Hello, my name is Franc and I recently received a 2002 Prius with a nonfunctional HV battery. Local Toyota dealer asks for the equivalent to 2500 USD plus labor to replace it, but I cannot afford that replacement. It is not my intention to be a troll. I understand that "engine swap" threads are not well received in this forum, but I would appreciate some help and input about how to keep the car running. I want to know if is it possible to remove the whole hybrid system and install a conventional drivetrain. I considered a Gen1 Echo 1NZFE (pricetag under 1000 USD here in my country). Thank you.
That is certainly "possible", but it may not be possible on a tight budget - unless you do not care about the instrument cluster gauges properly working, the braking system being impaired, etc. Besides removing the engine/transaxle drivetrain, you would have to remove the braking system feeding the hydraulic lines leading to the wheel cylinders and remove all of the electronics including the engine ECU, hybrid vehicle ECU, traction battery ECU, body ECU, SRS ECU, combination meter ECU, immobilization system ECU, etc. Then, replace with the powertrain, braking system (brake master cylinder and power brake vacuum assist), electronics and gauges from the donor car. The Prius hybrid system is tightly integrated into the overall vehicle design. It is not a layer of frosting that you can scrape off the top of your piece of cake. So you would be better off trying to figure out how to replace the traction battery more economically, by doing it yourself and fabricating a used battery using 38 modules from two salvaged G3 Prius batteries (2010 - current model years).
Thank you for your replies. I keep searching for options. I found a local shop where they said the damaged cells could be replaced. I'm taking the car there next week.
Recognizing that the traction battery is ~14 years old, any solution that does not involve replacing all 38 modules is going to be a short term fix.
