Refurbished hybrid battery losing charge quickly

Alibaba for new pack under $1k. Never do used

 

Don't forget, the car also severely reduces the charge and discharge limits for the battery when it's cold. Normal limits are around 25 kw, but can be reduced to less than 10kw in some circumstances.

My first thought is that you have something else going on besides at battery problem. It sounds more to me like you have something draining the battery. This could easily be something like blocked airflow, preventing the engine from making sufficient power for highway speed, causing the HV battery to supply extra power until it drains, then the car cuts back and uses the engine power to keep the battery charged.

If you're losing speed when at highway speeds, yet have no codes, the battery is likely doing it's job, but not getting adequate support from the ICE. Your symptoms are usually indicative of an engine power problem or something causing unusually high drag, causing the battery to drain itself trying to power the car.

 

+1 to TMR-JWAP

It sounds like the car is fine when the battery is in the green or blue, but falls on its face at 1-2 bars.

Unless you drive continuously uphill, then something is wrong with your ICE (engine). Normally the ICE provides "power" to move the car and charge the HV battery. The battery provides momentary additional power to boost accel.

If the ICE is weak (restricted exhaust or intake, MAF sensor, fuel pump, etc), then more battery is used to keep speed up until it is low SOC, then all you have is a sick ICE to move the car.

(I drive my 06 for 20 miles at 80+, and 20 miles at 50-60 with lots of hills, each way on my commute- no problems. Battery stays at 6-7 bars most of the time)

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

well I will take my chances with prolong battery reconditioning system before putting in a recycled battery. I learned that recycled batteries have ratings. everything nowadays has (A, AA, AA+?!)
I used the OBD app and found weak cells, do not know if you can do that.
however, Im your grandpa driving. nice an easy never over 63mph easy acceleration and always coasting (and recharging)
https://prius.blog/

 

I’m thinking your engine hasn’t warmed up when you get on the highway, and it’s using some battery assistance, then refilling when it warms up.
Florida experience is not helpful in a cold environment

 

You're going to pay a diagnostic fee of a couple hundred bucks, but the car has no diagnostic codes triggered?

Bet they're going to be confused, but they'll be happy to make a few guesses and hand you an estimate for a few K.

I'll have popcorn in hand. I really do hope they're straight up and actually do a thorough investigation for you.

 

If the technician doesn't road test the car the same way as you (ie, highway driving at 75+ at whatever hills and distance you do) then you will likely get a bill for diag time with "no trouble found).

If it does act up, it will take an "above average" tech to figure out an ICE problem vs HV battery.

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Hi Doug, Do you have a link or an Alibaba store name for this please? Very, very interesting. Aloha. John

 

Hi. I am familiar with Colorado weather. With a 28 mile commute I'm guessing you drive north..maybe to Castle Rock? The I-25 section North of Woodmen Road past Baptist and up Monument hill is hard on the Prius. WIth the Speed limit of 75 I usually did 80 and stayed in the middle lane. Colorado now has the title of the worst drivers of any state. I used to commute to DIA from the Springs and 15 years ago it was rare to have someone go past me at 100mph. The last 4 years I had 4 or 5 cars do that every trip. Fatalities on that corridor of I-25 to Denver were up 62 percent.
Be careful. At 80 mph and hills your mpg in the cold will be not the best. My 2008 with the OEM battery would get about 42 mpg round trip the 160 miles from COS to DEN. Gas wise avoid Monument If you can. There were chip card readers and I had my credit card info stolen twice. I never used Springs Hybrids but they might be a better option then Larry MIller Toyota on E Woodmen road. If you go there our service advisor was Gary. Very helpful guy. Maybe ask for him and your service will be even better. The service I had done on our Prius there was fine. OIl changes took up to 90 minutes so I started doing my own to save money. The cold dry temps in COS can be very harsh on the battery and it will show a weak battery very quickly. It sounds like your refurb might be having trouble. I would park the car in a garage..heated if possible and try to warm it up before you drive. Outdoor parking in the winter in CO is HARSH to say the least. When you drive home from work try setting cruise at 75 and stay in the right lane coming down monument hill. IIRC by the time I got to Woodmen road (or maybe Baptist Rd.) I would have full blue bars and maybe a green in the summer. Oh. Also twice a year I would drive up to woodland park on 24 HWY WEST and to the same thing on the descent. I would get full green bars for sure on that. Like a poor mans full battery charge and discharge. Make sure your hybrid fan is clean,ICE air filter is clean. COS is DUSTY. I replaced our air filters every 6 months just to help out the engine. A warm car is for sure needed to run better Dr. Pruis tests. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Significant mountain pass climbs have the potential of using up battery power without any opportunity for regen. I-25 should not fall into that category. Normal hv battery charge at highway speeds, even with occasional climbs followed by descents, will keep the battery over 3/4 all the time.

