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Replacing bad cells with good cells on Gen3

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Kiwibird, Jun 4, 2024.

  1. Kiwibird

    Kiwibird Junior Member

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    Hi guys
    I have a gen3 2010 Prius done 245000klm (I don’t like going by miles sorry we are in Australia) , I am driving the car with dash warning lights on I used to clear the errors and drive but I am sick of it and let the lights on… i am getting around 500klm per tank is this normal? Or I should get more? Considering 1.8ltr engine.
    On Dr.Prius app shows the middle 6 cells are lowest on voltage (the very middle cell is the lowest among them) but the ones on sides are very high always IMG_0156.jpeg IMG_0157.jpeg , so ist possible to replace the bad cells with good cells instead of replacing the whole pack?

    thank you for advise.
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yes you can do that It's a game that some people play and it will sure help with your upper body strength as you will be pulling the pack in and out of the vehicle quite a bit usually when you're doing these antics. At the end of the day if you still stay with a vehicle of this type you'll probably come to the conclusion that it's just better to replace the battery as an assembly and know you're going to have 8 to 10 years of no issues from your battery and to some that's a good thing to others they have more time than maybe money or something along those lines and so they'll play these games until they can do better or maybe not I don't know seems to me if you can get somebody with the bigger equipment and the better capability they can if they desire and follow protocol come up with a pretty good usable rebuilt pack I have a friend that does seemingly very decent work and you know it doesn't cost a fortune so there's always that I guess to me it seems just better to buy the battery so I can keep working doing my thing and not worrying about batteries I'd rather worry about fuel injectors or throttle bodies or something that can be fixed fixed all this battery stuff is well just more than it needs to be it seems.
     
  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    How many times do you want to do it? That is the question....
    A lot of work involved in replacing them. Then you have to balance them.
    It is best to replace all of them with NEW ones. Then you should be able to forget
    about them for several years....

    I just replaced mine last week. I hope to die before it needs to be done again!

     
    Mr. F likes this.
  4. rudyjoe

    rudyjoe Junior Member

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    I started that same swap out etc. until i understood what these guys on here were saying and stopped playing wack-a-mole cause it was becoming a loosing battle. Got my stash out and paid $3600 and DONE! no more to hassle with since i plan on keeping this forever kinda.
    I still have 3 very good modules that i bought and later just kept and put the old ones back to go with the pack core. I should sell them...but not to you! lol Maybe some other smuck who doesn't get what people are saying here. Oh, and don't waste your money on anything else other than genuine toy hybrid battery pak. Thats my opinion on that. Good luck Kiwibird
     
    Brian1954 and Mr. F like this.
  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    How did you get Toyota to sell you the hybrid battery? They told me they can't sell
    it over the counter any longer. It would have to be to someone certified in hybrid work.
    I paid $2200 for new modules and installed it myself. It was easy. Hardest part was
    lifting the old one out, and the new one back in. My brother helped me.

    I should sell my old modules. I was still driving with it without any error codes.

     
  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Exactly. Those that can learn from others are way better off than a guy who has to learn the hard way.

    500 km per tank (311 miles) is rather poor when you could be getting 50% more range at least.

    Pricing for new modules from dealers ranges from $1,600 US on sale to double that at $3,200. Even at $1,600 the dealer makes money. You have to shop and be willing to drive a little. Their are independents who buy OEM and install with new warranty. My hv battery was $2250 installed.

    A major variable is pricing in your country and the number of middle men in the supply chain.
     
    #6 rjparker, Jun 10, 2024
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2024
  7. Mr. F

    Mr. F Active Member

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    That's troubling. Did you walk up to the parts counter and enquire? I ordered one online earlier this year and picked it up at the Lexus dealership, no questions asked.
     
  8. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Iwent into the parts department in Sarasota. I didn't try any other ones.
    They said no dealership is allowed to do it. I think it's bogus! It's not ac voltage.
    I looked online, and no one had them. I gave up after about 8 or so places.
    There was a place about an hour and 15 minutes south of me that sells the round ones.
    But when I phoned him, he said he just sold his last one. I've heard that before....

    I was hoping to get a discount on the shipping if I pick it up myself. And he wanted
    a $500 deposit for the original ones.

    So it was either a jdm one, with a 90 day warranty, or a "new" one for $300 more than
    what I spent.

     
  9. rudyjoe

    rudyjoe Junior Member

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    I had a local certified prius shop do the job, hence the $3600 total. I could have went to a toy dealer and bought one for $2800 plus having to pay the core fee until i returned the one pack. I decided to just let the local shop do it and paid the labor and be done with it. I couldn't find any shop that did this oem swap other than all those rebuilt junk shops. This was last year so i don't know if toy. dealerships stopped selling them over the counter now.
     
  10. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Okay, a year ago...They were selling them up to a few months ago.... (y)
    I didn't need on then. The Prolong system kept mine going for the last 3 years.