25% of dirt gets sucked into the battery cooling passages - filter needed

I have taken a lot of Gen 3 packs apart and found that the fan takes up about 1/2 the dirt. This is not good because it makes the fan less efficient. However because the fan blows straight into the bottom of the battery another 1/4 just ends up lying on the bottom of the case where it does no harm. The other 1/4 gets blow into the battery cooling passages where it can be cause modules to overheat and loose capacity. Also the dirt is not spread evenly most of it collects at the end of the battery farthest from the fan.

All of this can be fixed by and taking out the fan, blowing the battery out from the top and put a refrigerator coil cooling brush into the bottom of the battery. I personally wash the fan out with garden hose by making sure the motor is upright so water will get into it. But still WHY GO TO ALL THIS WORK! Why risk premature aging and failure of your battery due to overheating.

There is filter that is available currently for only $12. I recently discovered that you can access the intake vent merely by pushing down on the back seat bench and undoing one bolt. In other words installation really is easy! One bolt, cut some Velcro, put it and the filter in the intake vent. Reinstall the intake vent with one bolt. Installation with pictures and arrows is included. Plus a reminder sticker to check the filter occasionally.
Plus instructions on how to clean the piston rings so you engine will burn less oil. This will also prolong the life of your catalytic converter!

One of my customers has been cleaning the filter with his vacuum cleaner without taking it out. In most cases that is all you will have to do. The filter is also washable if for some reason the vacuum cleaner does not do the job.

Vacuuming a filter is certainly easier than taking out the fan and washing it and cleaning the battery. One time $12 and a few minutes of work that will prevent battery overheating and/or a LOT OF WORK.

If you regularly carry people or pets in the back seat this is a must!

To see pictures of how the dirt collects and/or order the filter go to: Air Filter for Prius 2010 to 2015 - extend the life of your hybrid battery

 

It is a piece of open cell filter material. It is not regular foam which is not open and does not allow air flow. It is also precut to fit your Prius 2010 and 2015 Prius. The product includes instructions with lots of pictures and arrows. It also includes Velcro rated to withstand extreme temperatures and a sticker to remind you to check the filter and clean if necessary. We are also including insturction on how to reduce oil consumption in the engine.

The link is to my site, elearnaid,com (We have been selling 12 volt batteries to Prius owners since 2005.) and the page includes pictures which show how the dirt collects and the entire the air flow. I created one picture by assembly the vents and the vent cover on a bench. I even added labels to the parts on the pictures and air flow arrows.

 

If you are going to buy your own filter material you need to be quite porous or your battery will overheat. Also do not get one that is dirt colored because you will not be able to see the dirt. I tried a very fine filter and overheated my battery. I have been using the filter material I use for many years it works great. It will let the very fine dirt through but that is not really a problem.

I looked at Toyota plastic snap on grill and found one on ebay for $14.95. Then you still have to get filter material to put behind it.

I paid to have dies made and have a lot of these filter so I am going to sell them for $8.00 So if you want to spend time shopping and cutting and have velcro around that stands up to large temperature ranges go for it. Otherwise do yourself, your car and me a favor and buy a filter from me. Air Filter for Prius 2010 to 2015 - extend the life of your hybrid battery

 

Not only do you get a washable filter from me that will last the life of the car. You also get instruction on how to clean the piston rings so the car will not burn oil. The pictures in the instructions are from a Prius 2007 but the general procedure is the same. The picture is the cylinder wall and piston at start of soak and 2 days latter. This 2007 Prius had only 109k miles. I also did it on a 2007 Prius with just an overnight soak. It went from burning 1.5- 2 quarts of oil with every tank of gas to 1 quart between oil changes.