Hybrid Battery Replaced Yesterday (7-4-12)

So they told me P3000, C2318, P0A802, freeze sub codes B1421 B2775..Do you have any idea what this is? They told me all this means is I need to pay them $500 to replace the HV Coolant fan. Does this seem right?

 

Hey, jm2774,

The prospective purchase of the Tampa, Florida member (in post #10) is also at 109,000 miles. Is that a coincidence or what? Though that member does not yet own the car, I was just warning that most likely there is no hybrid component warranty left (since Florida was not a CARB state back in 2005 when the car was originally sold) or any warranty, for that matter (if a private sale). It's always possible that a dealer may offer some kind of warranty (only accept the official Toyota Financial Services warranty) if the car being offered is a Toyota Certified used car.

Regarding the explanation you asked for after seeing edthefox5's post #7, his instructions in the 1st paragraph are pretty much self-explanatory. You start your car as normal (what he means is that the dash display shows "Ready" to the upper right of your "0" speedometer reading. I would also firmly set the foot-operated parking brake (so a lurch at engine re-start doesn't startle you when standing in front of your car).

Open the hood to see the big silver lid on the driver's side that says "Toyota" on it (that's the power inverter which charges your 12 volt battery at 14 volts, provides normal 12 volts to all your lights & accessories, and converts the 201.6 DC volts from your traction battery to the 500 volts AC that powers the electric drive motor & re-converts the electricity back to usable current to be stored in the high voltage battery during coasting or re-generative braking). That unit does a lot of work constantly & therefore gets very hot. So it has its own radiator & coolant pump [one of 3 coolant pumps actually---that one, one for engine coolant (again with its own radiator & pump), & the coolant storage pump (that you hear pumping hot coolant into or out of the storage tank just after engine shutdown or just before engine start-up)].

To the left of the "silver lid"/power inverter is a vertical plastic neck with a black cap on top of it. Remove that cap (it's very safe to do it while the car is running---unlike doing the same to the engine coolant cap). You should see motion of the coolant moving at the bottom of the neck. If there is no motion, then the inverter coolant pump is not working & should be replaced immediately to avoid damage to the $4,000+ inverter. The inverter coolant pump (& up to one gallon of coolant & the labor) is fully covered under a Limited Service Campaign (similar to a recall) from the start of the 2004 model year through part of the 2007 model year (when they stated using the improved inverter coolant pump on the assembly line) that expires on November 30, 2013. Even if you previously had that pump replaced prior to the issuance of the Limited Service Campaign, you should still go by the dealer to have them verify whether the proper one is in there now. If you paid to have it replaced, you can get reimbursed (even if you did it yourself---as long as you still have receipts for the pump & coolant) & if the wrong one is in there now, they will still do the campaign replacement for free. Here is a link to one of the threads regarding this : Recall Alert-2004-2007 Inverter Water Pump | PriusChat

Maybe you don't even need the $500 coolant fan. Maybe it's just the temperature sensor in the radiator that isn't closing to turn the fan on. Or maybe it's just the inverter coolant pump not working, and you shouldn't have to pay anything for them to check that out (that should be covered under the Limited Service Campaign). If your car is at the dealer's now, maybe you should go down there & check for the inverter coolant flow for yourself, before authorizing a $500+ repair (& maybe you can have them jump the 2 wires to the temperature sensor to see if your present fan turns on or not).

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

Hey Cross Country

$1699 is really kinda expensive

 

I don't know if you can get recourse with Toyota Customer Care, but I suggest you open a complaint. You were gouged severely on the repair cost, and then it is likely that the repair was performed incorrectly. Ask your service adviser for the freeze frame data and post it here.

The hybrid battery fan is not a normal point of failure. They either did not connect the duct between the fan and the case, or they did not inspect and clean the fan prior to battery replacement, or they otherwise did something to the fan while putting everything back together.

Now that the battery has overheated, for which the code P0A82 was set, it will have a much shorter lifetime.

In a perfect world, the dealership would admit their fault and replace the hybrid battery as well. It is only fair since you paid so much. Battery replacement should not be more than $3k.

I don't like seeing people get ripped off. Hope this helps.

 

This is exactly my car and my situation and what I told my husband he needs to do (haha). I found a company that offers a rebuilt battery for 1200 including shipping and will buy my old battery and pay shipping back and includes a 12 month warranty. I also found a site online that I can buy a "booklet" on how to change out the battery ourselves for $79.00. I live in Mississippi. Are you familiar with that online booklet for purchase? I dont know of another way for him to have the knowledge needed to change out the battery?

 

I don't know anything about a $79 booklet, but Failed traction (HV) battery, what to do? - Prius Wiki might help.

 

The $79 booklet is a ripoff.

You can find all that you need to know about battery removal and installation in the dismantling guide: http://www.eaa-phev.org/images/d/df/Priusdisman.pdf

 

Thank you for that link!!!

 

so we just installed the "new" rebuilt battery along with a brand new 12'V battery and still the same lights are all on the dash. the bars are green and over 3/4 the way to the top???