Traction Battery Purple on Highway

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by HiccaBurp, Apr 29, 2019.

  1. HiccaBurp

    HiccaBurp Junior Member

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    2007 Prius with 240,000 miles.. i'm the original owner.

    The battery goes to purple almost always when i'm traveling on the highway(I'm usually in the 70mph range), and has a hard time recharging. This doesn't usually happen right away, only after being at highway speeds for 20 min or so.

    Sometimes when I turn the car on(cold start mornings) and leave, the battery goes from 3/4 full to purple really fast, less than a minute or two from leaving

    I do have a code for a while for a faulty coolant control valve. I have the part and waiting for nice weather to change it.

    The HV Electric Water Pump was replaced in 2011 with 71k miles

    Is this an indication of a dying traction battery? Or something to do with the charging system? How do I diagnose?

    Thank you all for your help!
     
    #1 HiccaBurp, Apr 29, 2019
  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    It does sound like the battery. But check the inverter coolant reservoir to make sure there is movement in the tank. If the pump quits, the inverter heats up and shuts down. I'd think you'd get a trouble code and a light for that, but it's worth checking. with that age and miles, the battery would not be a big surprise.
     
    #2 jerrymildred, Apr 29, 2019
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  3. HiccaBurp

    HiccaBurp Junior Member

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    Will do, i'll check the inverter coolant reservoir for movement. Would this be movement regardless of temperature? Or does it have a tsat like the ICE cooling and only opens at certain temps?
     
    #3 HiccaBurp, Apr 29, 2019
  4. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    HV Battery is dying, based on your reported observations.

    Inverter pump is always on when car is made IG-ON or READY. There is no thermostat for the Inverter cooling loop.

    Get mini VCI w/ Tech stream to read ALL Prius codes and to have the ability to do maintenance and diagnostics. Bluetooth OBD reaters are toys and will NOT be able to do what Techstream can. Techstream is the official software written. For Toyota Lexus vehicles and used at all Toyota/Lexus dealers.
     
    #4 exstudent, Apr 29, 2019
    jerrymildred and HiccaBurp like this.
  5. HiccaBurp

    HiccaBurp Junior Member

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    2007 Prius
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    Thank you
     
    #5 HiccaBurp, Apr 29, 2019
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