Sitting in city traffic jams for ten minutes or more while using ac is the only time I have seen a good battery in a low state of charge. Toyota's charging algorithm only partially charges the battery under these conditions. Even then you get normal acceleration without hesitation or abnormal engine sounds.


Almost all engine related issues will code and become obvious with misfires or poor performance even on level roads. Odds are good your refurb is weak but they go a long time before they code. Fast discharge is the number one weak hv battery symptom. Normal performance when you do manage a charge pretty much excludes the engine.

 

Sounds Like a good plan. There is a Villiage inn and Sonic close to the dealership for food if your wait is longer. When we bought our 08 Prii. (we have 2) the 12 volt battery in both died the first Colorado Winter. Went with the larger of the 2 options with SKS with batteries from O'reilly's. About $200 IIRC. They have been solid ever since. Now going on 3 years. Through 3 winters..zero issues. If your battery was OEM I doubt it is bad. But they can check it out. If you park outside and know there is a snow storm coming. Lift your wiper blades off the windshield and park them in the air. Easier to remove the snow. We ran Bridgestone Ecopia 422 Plus 185/65 R15 tires and never had a problem even driving them to Summit county. (Breckenridge,Keystone,Frisco...etc.) so that is a good tire choice. I hear you on the love. Our Prii are only about 126K,paid off, and we commute wayyy less now so we won't be buying anything for at least 2 years. I don't even think we will hit 175K before then. Be safe on I-25. And remember comp insurance covers a new windshield for about $23 per year. And now that you live in CO you will need to buy a new one every 2 years...rock chips are everywhere. You can drive with cracked glass but after you get 100's of chips your starburst windshield when the sun hits it just right will drive you crazy.

 

This is the smoking gun. When a hybrid battery charge is too low you will lose power. I have seen this in the past. Normally the system does not let this happen with a healthy battery.

Here is an easy test that just uses observation. As you are seeing low hv battery charge and resulting loss of speed on I-25, look for other Toyota hybrids blowing by you. They have a good hv battery. New cells gives you 8-10 years of reliable service. Used cells, reconditioned, refurbished or repainted are not reliable. Even with a "guarantee".

 

Hi. Good news. Gary is awesome. Welcome to cold dry Colorado. Lol. It sounds like your older car is just showing the aches and pains like ours did. By the way the gas tank will show signs of “shrinkage” in the cold (insert Seinfeld joke here) this is normal. You gas gauge digital blocks are a very loose guideline in the Colorado Cold. You will find yourself on empty with 1 block flashing and when you fill up you will only be able to put 8.5 gallons in. Both our Prius did this in Colorado. In the summer we could get 9 maybe 9.2 gallons on a really hot day. All very normal. The plastic bladder is just less flexible in that environment. Now that we live in Kansas where we have hot humid weather both our batteries are in the green and blue all the time now. Gone are the days of 2 purple bars on the MFD. …. Until we drive back to CO…lol took a ski trip in December and it all switched back. Drove home and back to never seeing 2 purple bars..ever. So it’s normal. By driving that far on I-25 you will keep the Cat clean by getting the car up to temperature. Optimal for long car life. when you can visit Bella Panini in Monument for a great dinner with your significant other. Try the Vegetarian lasagna. My wife and I love meat but THAT dish is the best we have ever had.

 

Also keep in mind that there is 16%less oxygen in the air where you drive now in Colorado. The car’s intake will be affected just like your lungs. Just keep your air filters new and clean to help out the engine as much as you can.

 

I too live in Colorado, Denver actually, and have a similar experience. A couple of things, we are at 5000 feet and while the computer dies adjust for the lack of air, there is still less air, less power. We also enjoy winter gas here which is high in Ethanol which has less energy than pure gasoline. I drive the i25 strip myself and understand the hazards and I’ve found that entering the freeway from the in ramp can seriously drain my HV unless I carefully feather the gas pedal. The difference is very noticeable. At 65-75 mph speeds my Prius will hold the charge, maybe 4-5 bars, but i cannot floor it to go faster or pass, I literally have zero torque! I use Dr Prius who tells me my battery is fine so I rely on adjusting my driving habits. And yes, monument hill, going north, is a bear!

 

I love what Prius does for me but if I lived at that altitude I'd get a turbocharged AWD car