... but nothing a hammer and a little edge touch-up couldn't fix:

    ***Lessons learned:
    * Be careful with those nuts. They are soft metal, easily harmed.
    * Clean before reinstalling, and use the conducting grease every time... Make sure you can remove the nuts next time!
     
    #1 MrPete, Apr 6, 2022
    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller likes this.
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I would never have guessed 48 inch pounds could do that to one of those nuts.
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Apr 6, 2022
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    What socket size are those nuts, 8 mm?
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Apr 6, 2022
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Here's the remains of one I did 4 years ago. I think I went out and bought a brand new pair of vice grips and a miniature file kit for it.

    Screenshot from 2019-06-17 19-43-17.png
     
    #4 PriusCamper, Apr 6, 2022
  5. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    You can get a brand new bushbar from dealership. Not sure if they sell the nuts too. I prefer to get a new bushbar if it already gets some corrosion rather than cleaning it like mad.
     
    #5 johnHRP, Apr 7, 2022
  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    rock tumbler is easiest way to clean bus bars...
     
    #6 PriusCamper, Apr 7, 2022
  7. MrPete

    MrPete Active Member

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    Yep.
     
    #7 MrPete, May 22, 2024
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
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