If you've replaced the main G1 traction battery, please tell us here!

1. 2001
2. 151000 miles
3. new from dealer
4. dealer did the work
5. battery indicator shown it's in full charge (not normal 75%charge but is 100% charge) status but the vehicle behave it's half charge (engine on all the time and accleration abit slow than normal). Several minute later, Check engine light, red triangle and the hybrid light come on (NO hybrid battery light come on). At the same time, the battery cooling fan are in full power. The car is still drivable this time although those things are happened (I drive it like that for around 200km more until it arive my home). Try to reboot the car, all the lights are come off except the check engine light but within a few minute later the situation happen earlier are all happen again.
6. Just under CAD$4000 (warrenties not cover because my prius have 151000 miles on it).

 

I've been commuting in my 2001 Prius since I bought it 18 months ago, and I think the main battery is going. I get main battery warning lights for about a week at a time, then it will go off for a month or two. The warning light occurs more often in Texas summers of 100F (38C). Last time it was in the shop, the readouts indicated some blocks are getting weak, so the occasional battery warnings are no surprise. So far, no other symptoms. The car drives well and gets 45 to 50 mpg. I would like to find technical charging instructions for the batteries used as the individual battery blocks so I can try to equilize the charge to see if that helps before replacing the entire set. On this board I have read countless threads with titles that indicate main battery charging, only to find out they are either (a) Prius Plus conversion threads, (b) do-it-yourself plug-in conversions costing thousands of dollars and which charge the entire bank at once, or (c) bickering matches regarding the above.

I have found a guy with a pullout set from an '02; now saving up some money and deciding whether I want to take a chance.

 

1. 2001
2. 61,365 miles, 11/21/2006
3. New battery, warranty replacement
4. Toyota dealer
5. Master warning light and hybrid vehicle icon were on. Engine would run whenever accelerator pedal was depressed. MPG dropped down to low-30s.
6. Warranty repair.

Currently the availability of salvage Classic traction batteries on eBay is limited while the prices are quite high. This is evidence that the incidence of out-of-warranty traction battery failures is at least as high as the incidence of Classic Prius getting into accidents where the vehicle is "totaled".

Compare to 2G where the pricing of salvage traction batteries is still relatively low. Perhaps one solution for an enterprising Classic owner is to buy two 2G salvage battery assemblies (with 28 modules each) and construct one Classic battery (needing 38 modules) using the best out of the pool of 56 modules.

 

It's my understanding that Panasonic's plastic-shell prismatic modules were used in the G1 and their metal-shell prismatics in the G2. Are they otherwise dimensionally equivalent - could 38 of the metal-shells be stacked in a G1 battery case and have the holes line up?

-Chap

 

Hi Chap,

My understanding is that the Classic vs. 2G battery module dimensions are similar but not exact. For example the terminals come out of the case at different heights. So it is unclear whether 38 2G modules would fit into the Classic case without any modification required.

 

It's looking as if I was mistaken about the 2G using the metal-shell prismatics; apparently it's just the more recent rev of the plastic ones, according to
Toyota Prius Battery Specs - EAA-PHEV

If those are right, the 2G modules are the same width and height, but 10mm longer; that probably means that a new cover would have to be fabbed and would protrude farther into the trunk, and possibly new bottom and end plates. Maybe the existing busbar modules could still be attached to (one set of) the (now doubled) terminals.

It might make for a nice battery upgrade though.

-Chap

 

Has aneybody out there tried to fit a G2 module into a G1 Drive Battery? if so let us know. Also has aneybody bought a SSC40G mod kit? if so where did you get it? Another question. Dose aneybody know or have read aneywhere how much differance in module voltage is required to set the battery code P3006? Thanks
Roy

 

Just replaced main battery

1. I have a 2001 Prius.
2. Mileage =120,000
3. Bought new from Toyota dealer.
4. Warning light in dash went on (triangle with ! in middle).
5. Also warning light in display went on (picture of car with ! in middle).
6. Took to dealer, diagnostic showed one cell was dead.
7. Approx cost to replace: $3000 for battery. Labor $600.
8. Picking up today from dealer.

