Just bought 05 Prius. Low bat, noise from ICE, is this safe??

Not sure it was quite everyone on the thread.

 

sounds like a bad ground or electrical gremlins. maybe rodents chewing on the wiring.

with the car off, check the voltage at the jump point under the hood

 

I didn't read through from the first page ... has anybody suggested reading the diagnostic codes yet?

 

You need to keep in mind that the Greenbean battery is just an old secondhand battery in similar condition to your old battery. You will likely be making a warranty claim as it is highly likely the battery is faulty.

Getting the codes read, as suggested by ChapmanF, will be your best course of action as it direct your attention to where the problem is.

 

Too late for OP here but others may want to consider similarly named, GreenTech batteries, which unlike GreenBean batteries are remanufactured with NEW high capacity cells and for $1,750 with four year warranty. Nationwide installation sites.

I’ve used them on a 2007 Camry Hybrid and had good luck so I would try them if I needed on a Prius if the OEM battery was too expensive.
2004-2009 Toyota Prius Gen 2 Hybrid Battery, Unlimited Mileage Warranty | Greentec Auto

 

Is this a new thing, because there are plenty of reports of GreenTech remanned secondhand batteries failing while still charging this exorbitantly high price (for a secondhand battery).

If they are indeed new modules in the GreenTech product, they will likely be Yobo or some other Chinese option. Some of these test in the 3000 - 3500 mAh range compared to OEM which are 6500 mAh. So while they will be good for probably the first 5 years, they will not last as long as an OEM or NBP (also tested to 6500 mAh). Having said that, for some reason you still might want to spend the extra $150 for a 5-year extension of life.

 

Alright, your Prius still may be a salvageable commuter vehicle for your mountainous commutes.

Your problem isn't related to the Hybrid Battery, its related to the ICE not putting out enough power.

In my opinion, your Prius should be able to make it up the mountain pass at speed. The ICE will get a work out, but it should be able to be done. You should focus on tuning the health of your Internal Combustion Engine from here on out. With another few hundred dollars spent, you'll have a reliable commuter car.

First I'm going to go through some of your previous replies.

This is normal behavior for a healthy Hybrid Battery, especially on a mountain pass with the AC on. The AC alone is a huge power draw on the High Voltage system. Sitting parked in READY with all other electronics off, the AC alone will drain the HV Battery from Full Green Bars to 2 Purple Bars in 5-10 minutes. Otherwise the Prius can sit up to almost an hour in READY without the HV Battery draining that deeply.

When you combine this with a steep grade mountain pass, and the HV Battery having to provide a large amount of torque to keep speed, the battery will drain quickly. This effect will be amplified if the ICE's Torque output is weak from being in a suboptimal state. Since it's providing less power than it should, you'll have to rely on the HV Battery even MORE for power!

There are two reasons this is happening:

1. When the HV Battery gets too low at 1 purple bar, the computers will not allow the HV Battery to provide anymore power to the wheels, so the engine revs really high to provide power to the wheels.
2. At the same time, since the HV Battery can't output anymore power to the wheels or HV electronics like the AC compressor, the ICE also has to turn into a generator, spinning Motor Generator 1 (MG1). MG1 is a the gear in the transmission that doubles as both a starter motor to start the ICE, and a generator that can be driven by the ICE depending on what the computers tell it to do. So at this point MG1 will begin to slip to generate electricity, taking power away from the wheels and channeling that power into the HV Battery so it's a double whammy effect.

This is why the engine revs high and makes a lot of noise but doesn't feel like it's doing anything. you're receiving no torque from the HV Battery to spin the wheels, and the ICE simultaneously has to balance between driving the wheels down the road and charging the HV Battery so it doesn't get to low.

And again, all of this will be made worse by a suboptimal engine.

One partial/temporary way around this to increase speed would be to limit AC use (will create less HV Battery drain) and use cruise control.

Cruise control has better HV battery management at speed. When using your foot to accelerate the Prius likes to give you as much power as quickly and smoothly as possible so it uses lots of torque from the electric motor to get you to accelerate quickly, which drains the HV Battery.

Cruise control will rely on the engine at high speed to provide most of the torque unless absolutely necessary. You won't accelerate as quickly, but it will prolong the battery level and prevent the ICE from having to lose power to both generating electricity for the HV Battery and driving the wheels.

But again, in a sub-optimal ICE, it will still struggle.

I would have suspected this would have been the result all along from battery replacement.

IT'S NOT THE HV BATTERY, IT'S LIKELY THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE BEING SUBOPTIMAL.

Unless the Battery is on the brink of triggering a failure code, you won't notice much of a difference in how the Prius behaves. The Battery is constrained by certain operating parameters in the computers and a new one won't make much of a difference unless the old one gave a stored failure code, or was about to.

A sub-optimal ICE can have just as much of an effect on power and mpg, especially at speeds above 40mph, which is when the Prius relies on the ICE to generate most of the torque and speed.

An uphill mountain pass is definitely where the Prius will struggle the most due to the nature of the small engine and Hybrid system, but you should be able to keep speed.

So it's time for an ICE Tune-up​

Recommendations for improving your ICE:

• New Spark Plugs - New plugs will ensure combustion is happening efficiently and could increase power.
• Fuel Injector Cleaner - Put some fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank. It will ensure the spray tips of the fuel injectors are free of any gunk and allows the fuel to mix properly with the air, creating more power from combustion. I would use either Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) or Berryman B-12 Fuel Injector Cleaner.
  • I actually use Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) at every fill-up in a 32-Ounce Pour Flask at a rate of 1 ounce per 2.5 gallons. It causes a noticeable increase in power and mpg when in the tank. This has been documented by others on this forum as well.
• Oil Flush and Piston Soak - Many older Gen 2 Prius burn oil due to carboned up piston rings. Check your oil frequently. This can sometimes be fixed by a piston soak and oil flush.
  • Berryman B-12 Fuel Injector Cleaner should be used for this, but you have to be careful, it's powerful stuff, basically straight solvent. Can damage engine components if not careful.

This is almost definitely a 12v issues, either from incorrect reassembly after HV Battery replacement or the 12v is dying. Make sure the battery electrical connections are tight and make sure the 12v isn't crapped out.

Any Questions just ask!

 

You're welcome!

I'm also highly active on the Prius Subreddit. Much more active there then here.

Already linked my comment here I made for you to a couple replies on there.

If you post a question there, there's a much better chance I'll reply.

And just be aware, Berryman B-12 is powerful stuff. It will strip paint if you get some on the vehicle. Care is advised.

Also I realized above that I forgot to include the Berryman B-12 Piston Soak Procedure which can cure oil consumption and potentially improve power.

Also consider doing a transmission fluid drain and fill if that hasn't been done recently.

Fresh lubricating oil for the transmission will only do you good and potentially improve power slightly. If it's still on the original fluid at 16 years old and 194k, it's bound to be effecting power output to some degree.

And one more thing as I mentioned above in my original comment, try using cruise control on the mountain pass if you haven't yet.

It will significantly slow HV Battery drain and allow for more power demand when needed.

It does a much better job of balancing HV Battery use when compared to Accelerator Pedal input with your foot.

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Greentec has been in business for some time, nationwide. Started by children of a Sacramento auto mechanic. while I don’t know the source of their cells, I can personally attest to the quality of their products. I bought a new cell, battery from them for a 2007 Camry and have had it for years without problems even in the Arizona heat. They appear to be a quality shop and pleasant to deal with.