2005 Prius Rebuild or Replace Battery

Yes the "clamping" rods hold everything together. Once separated from the case base, it's actually pretty effortless.

Remember to stand the battery vertically, so you don't have to lift the pack up when separating it. Just peel away.

Note: you have to remove the vent tube plastic fitting so it can stand vertically

 

There are only 2 10mm nuts holding the pack in place. 1 on each opposite corner. 2 corners have nothing on them, just used as alignment bolts

 

There shouldn't be a slight bulge to any of the modules, unless they are hot right out of a car. I guess once you clamp them, it shouldn't really matter much. Here's the orientation of the first module next to the ECU.

The little dirt on the fan won't hurt, just as long as there's no obstruction or hair.

 

Ray is a little more OCD about perfection and attention to detail.

The nuts can only go in those 2 spots, those other 2 spots are blocked by the module end caps, can't put a nut on

 

There are only 3 temperature sensors, and maybe a clip or 2 extra to hold the wires tight.

1st module, middle, last module. That's all you need to do on the 3 sensors. Pick and choose which one you want. The sensors only go 1 direction, be sure the make note of the notch on the modules where the sensor wires would rest.

 

Along with the info from JC9, if you put one of the sensors on the module furthest from the ECU (one of the original locations), be careful when putting the battery back into the car. Most people hold the battery by placing their fingers into that gap under the modules. I've seen many times where that sensor get broken due to someone hitting it with their fingers as they get positioned to lift it or move it.

 

Please be sure you use an INCH-POUND torque wrench to properly tighten the battery post nuts as well as the High Voltage relay connections. DO NOT USE AN IMPACT WRENCH OR DRILL. This is not a place to "guess" what "feels about tight enough". Do it right, otherwise you will regret it later.

Over tightening can lead to stripped or broken posts. Undertightening can lead to arcing damage or fire.

You saved quite a bit of money doing this job yourself. It is a worthwhile investment to buy or rent the torque wrench.

 

If you're missing a couple from UNDER the case, it should be ok. No worries, there's enough there to hold everything in place

 

sometimes when I help people fix their batteries, they could be missing half those screws.

If you're missing 1, just leave it out of the middle of the pack

 

I guess I could be called worse.

The 06 pack @SFO and I rebuilt experienced some end modules that expanded and we tried the module shuffle only to find the modules did not align completely .

But we took it apart and replaced the bad module and it was all good.

Thankfully we numbered all the modules before disassembly.

 

2 people carry out into the car and rest it on the spare tire, with ECU on the left drivers side.

Then your husband goes into the car, standing directly over it and picks up the battery and positions it into place. His back will only ache a little bit if done this way

 

Please report back every 6 months with how your used battery cells work out for you.

Too often people come on the forum. Get lots of free advice and then disappear. An easy way to help out the community is to take 5 minutes a couple times a year to pop in and give a status update.

I hope you will consider giving back to the community in this way.