I have a 2007 Prius with 100,000 miles on it. I brought the car from the USA so the odometer is in miles. Check engine light is on. Code reports “cells 1 and 8 are dead. Replace battery.” I am in Canada. I think it would be $3400 for the new battery / not certain if that includes labour. I am leaning towards replacing the battery because of low mileage and any other car for that price would be junk. I’m not sure what to think about to make a final decision. I am also wondering if the hybrid battery could be completely disconnected and the car would be able to run in just gas mode. From this question you may know that I know nothing about cars! Thanks for any insight you may have for me.
welcome! the hybrid battery starts the engine, so that won't work. i would get a new oem battery, plenty of life left in your car.
If you are referring to the 12v auxiliary battery in the trunk, the optima yellow top battery with model number 8171-767 DS46B24R will work for the US 2nd Gen Priuses. It should work for Canadian 2nd Gen Priuses as well. You can order it from the below websites. You can call or email the owner (his name is Bernard Littman) of elearnaid and ask him if he will ship to Canada. Toyota Prius 12 Volt Auxiliary Battery with install kit for 2004 + including Plug in Or you can also order from Amazon or ebay (but check before purchasing on amazon or ebay, if the seller will ship to Canada.) *** If you are ordering the optima yellow top battery, make sure you are also ordering the installation kit (i.e., the small connectors kit) because the Toyota OEM connectors came with the Prius do not fit the optima yellow top battery. The below is the video on how to install the optima yellow top battery. I have installed this Optima yellow top battery with elearnaid installation kit on my U.S. 2nd Gen Prius (that has 205k miles on it) three years ago, and never had a problem. It is cheaper than the Toyota OEM battery. Hope I understood your battery issue correctly and hope my post helps you. Good luck.
The OP is fairly likely talking about the hybrid vehicle battery given that she states "cells [modules] 1 and 8 are dead. Replace battery.”. The 12 V battery only has 6 cells. There is a direct fit Optima 12 V battery with the correct JIS terminal posts (in the S46B24R form factor) that does not require a conversion kit. Also, Optima are not what they once were–both for quality and price–and there are better aftermarket AGM options and even the OEM can be competitive.
Oops......check this out. There are also videos on youtube to replace individual cells in a hybrid battery. You may want to check them out. If you want to save money, you've got to smarten up, do your own research, and start working on your car by yourself. No one will spoon feed you.
Better to replace the HV battery, $3500 may include labor. I priced a HV battery in Sask and it was $3000 plus tax. Rather than take it to a battery re-builder that may or may not last , get the new battery and install from the dealer and no worries. As you mention, the low miles are in your favor.
If that were my car (California) replacing the battery would be the obvious choice. However, the OP only states that the car came form the USA. If it came from areas which salt their roads it might be a rust bucket. So in the OP's case, before installing a new pack, inspect the bottom of the car and make sure it isn't rusting out. A new battery won't be of much use if the car is breaking apart. If the car isn't too rusty, then sure, go ahead and replace the pack.
Thanks for the heads up. The car came from Phoenix. Other than this battery problem it is a great car mechanically and body wise. It has never been in a flood and is not rusted at all. It is in Alberta now where we do get ice and snow in the winter, roads are plowed and salted. I wash the car regularly year round.
