Swap batteries on Gen 1

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by MariCat, Dec 14, 2017.

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  1. MariCat

    MariCat Junior Member

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    Hi there. I have a 2001 Prius 178K miles, w/ a 2 year old battery. Paid for the dealer to do it, and i love my car. However, sadly I was in an accident and there is frame damage. Question: I want to pick up another prius, preferably something w/ an old battery cheaply, and put my new battery in it.
    Would it be worth the labor costs? I hate to just give my car to a junk yard with a perfectly good battery. I am not a mechanic, nor do I have any plans to be. (Read: I won't do it myself)

    Question 2:
    I am in SoCal. If anyone is interested in doing the work, or can recommend a good gen 1 mechanic, I'd appreciate that. Or if just interested in buying the battery, and I'd just put that toward a "new" car and save the trouble. I haven't explored any options yet, so thought I'd ask here. This forum helped me a bunch over the years. Always appreciate you guys.

    I know it may cost more than the car is worth, but the gas mileage saves me a lot of money in LA commutes. My other car gets 21MPG and it's killing me these last two weeks since the accident.

    Edit: It also has an entirely new steering assembly (a recall done by the dealer), a new catalytic converter (dealer). Since I'm killing it, if anyone needs stuff, you'd just have to come get it. The front driver side wheel smashed, and the frame. (Side swipe with a semi). My 12v is about 6 years old, amazed it actually works still.
     
    #1 MariCat, Dec 14, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2017
  2. MariCat

    MariCat Junior Member

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    And, after reading more on here about totaled cars.... and what people want in terms of parts, if anyone wants my handbook, just ask.
     
    #2 MariCat, Dec 14, 2017
  3. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    What battery are you referring to? The 12V or hybrid battery?
     
    #3 Dxta, Dec 14, 2017
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Maybe you can just sell the car whole for $500?
     
    #4 JC91006, Dec 14, 2017
  5. MariCat

    MariCat Junior Member

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    Hi Dxta, the hybrid.
     
    #5 MariCat, Dec 14, 2017
  6. MariCat

    MariCat Junior Member

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    Yeah, there is a hybrid battery repair place in Huntington. I emailed them to see if they'd be interested in purchasing the battery. The rest, anyone can have what they want for free. I know parts for this are hard to come by. Took me a few months to find a rim even a while back. Otherwise, I'll put on CL. Thought I'd ask the nice folks here if they needed anything first.
     
    #6 MariCat, Dec 14, 2017
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Very nice of you. You can put the battery up for sale here
     
    #7 JC91006, Dec 15, 2017
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  8. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Men! I wished I could order that car to Lagos right now, and get it fixed.:D
     
    #8 Dxta, Dec 15, 2017
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  9. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    It would be worth it. I have a really nice 03 (imaculate, even) for sale, 149K Asking about $2800. Works good, Looks like new, the battery is original but in good shape. A candidate for buy and fly. Then you could salvage whatever you want from your poor car before sending it to the recycler.

    Disclosure, I'm in the middle of a Prolong battery conditioning, and my grid charger is at Hybrid Automotive for a warranty repair, so I'll need to get that resolved.
     
    #9 Brian in Tucson, Dec 15, 2017
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  10. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    What happened to your charger?
     
    #10 Raytheeagle, Dec 15, 2017
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I think his meaning is that he's using the car for the reconditioning
     
    #11 JC91006, Dec 15, 2017
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  12. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Could be, but warranty repair doesn’t sound good :(.
     
    #12 Raytheeagle, Dec 15, 2017
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Hmmmm, business venture
     
    #13 JC91006, Dec 16, 2017
  14. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    The intelligent discharger reads about 220v, the grid charger reads 331v and about 1 amp charge rate. Troubleshooting with Hybrid Automotive, revealed that it's got something magical but defective inside. They issued an RMA and I returned it to them last Monday for repairs. At this point, no problem, and no reason to be upset. They are handling it, and they DO have the Ericbecky seal of approval. Good 'nuff for me!
     
    #14 Brian in Tucson, Dec 16, 2017
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  15. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I have a setup for our Gen3 and didn’t know if it might be something common or just a one off;).

    Worth checking (y).
     
    #15 Raytheeagle, Dec 16, 2017
  16. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    They haven't suggested a recall, and they do have a 2 year warranty.
     
    #16 Brian in Tucson, Dec 16, 2017
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    So what got your attention is the difference between the charger and Discharger voltage readings?

    Just seeing what the visual cue was so I can be on the alert in May;).

    Jeff’s a standup guy (I met him and he installed the harness on our 2010:)).

    Thanks for sharing (y).
     
    #17 Raytheeagle, Dec 16, 2017
  18. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    The volt gauge on the grid charger didn't match the volt gauge on the intelligent discharger..
     
    #18 Brian in Tucson, Dec 17, 2017
  19. nimblemotors

    nimblemotors Re Member

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    It is quite easy to swap the hv battery from one car to another, it takes a couple hours
    and well worth it to keep your smashed car until you find a good one
    that needs a battery. You won't get what the battery is worth when selling the whole car,
    because the buyer doesn't really know if the battery is good, but you know it is good.
    BTW, don't let the car sit unused for months as this will ruin the HV battery.

    One part that is valuable is the key and the matching immobilizer, as I've found out recently, as these sell new for $175.
     
    #19 nimblemotors, Jan 4, 2018
  20. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    I got my grid charger back yesterday. I don't think I should leave it on over night, but it is working. I'll spend some time with the car today.
     
    #20 Brian in Tucson, Jan 5, 2018
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