Help! Does anyone know of a mechanic in the Atlanta, GA area who will replace an individual cell in the hybrid battery on a 2001 prius. The dealership wants to replace the entire battery for $3,000. Thanks!
do not replace cells try to get a second hand 2004 and up battery from ebay or alike. replacing 1 or 2 cells wil only get you into trouble in the future
Replacing one or few modules may leave you with a battery that is poorly balanced, and that is bad for longevity. At least the rebuild should be with well-ballanced modules. FWD suggests using modules from the newer model Prius. Those are better, but the newer battery assembly is not directly compatible for you. There is at least one battery rebuilding business. Give us some time and someone will report where ti is. Meanwhile you could contact Toyata Customer Experience and see if they are having a great day. If so they might offer to help you with the cost of new. Hey it's worth a try.
No direct experience, but ... I seem to remember others pointing out that the G1 battery has more cells than G2 (2004-2009), so a direct swap is impossible. One needs to buy two used G2 battery packs, and select the best cells to swap into the G1 pack. Considering that OP's battery is already bad, swapping a few cells and possibly having some future problems is still an improvement over the current situation. The tradeoff will depend on OP's plans for this car.
Here is the link for one rebuilder. Seems like there is another in ? Long Island? Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs
i am sorry always forget that you need 2 gen2 or gen 3 ( if i am correct the gen3 got the same shape and size of the gen 2 cells ) battery packs because the gen1 got more modules and so a higher voltage. you only swap the cells not the housing and the cells have the same size en shape.
I believe Bob Wilson (bwilson4web) is the man who can assist you about replacing 2001 Prius battery. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...hooting/41236-2001-03-battery-experiment.html Ken@Japan
Also the GEN2 cells are taller thus they won't fit in the GEN1's battery case correctly. I suggest getting a complete reconditioned battery pack from re-involt with GEN2 cells already in it, and the top of case is already properly modified. Don't forget to send in your old GEN1 pack as a core charge then the cost is $400 cheaper. With the new pack you will have more EV only time and it'll last longer than the original one did. They also don't have the "leakage" problems the older GEN1 cells had. The car will be better than new in operation. Either way, Best of Luck with it.
