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Is this the dreaded HV battery death-cluster?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by jnmontario, Sep 23, 2018.

  1. jnmontario

    jnmontario Junior Member

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    Hi all, I'm hoping I'm wrong, but fear that the HV battery might be dead on my 2007 Prius. It's got 240mi+ so I guess it doesn't owe me anything but I wouldn't mind getting it fixed if I could.

    My wife got home last night and said that on the way home "the engine sounded like it was working too hard like maybe I had it in low gear". She parked it, put it in reverse, then forward, then started back up again and "it drove normally" so she kept coming home. This morning there are the following lights on the dashboard on.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I think from my readings this morning that usually implies the HV battery might be cooked? I'm bringing it to my mechanic tomorrow morning. What codes would be spit out if the HV battery was the problem?

    These or some combo of these? (from somebody elses' post)
    C1259 HV System Regenerative Malfunction
    C1310 Malfunction in HV system
    P3015 Battery Block 5 Becomes Weak
    P3016 Battery Block 6 Becomes Weak
    C1310 Malfunction in HV system
    P3000 HV Battery Malfunction
    P0A80 Replace Hybrid Battery Pack

    Any advice would be grand please and thankyou.
     
    #1 jnmontario, Sep 23, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2018
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  2. cthindi

    cthindi Member

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    Do you have a way to check the codes?

    I had a somewhat similar experience two years back. I was going full load with AC and uphill. I noticed RPM's in the order of 5K+.
    That does make a noticeable sound. Battery had one or two bars. I did not get Red Triangle of death or check engine light for that matter.

    On the downhill the battery got fully charged in no time. I was 200 Mi away. Over next day I noticed the battery getting between full and empty very rapidly.

    On the return trip I used AC very judiciously. But since then the battery behavior has gotten normal. True there is a some loss in fuel efficiency. But other than that it is working fine. I thought what I noticed was some sort of recalibration of the battery.
     
    #2 cthindi, Sep 23, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2018
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    replace battery pack, but then, it's worth checking the modules under load with tech stream.
     
    #3 bisco, Sep 23, 2018
  4. jnmontario

    jnmontario Junior Member

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    I don't have a way no, but once I bring it to the shop they can read the prius codes np. They're not a dealership (that's over an hour's drive away) but they've read my codes in the past.
     
    #4 jnmontario, Sep 23, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2018
  5. brdmb

    brdmb Junior Member

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    Maybe it's a problem with the inverter coolant pump. Check for coolant motion in the inverter coolant reservoir with the car on. It should look like circulating pink fluid. If it isn't moving, you'll need a new pump. tapatalk_1537726522132.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #5 brdmb, Sep 23, 2018
  6. cthindi

    cthindi Member

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    But is it still driveable? And if it is, are you planning to drive it? I would not be comfortable driving it.

    A simple code reader is not a bad investment. You can find some cheap bluetooth devices on ebay starting at around 5$.
     
    #6 cthindi, Sep 23, 2018
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    There's no real "HV battery death-cluster" as a shortcut to reading and following up the trouble codes.

    You just read them, and follow up. If the follow-up indicates the battery, then you go there.

    -Chap
     
    #7 ChapmanF, Sep 23, 2018
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  8. jnmontario

    jnmontario Junior Member

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    Just checked, unfortunately the pink fluid is swirling in the reservoir which I guess means the pump is out as a possible problem. JustJust leaving to go bring it to read the codes. Thanks all for the advice, I'll update a little while.
     
    #8 jnmontario, Sep 24, 2018
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  9. jnmontario

    jnmontario Junior Member

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    To add to that, it looks like the battery goes from Full down to only a couple ticks after only 10 to 15 seconds in all electric mode
     
    #9 jnmontario, Sep 24, 2018
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yup, sounds like the battery
     
    #10 bisco, Sep 24, 2018
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  11. jnmontario

    jnmontario Junior Member

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    P3000 HV Battery Malfunction
    P0A80 Replace Hybrid Battery Pack

    He said a few other codes I can't remember but those are the biggies. The diagnostic said switch out HV battery pack. :(

    My guy's calling around for the "unicorn" second hand battery pack. I said for 240k+ miles and the body rusting out, it wasn't going to be the end of the world if he couldn't find one, but that I'd replace the pack if I can get it in and installed for $1k or so. With two kids of driving and near driving age a third car wouldn't be a bad idea and for $1k - I can justify that. Meanwhile my wife and I went out and got a 2018 stock prius. All's well that ends badly.

    Thanks again for the advice all.
     
    #11 jnmontario, Sep 24, 2018
  12. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    You won't get it back on the road for $1k in any way that will last as a hand-me-down for your children. $1k USD packs are garbage. Also since you just purchased a new vehicle this one will most likely sit. A Prius gets sad when it isn't driven and it retaliates by throwing codes when the pack is old. The self discharge of the battery pushes an unhealthy pack into dead pack territory. So the cheap repair options are doomed to failure in your use case.
     
    #12 2k1Toaster, Sep 24, 2018
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  13. jnmontario

    jnmontario Junior Member

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    As it turns out, it's a non issue. The unicorn was/is fleeting. I could go with a rebuilt pack for about 3k CDN apparently but that's more than I'm going to spend on the old girl. Time for scrap. :(

    thks again.
     
    #13 jnmontario, Sep 25, 2018
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    good move, i think. all the best!(y)
     
    #14 bisco, Sep 25, 2018
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