 

At 107K mile catastrophic failure (cell). Dealer replaced after some debate. Wanted $3500 then half that then free.
160 K now

 

1. 2001
2. 153,000 ebay vehicle purched for $6,100.00 with known bad battery, cell #18 as tested by Toyota.
3. Purchased used battery from salvage yard in northan Alabama, which was from a 2002 car with 107 miles on it for $500 and $130 shipping. When I received the battery I was supprised to find it to be like new and the SOC to be 292V, all modgels were within .02v of each other.
4. When I receved the car, which was in very good condition except for the drive battery, I would clear the code P3006 and it would reset just idling in the driveway. I drove the car around the block a couple of times. The ICE ran constantly and the battery SOC would go up and down from two bars to full charge. I left the code scanner inserted and reset the code a couple of times and it would shortly reset. My son and I swaped out the battery, took us about 2.5 hours, we could probably do it faster now. We pushed the battery into the trunk area and picked it up with an engin hoist. used the same procedure to re install. I might add this would probably take longer, but we had air tools and the bolts came out and in pretty fast and we are both experinced gearheads. After the change the car ran great, I have put about 75 miles on the car and no problems. I have rescanned twice and no codes set.
5. Code P3006
6. $630.00
I havent looked at the old battery yet. I found another dead battery for $200 and bought it with the thought of using cells to fix the removed battery to eather have as a spare or to sell it. I have been able to charge 6 modgules to 7.8V and they have been holding ther charge for two days so far. I wish I knew how to load test them, I know there is a lot of elect techs on this site. If aneybody knows how to load test a 7.8V DC Battery, please let me know how.

 

I have a 2001 Prius that every once and a while indicates a completely full battery charge but still tries to charge battery. When this happens the car seems to short cycle from motor to generator operation, the car has 127,000 miles on it and runs great most of the time. I don't get any warning lights or anything when it is happening so I am beginning to wonder if there is a bad connection between one of the cells causing this problem. I have a battery pack out of a 2003 prius parts car and I may try to put this one in the car to see if the problem goes away. I would appreciate any information on this exchange if someone out there has done a battery exchange themselves. I had to pull and reinstall the drive train unit when I built this car and it wasn't that hard, and that was 60,000 miles ago, great car, great gas mileage, and fun to drive.
Tom

 

Hi Thomas, I don't know how to move post from one thread to another or I would move one to here. It is the instructions for changing the drive battery, which I used. Thanks Klodhopper. Go to the G1 post site and post (Re:G1 Traction battery shelf life) Page 2 third post down by Klodhopper, there you will find the instructions. I found some interesting information. That is it takes 1.2V difference in module voltage to set the P3006 Error code. If you aren't getting Any code or warning light, I would let it go and save the donate battery. However you may need to charge the battery if it sets a long time. I don't know if they go down on their own. Just that I bought two and one was dead, maby .5V on some modules and the other had 292V. Hope this helps. Also Tom, I just read in the users manuel, if you set the a/c on max, this will make the ICE cycle more often.

 

Thanks for the information, I will check post and let you know. Not sure when I will do it the car seems to run great and not codes, didn't have the A/C on max. The problem seems to occur when the weather is cool and damp. I have to take the drive train out of a 02 I am rebuilding and out of the 03 so I can send 02 to frame rack. I need the frame rails and front end from 03 to rebuild 02. At this point I will remove battery and rest of parts from the 03, I have never had a problem with the HV batteries when I first start the car even when they are discharged. This will be my third prius so I guess I will sell one of them, my wife and I can only drive two.
Tom

 

I have a 2001 prius.
A week before disaster, check engine light came on. Toyota said I needed new auxiliary battery, so replaced it and thought that was the end of my battery wearing down and not starting. The check engine light came on again a few days later. I had it turned off at neighborhood auto shop. He said if it comes on again be cautious. The next day it came back on after driving car for about 40 mi. and completely lost electric power on major highway. All dashboard warning lights came on. Managed to drive car home for about 15 miles at 40 mi per hr. Took to Toyota. they examined car on computer. the hybid battery was done for. The car had 94,000 mi. on it so was under 100,000 mile warranty and luckily covered. Dealer said it would have cost $5,000. for battery.

 

You don't "move" a post (only a moderator can do that), but you can link to it, like this: battery changing instructions.

Seems like a lot of 2001 model years represented here. I wonder if that's a statistical fluke or something about that year. I'm pretty sure the Canadian taxis that went over 250K miles were model year 2001. Jesse from Massachusetts had a 2002 Prius that went 349,500 miles on the apparently original batteries.

 

The early 2001 had the leaking terminals and sealing recall, so there definitely were battery changes made for the 2002 Prius production vehicles

 

1. 2001
2. 82,411
3. New in 2001
4. Autoway Toyota Dealer
5. Big !, but no battery icon, or any change in performance. Codes P3000, P3006 - Uneven charge in HV battery.
6. Warrantied

 

The SSC 40G battery resealing covers 2001 through mid-2003 model year. This does not necessarily imply that there were no changes in battery cell construction during that time. It *might* suggest that the late-2003 cells were *almost* as good as the 2004 redesign.