"Programming" the traction battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by MattLTH, Jan 8, 2019.

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  1. MattLTH

    MattLTH Junior Member

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    In January of 2018, my 2007 Gen 2 (125k miles at the time) had a traction battery fail. I found a mechanic shop on Yelp that was rated very highly and had them replace the battery with a Toyota factory battery. When I picked it up, the mechanic said that they "programmed" the battery. I'd never heard of that. I asked if he meant programming the car's firmware, and he reiterated that he programmed the battery.

    Since then and now at 138k miles, the mileage hasn't improved that much, and the SoC showing on the ScanGaugeII never seems to climb above 58% (unless I'm traveling downhill and using a lot of regenerative braking), nor does it go below 40% (unless I'm hillclimbing.) The old (original) battery had a wider operational percentage, regularly 30-70%.

    So my question is: Is programming the battery a real thing? If so, is it possible he did it wrong or installed a version that doesn't use the battery as much?
     
    #1 MattLTH, Jan 8, 2019
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    How do you know he even put in a new Toyota battery?

    There's no programming involved
     
    #2 JC91006, Jan 8, 2019
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  3. MattLTH

    MattLTH Junior Member

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    Thanks, JC. Good question. They provided Toyota paperwork with the serial number and warranty coverage, so I feel confidant they did install a brand new factory battery.

    As for the programming, I'm troubled to learn that was BS. I'm going to have a word with them about that.
     
    #3 MattLTH, Jan 8, 2019
  4. brdmb

    brdmb Junior Member

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    Can the firmware be upgraded on the battery ECU (control computer)? If so, I'd call that "programming the battery"

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 brdmb, Jan 9, 2019
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    #5 JC91006, Jan 9, 2019
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  6. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    And immediately after programing the HV Battery, he installed new muffler bearings.
     
    #6 TMR-JWAP, Jan 9, 2019
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  7. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    What about the blinker fluid? Judging by the way other drivers act everybody needs more. Very few drivers use those blinkers trying to conserve their fluid.
     
    #7 Prodigyplace, Jan 9, 2019
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  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Having driven it a year and going 13,000 miles, I doubt that you have much recourse with the shop anymore. But I'm suspicious, too, that it's not a new battery. It's not hard to open it up and check the numbers. That should give you what you need to determine its lineage.
     
    #8 jerrymildred, Jan 9, 2019
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  9. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Compared to the mileage figure from when ??

    A drop due to a bad traction battery usually is rather dramatic: a substantial drop suddenly.

    A long gradual drop in mileage is probably due to other factors, not the least of which might just be AGE.
     
    #9 sam spade 2, Jan 9, 2019
  10. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    The old battery had less capacity than your new battery so the range would tend to be lessened with a new battery. You say the mileage did not go up that much, how much is not than much and what are you getting? Perhaps someone who owned a new 2007 could comment on how your battery is behaving.
     
    #10 Skibob, Jan 9, 2019
  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I don't know about new, but my wife's "07 with the original HV battery was doing about 48 mpg before I killed it. (long story documented elsewhere) Now, with a 2015 battery, it's around 49 mpg. And she does no hyper-miling. Just a sensible driver.
     
    #11 jerrymildred, Jan 9, 2019
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what are you getting for mpg's measured by the tank at the pump? i suspect you may be over reacting
     
    #12 bisco, Jan 9, 2019
  13. scargi01

    scargi01 Active Member

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    I have replaced a battery with a used one, and also replaced individual cells in a battery. In both cases the mileage remained the same as before the failure, not higher or lower.
     
    #13 scargi01, Jan 13, 2019
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