New 2003 Prius gen 1 Owner

congrats and welcome!

if you intend to keep it, i suppose a copy of tech stream would be helpful if you plan to diy.
maybe you coud get it up and running before you need it.

all the best!

 

New '01 - '03 Toyota Prius OEM battery packs, p/n G951047020, are getting harder and harder to find, but you're in luck. I did a quick search of on-line parts departments and came up with this one:.

https://parts.toyotasunnyvale.com/oem-parts/toyota-battery-g951047020

This is for the assembly with batteries only, many parts from the original pack, like the relay module and ECU, need to be taken from the original pack and installed on the new one by someone that knows what they're doing (I imagine Southern California has some good independent hybrid mechanics). Batteries can't be shipped, so must be picked up at the parts department, but your local Toyota service center might still be able to get one.

Note the core charge of $1350, that's the value of your original Toyota pack, Toyota does not accept after market batteries.

 

Reconditioning might have helped if started 10-12 years ago, I suspect it's beyond any possible benefit now.

Prius batteries don't wait around to be used up. They'll cheerfully, silently degrade all on their own just sitting there. So lack of use isn't exactly a preservation of value with these cars.

No direct experience with them, but I drive past Hybrid Republic near LAX a few times a year. W. Century Blvd in Inglewood.

 

The part that gives me pause is this: "I don't drive much, very infrequently, so it sits. That might be important." (Echoing Leadfoot above).

It's just, more or less, asking for battery quirkiness (whether from the 12V or the HV or both). I've got an '03 that's in good shape and does fine...if I run it around regularly. (Not the original HV battery). I keep thinking maybe I should sell it now while it's still doing ok. But I would honestly advertise it to people as a car that's "happiest" if it is driven regularly, and not just on little short-run trips to the corner. Batteries don't like to sit, no matter the kind.

As for the HV battery in that car, if it is original, that's amazing. And mileage is largely irrelevant with the batteries - it's time. But there are options out there. You can look up Greenbean. I've only *heard* of them. I don't know if they are trustworthy. But for a reasonable price they do replacements with warranty including "lifetime." (The "trustworthy" question is "gee...how many ways are there to get around the warranty by blaming X Y or Z? I just don't know about them - just that they exist).

 

besthybridbatteries.com also apparently sells and ships rebuilt gen 1 packs and they mention a 36-month unlimited-mileage warranty, which seems like a good deal. They'll also use gen 2 cells in those packs if you want, which I expect would give them a bit more longevity. Like Josey, unfortunately I don't have any experience with this shop.

I think I've seen gen 1 drop from a different shop's product page since I bookmarked it a few years ago, so that makes me nervous. Not so nervous that I'm going to buy a backup pack and just keep it sitting around though.

 

After market remanufactured battery packs that have used modules are only as good as their warranties, maybe four years at best. I suspect the lifetime warranty means having the battery constantly repaired, since individual modules are relatively cheap. Even when covered under warranty, it's a real pain to pull the battery pack out of the trunk every time the dreaded P3006 code pops up.

A new battery from Toyota will last as long as the original, well over ten years.

 

I frequently do think about what I'll do once mine goes again. Anyone know anything about these?:
Toyota Prius 2001-2003 Hybrid Battery with NEW Cells | Greentec Auto

It says "new generation cells" - so presumably they're not used cells. Or they're using used cells from a later generation? $2k isn't too shabby.

 

i think you're correct on the second guess. i've heard better things about green bean than greentec, but who knows? reviews are personal experiences that can't always be trusted.

 

Exactly as bisco says, these are old modules just from newer cars. There have been documented cases where a person has opened their failed battery with "new generation cells" to find out "new generation cells" means modules from 2004 or 2005. So take that with a grain of salt. I really think this phrase is to get people to assume that the modules are brand new.

From what people have posted here Greentec should be given a miss.

 

at least the ten miles everyday would be helpful, you'll exercise the battery more on back roads than the highway

 

Any or all of the above. And congratulations on your '03---looks like you got a good one. My '02 (w/155K miles) is my get-around vehicle. The Highlander sits in the driveway most of the time, but I don't put much mileage on either car nowadays. The Prius can go for a year or more without changing oil (Castrol Edge 5W-30) since the recommended interval is 7,500 miles, but I usually don't wait that long considering that short trips make up most of its drive experience. BTW, what's an "Ole Italian tuneup"? I don't know any old Italians, except for my barber, and he doesn't do autos.

 

My '02's CEL went on and set a code ---forget which, but it indicated to me that I needed to clean the MAF sensor. No duh, after 20+ years? Got some proper MAF cleaner at the auto store, removed MAF, and spritzed it real good. Lots of stuff came out. Let dry, reinstalled, drove car, no CEL to this day. Problem solved!

 

While you were cleaning the MAF sensor, did you also make sure to clean the part of it that senses mass air flow? The amber bubble is just the part that senses temperature (it's a combo sensor).

The MAF wires are kind of hard to see: you need to be looking right in the end of the thing. Books don't recommend touching them with anything solid, just getting them with a good stream of MAF cleaner spray.

 

When I bought my 2001, it had 126,000 miles on it and drove as hushed and quiet inside as a new car.

Within weeks of my boosting the PSI to that range, it was filled with interior rattles and squeaks (and also, I didn't like the ride much).

I came to my senses and settled on something lower, like 38/36, and the ride was more comfortable, but I drove it 110,000 more miles and the new rattles and squeaks, once created, were with me forever.

It does have a battery fan. Whether to clean it is up to you.

It might not be especially easy. Some body sheet metal stampings are behind it.