2003 original battery died at 280k. Help.

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Lewishardcastle, Feb 8, 2020.

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  1. Lewishardcastle

    Lewishardcastle New Member

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    Lake Tahoe
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    One
    I have had this Prius for about 5 years. It has had many off road and snow miles up here in Tahoe. It ran strong for years and has been running larger studded snow tires for about two years. Recently it started sputtering going up a grade and eventually I used a free tow so I didn’t do more damage. I towed to a local shop thinking I couldn’t do it myself. They said it’s should be a simple relay, a week later they said the HV battery was bad. I towed it to my place and went to town. Ripped the hv battery out and it was corroded to hell on the busplate. I cleaned all the copper and tested each cell, lowest was 5.9 v, although most were around 7. Threw it back in and am getting a p3030.

    Any suggestions?
    Thanks
     
    #1 Lewishardcastle, Feb 8, 2020
  2. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    The module that measured 5.9 volts is junk and needs to be replaced. The P3030 code means you broke one of the small wires of the voltage sensing harness.
     
    #2 strawbrad, Feb 8, 2020
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  3. Lewishardcastle

    Lewishardcastle New Member

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    Thanks! What is the minimum voltage that is acceptable? May need to replace a few.
     
    #3 Lewishardcastle, Feb 8, 2020
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    There is no minimum, as such. But if the voltage varies by more than 1.2 V from the others, it has a dead cell and is junk.

    More important, is the capacity of each module. Your replacement module needs to match the capacity of your existing modules as close as possible.

    You can gauge capacity by doing a load test and recording the drop in voltage over time. Your replacement module should show similar characteristics. You will probably find other modules that need replacing by doing the load test on all of them.

    This link, Prolong® Battery Module Load Tester - Hybrid Automotive, has a "how to" on it. You can easily make the tester, you probably already have everything you need to do that.
     
    #4 dolj, Feb 9, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Truth be told, with that age and mileage they ALL probably will need to be replaced soon.
    Most people get tired of doing a few at a time.
     
    #5 sam spade 2, Feb 10, 2020
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