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replacing a bad cell do i need to balance all cells ?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ids381, Feb 9, 2018.

  1. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    Hi Folks
    my Car was parked for a week in cold NY and decided to fail on Hybrid battery
    i checked the code is p0a80 which is for Hybrid Battery replacement
    when i drive my Car on drives on ICE and shows it is chargingthe Battery to a point that Battery shows all green bars but never shifts to HV mode.

    1--) I was able to read through some older post and YT videos about replacing bad cell by checking the voltage and swapping the bad ones. Is that all ? I also read some thing about re-balancing cycling other cells what is that for ?

    2-) Since my car is driving and Hybrid battery is being charged is that enough for me to expect approximately ~ 8v reading from each cell or do something other way to ensure the cells are fully charged before i test them ?
     
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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  3. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    That isn't all! You have to ensure all the modules, including the one(s) you replaced matches the capacity and voltage of the existing modules in the pack.

    You need to discharge/balance the pack at once, if you're grid charging it, or you go through the hobby charger way, which takes little bit of time.

    You need to have also a scantool that could access the various HV battery block voltages before, and after installations.

    Just doing a whack a mole approach, might only save you some months of repeating the same job again.

    If all the modules aren't matched close to each other in terms of capacity and voltage, you'd have the same problem coming up, with poor MPGs.
     
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  4. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    Car has 124 k miles and Hybrid Battery fan turns on as soon as i start moving.
    Is it ok to keep driving for short trips near by ? or can it cause more issues ?
    Thanks for the above old thread i will read it .
     
  5. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    You could still drive it for short trips. But the problem is when the battery gets to a severely deteriorated stage, there comes a time the car could just stall as you drive. In such situations, you've got to reset the ECU by disconnecting one of the 12V battery cables, or use a scantool to clear codes. Car starts immediately, and you now drive home, or to a dealership.

    It may cause more issues, if for instance, only say, one module was affected, it could easily cause the other so-called good modules to fail too. Its called thermal runaway. Heat affects the nearby modules, and operating voltages/capacity now varies between then, causing the blower fans to come on.

    PS: As long as the car isn't stalling yet, you could drive. But I hope you can cope with the cost of gasoline though?
     
  6. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    Thanks fo replying . i checked again and i missed to report that there was a P3014 code as well, which it probably Bank4 weak .
     
  7. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Test all the modules and see if you could post their voltages here
     
  8. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    yeah but think before i get to the battery i need to buy the Prolong grid charger or some charger to be able charge cycle . simply swapping the bad cell will probably isn't a good idea as you said.
    these things are expansive , is there a rental option :)
     
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  9. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    The Prolong people, Hybrid Automotive now sell used modules too, matched to your mileage.

    Replacement Toyota Prius Module - Hybrid Automotive
     
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  10. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I just loaned out the charger and Discharger out here in the Bay Area last month;).

    Maybe a member with the setup will chime in, but not sure of anyone in NYC with the setup :(.

    But loaning and sharing are good options(y).
     
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  11. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    I see new ones are north of 700$ and I am thinking If I should buying a charger makes more sense than putting my money towards a new battery or ..

    One seller is a selling original Toyota gen2 battery battery 6months old in warranty with paper work and salvaged his car due to transmission issue . Good knows the reality but it sounds a great deal at 1000$
     
  12. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    See the link in my signature to see what I did when dealing with a failed batt.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
  13. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Be sure its a low mileaged car, and that what seller is saying is really the truth!

    Might be a good idea to buy a hobby charger to do that, and you're done, in say, some weeks or so.

    We have members in here that sell same stuff. I don't think they would want to sell you some fake stuff, considering that they have a reputation to protect over here.

    PS: If what he's saying is the truth about the salvaged issue, then its cool. But open your both eyes well.
     
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  14. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    Noted on your advise and appreciate your input. I did not buy the battery some one took it before me.

    One more observation that i want to share , since i did a reset of the Engine codes using the obd2 scanner the fan that was running all the time before is not running as much. i have driven almost 30 miles since the reset and still the Battery light is on but the fan has gone off. Before it was running all the time, as soon as i started the car.

    Secondly now my Car goes off on stop lights when i am waiting before it would keep running on ICE. and soon as i release the brakes the engine kicks on .
    Not sure why before it was not same. Is there a mileage distance after which the Fan remains On and same goes the ICE. ?

    PS :I am hoping to start the rebuild of battery on the long weekend.

    Thanks you all..
     
  15. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    It is worth the hassle to remove the copper plates and get the oxides rust removed?
     

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  16. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    Looks like I have one cell that is below 7 and the borders ones are below 8.
     
  17. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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    The replacement cell that arrived shows 7.8.. going to be lowest on my battery averaging 8+.

    Is it ok or should I buy one match about 8.10 so that this not a weakest link.. ?
     
  18. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    You do not know what level of charge is on the replacement cell. You really need to balance the cells in the pack while monitoring, both charging & discharging to get a true picture of the battery pack condition.
     
  19. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    ids,

    This is a link to a thread I made a while back that documented replacing one module with no other "balancing" or charging performed. Although every experience will differ, it can at least show you what you could expect. Simply exchanging a module can have a range of levels of success. Sometime the battery will last a year or more, sometimes not so much. There's a bit of luck involved, but if you can get some apps to monitor it, at least you can see what's going on and plan accordingly.

    Also, don't misinterpret module voltage as a sign of strength or weakness. (except for ones like you found that are very low ie 6.3 etc. modules with significantly low voltages typically have internal failures and aren't worth trying to use again).

    Just Another HV Battery Thread and Experiments | PriusChat
     
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  20. ids381

    ids381 Junior Member

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