How reliable (or not) is the Dr. Prius Life Expectancy Test? Ran it twice yesterday on our 2008 Prius (247,500 miles) that our daughter is going to purchase from us. Both test results showed the battery pack at 67%. A co-worker replaced his 2004 Prius battery pack not too long ago, however, and he was at a little over 250,000 miles. I know there's a lot of variability among vehicles and battery packs, but any additional information would be greatly appreciated.
About as reliable as a thirteen year old vehicle. Is the HV battery currently showing any telltale signs on impeding doom? (wild SOC fluctuations, purple bars, etc) Have you already reconditioned the HV battery with a grid charger? Have you ever cleaned the HV battery fan behind the back seat?
The HV battery is not showing anything unusual. I have not reconditioned the HV battery. I will look into it. And no - I have not cleaned the HV battery fan. I will investigate that as well. Is the Dr. Prius test worth running at all?
What result would like to get out of the this "health test" ? (example: this vehicle won't leave my daughter stranded on the road) The test can show the resistance / voltages for the 14 "blocks" (aka modules pairs), which may be useful as a general health gauge. Do you have the above Dr Prius resistance/voltage results, and can you post them here in the forum? Here is an example image (so you know what to post) of a 'not so happy' rebuilt HV battery that still barely functions at 25% health :
I like using it to monitor voltage difference, actual state of charge, and temperature. I don’t pay much attention to the life expectancy test.
Cleaning the HV battery fan is fairly easy, there are threads here, and videos. Many here have used the Prolong gear by Hybrid Automotive to recondition the HV battery, but some have used a HV power supply. There are other maintenance options depending on what you (or the daughter) are looking for in vehicle life going forward. Have you ever dumped and refilled the WS transmission fluid? Is the brake actuator/accumulator making any odd chirping/barking noises, or is constantly running? Have you considered a new OEM HV battery, this may extend the vehicles life another 10+ years.
It's spelled "battery life expectancy test" but it's actually pronounced "battery capacity test". That's what it measures- the capacity. Now while a pack with 90% capacity will likely last much longer than something at 25%, saying that it will last 90% as long as a new pack is a stretch at best. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
