Toyota Highlander - Traction Battery

I believe the Highlander battery uses modules with 8 cells giving a nominal voltage of 9.6 volts so your reading of 10 volts is in the correct area. MTL-hihy has rebuilt his own battery no doubt he will join the conversation. Apart from the module voltages there should be no difference in rebuild procedures to the Prius batteries.

John (Britprius)

 

Wayne, no worries and it's really not that much different from working on a Prius aside from the fact that the battery modules have 2 extra cells (ie 9.6V nominal vs 7.2V for the Prius). The capacity on the modules is exactly the same as the Prius (ie 6500 mAh nominal). The fact it hasn't run in 3 years may be a bit of a concern on both the traction battery and the gas motor but as long as it was stored well it should be ok.

My posts in this thread should help alot (esp pages 11-13.....post #234 & 244 should be most helpful):
Gen II Prius Individual Battery Module Replacement | Page 12 | PriusChat

Let us know how you make out.

 

Leave the modules in the OEM clamping system until you have tested them and when testing any outside, make sure they are very well clamped or they will swell like Prius modules at higher SOC. As for modules there is someone on ebay (username: hybrid.parts) selling individual modules that should work well (be sure to test them yourself too before install though). The modules are the same from 06-present on both the Highlander Hybrid and the Lexus R400h so that will open up the possible sources a bit. Also unlike Prius modules these ones do have a positive or negative vent (not interchangeable) so make sure to get the right ones you need for any bad modules you find on your current pack.

As long as the modules are within the 40%-80% charge (9.3-10.5v.....I aimed for just over 10V on mine), you should not get any errors at start-up.

 

Any more updates on this vehicle?

 

Hi Delemi and HTL_hihy. Thanks a thousand for posting stuff on highlander.
I'm on the verge of rebuilding a battery that's had its pack flooded recently in Nigeria.
Here's my concern:
On the battery individual clamps, you've got a "do not recharge batteries" written on it.
So, how did you guys recharged your modules/pack?
I hope to recharge mine within it's OEM pack.
Thanks for response

 

hi guys, i am opening up the 08 highlander traction battery..
according to techstream, it said the 7th block is weak
so which one is the 7th block?
do we start counting from the passenger side first, as always?
thank you and i hope to hear from your input...
Mike

 

Mike, when you rebuild these you're going to need to pull the harness off each of the battery sections anyway so I wouldn't worry just yet where the bad one is located. Once you have them all out of the vehicle, then you'll need to load test each module (120-150W test with a headlight works well). Then look at all your voltage drops to see if you have any other weak ones and replace those with other modules. Make sure you test the replacements too to be sure they match well with the rest of the pack. After that you can use a Hitec or similar charger to check capacity (make sure they are clamped when you do this). If all looks good then you can put it all together and it should serve you well for a while. I would also add a Prolong HA setup while you're in there because it helps alot to extend the life of your battery pack.

 

thank MTL, but from your knowledge, do you think the 7th block is within the middle pack?
the middle pack contains 6 cells, which is easier to remove....

 

Honestly I don't remember where each block was since on mine it was block 1 that was bad (which was obviously one of the outer portions of the battery pack, I believe it was on the passenger side). Each block consists of 2 modules side-by-side so there are 14 blocks in your entire pack. Again you can do it however you wish but it's a much bigger pain in the arse to get out modules from the HiHy packs because they are all riveted together unlike the Prius or Camry's which are bolted together and it takes quite a while to tear out the interior on a HiHy too. I would take out all 3 sections of the battery, rip off all the harnesses and load test everything because if you have bad modules in the middle there may be others getting ready to fail due to heat as well. After that you can come up with a solid plan of how best to deal with your results and come up with a rebuilt pack that will go the distance again.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread. I swear I’m using search but just having bad luck.

I have a wrecked 2007 battery that I know would fit a 2008 fwd. but I have a 2008 awd that takes a different battery pack number and is unfortunately showing signs of failure (charges and discharges purple to green quickly/ poor mpg)

my question that I’m having trouble with is does anyone know if they’re the same module packs for the fwd and awd ?