Recommendations on Gen 2 Hybrid Pack

Look at purchasing a HV battery from a local scrap yard or a place like LKQ and replacing the battery yourself.

 

try green bean

 

Don't be in a hurry to replace the entire battery pack. Use Techstream to read the specific location of the failed single cell. It's very likely that there is only a problem with 1 or 2 modules. If you have strong hands-on skills, you can go to a local junkyard to remove the battery from a CT200h or Prius of the same generation (the modules are universal). Replacing a single module usually costs very little. Remember to bring a multimeter to measure the voltage and choose the ones with a voltage of over 3.8V to remove.

 

Maybe like LKQ, but not LKQ itself. They bought Green Bean battery in 2021 and since then every single Toyota pack from cars in their yards goes there. Probably true for Honda's and other brands too.

 

I just did a search at lkqonline.com for Prius hybrid batteries in the state of Texas and found many available to be purchased. Try searching yourself.

 

3.8V this is junk.
The module has 6 cells of 1.2v. min 7,2V
If the cells are partially zeroed, the module is not working

 

There are two available in the entire state of CA - in Stockton, which is 345 miles away. I actually asked a worker at the LKQ near me why there were never any packs and he told me that before they put the cars out they pull the packs and ship them out. When asked if I could request that they hold one if I reserved it ahead of time the answer was no.

 

Apparently, how LKQ operates in CA is different from how they operate in Texas and my home state of PA. There are very many Prius hybrid batteries available for purchase in PA.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they take the pack out. That's because they remove all the fluids and the 12V batteries, so it is hard to imagine they leave a lethal shock hazard in the cars.

 

I've had both experiences. I changed one module and the pack lasted a couple of years till problems returned. I replaced a single module again and the pack failed within a month. I then replaced one more module plus a couple I theoretically didn't need to, but they had highest internal resistance of those remaining. No problem since.

If you DIY, just go for all modules that stand out significantly. Do some live data recording if you have the tools/software to get a sense of which modules are odd in dynamic usage. Also note which ones may have internal resistance that stands out significantly as higher than most... these two categories overlapped in my case.

I forgot to mention. I got a battery testing tool from Harbor Freight and ran it on all modules so the ones that didn't test to 100% got the boot. Just repeat and be consistent when testing vis a vis electrical contacts. So, I used 3 criteria to determine which modules to replace... but you have to have the pack apart for this test of course. Maybe just buy a couple more modules than the data gleaned from the tests above indicate you need.

I got my modules on E-Bay.(E-pray as some call it).

 

Junkyards know the packs are valuable so yes, they definitely take them out and sell them whole. If you're lucky you may be able to buy just a few modules.

 

I have no idea. I only visited the LKQ website.