Covid19 killed my prius ?

OK, so sitting for a couple months, effectively unused, allowed one or two modules to self discharge to the point of triggerring the P0A80 code. That code will still allow the car to drive fairly normally. Once the P3017 triggered, this is what put the car in 'limp' mode. That code is designating a specific block of modules (Block 7) that is a lower voltage than the others. At this point, if all you want to do is replace the faulty area, the most you would need is 2 modules to replace the entire block 7. Unfortunately, without some testing, you have no idea if other blocks are weak and ready to fail soon.

But, if you feel lucky, before you go crazy with the battery, reset all the codes and then try to just force charge the HV Battery by putting the car in drive, holding the brake and giving it gas to make the HV battery charge until you're solid green on the display. It could easily make the car drive-able again. If the module took a month+ to self discharge, and assuming it's able to be saved, a bit of charging can go a long way. If it works, at least it gives you plenty of time to plan a repair.

 

You have to take off the bus bars and measure the voltages on each module, then you will see which is bad.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I think you probably have something going on with torque. Crazy voltages for the blocks and a negative fan speed. I've never used Torque, so I don't have any good advice for that.

 

Use Dr. Prius app

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Put it on a charger and see how it is.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If your Prius will start, then doing the Forced-Charge is probably your best short-term solution until you are ready to break down the pack for service.

 

I recently got a P0A80 code from my 2005 gen2 Prius with 110k miles on the odo.

Like the original post in this thread, I rarely drove it during the COVID19 pandemic: Less than 1 tank of fuel in 6 months.

The car is now behaving perfectly after clearing the code & driving it more frequently. I’m monitoring HV battery condition with Torque Pro. Two HV pack blocks are remaining about 250mV below the other 12. There are no permanently failed NiMH modules at this time. During normal driving the SOC stays between 55 and 60%.

FYI: I did a partial restoration of my HV pack 5 years ago by replacing one NiMH module which had an internally shorted cell. That module would reach only 6.2V (instead of 7.5V) after charging it on the workbench. I also replaced another module at that time which had considerably lower AH capacity than the others. Since then I put another 15K miles on the car, including some highway trips of several hundred miles each. No problems.

-Greg

 

well done, all the best!

 

After driving my 2005 Prius 50 miles while monitoring with Torque Pro all 14 blocks are showing nearly identical voltages. So I may be “out of the woods” at the moment. The car “feels” right to me in terms of its performance.

I’m logging my Torque measurements and will soon post comparisons to measurements I recorded several years ago after I partially rebuilt my HV pack.

-Greg

 

Chances are good, if you got a po3017 just because of not driving is that if you get yourself an LED charger and build a light bulb discharger that the pack is just fine there is a sticky thread about the tools you need if you top balance it and then discharge first with 200W bulbs and then 75 and then 25 (two bulb sockets is best) and then charge up fully again that the pack might just be revived. two rules use the blower the lower fan duct and a fan to cool it while charging on a bench top. If in car you can do this too but you'll need to have the cover on in order to cool it (I actually gave mine a boost this way after five months of not driving it).
IF this does not revive the pack you'll have to check every single module, 2 hints tuck your shirt in if you sweat, or you might just get a shock, and wear gloves (the catII kind in minimum) and having a multi-meter with clip probes is better and using the one hand rule for safety. one hand can't complete the circuit!!
terramir

 

No more codes have occurred during another week of daily driving with my 2005 Prius.

Today I went out on several local suburban roads, cruising at 50-65mph between small towns with several stops/starts at stop signs, followed by steady acceleration back to 50-65mph. I was able to get the car into “battery only” mode at steady cruising speeds of 25-30mph for distances of 1/4 mile or so. Prius SOC indicator was relatively steady at an average of 4 blue bars most of the time. No big jumps.

So: No issues during a 25 mile drive. Performance and indicated fuel consumption felt “normal.”

I didn’t use Torque Pro today. I’ll soon be borrowing an Android tablet from a family member to monitor Torque Pro measurements while driving. I prefer not to be distracted while driving by attempting to read the Torque gauges from the tiny screen of my smartphone. I think the larger view provided by a well-placed tablet will work much better for occasionally glancing at while I’m driving the car.

-Greg