2nd time replacing bad cell. First time went off without a hitch, what did I do wrong?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by champ230, Nov 23, 2022.

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  1. champ230

    champ230 New Member

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    As the title states, I did this once before, and it all the bad lights went out, and my throttle response returned as did my mileage. Well, I attempted this procedure again and made a (minor?) mistake. I broke an 8mm bolt off in one of the cells when reattaching it to the base of the battery. The car now refuses to start. I can get the dash lights to come on, i can roll down windows and all that, but the engine and speedometer do not come on. When I press the brake and push start, I hear 3 clicks, but the engine never turns on and i'm unable to drive it. Could that 1 cell not being bolted to the base of the battery be enough to keep it from starting? Or is it likely another common installation error? Please help a brother out.

    Edit: Also, I've avoided bolting the battery into the vehicle as I wanted to test whether or not I put the battery back together correctly. Could that be affecting it?
     
    #1 champ230, Nov 23, 2022
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  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Absolutely. If you do not have at least one bolt to fix the case to the car body, you will have problems and codes. Two bolts would be better

    One 8mm bolt broken off when reattaching it to the base of the battery on just one of the modules will not adversely affect the battery. Just ensure you did not crack the module case–that could cause a ground fault if it cracked the case and the electrolyte started leaking.
     
    #2 dolj, Nov 23, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2022
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  3. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    As mentioned, put a couple bolts into the battery case-to-body.

    What do you have to scan the car for codes? What did you find that led you to replace a battery module? There are dozens if not hundreds of faults that could turn on the warning lights and prevent the car from going "ready".

    If the "speedo" (Combination Meter) is not turning on, that might not be related to your hybrid system fault. There is a common problem with a bad capacitor in the CM, see the sticky thread at the top of this forum.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 mr_guy_mann, Nov 23, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2022
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  4. Longinus876

    Longinus876 Member

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    I've seen professional installations with no bolts from the bottom that work fine. Crazy, but I don't think IMHO that would **** things up. If you heard 3 clicks, that's good.
    Can you remove the cover and check each module voltage again. It seems possible that the snapped off bolt could damage the module case. It might be worth a look but if the bolt snapped off then the case was holding fast and not breaking. If the case broke, the bolt would most likely just keep spinning and not break. An impact driver might break both. Check connections. I'd put a couple of bolts hand tight to anchor the battery. You don't want it landing on the road.
     
    #4 Longinus876, Jun 14, 2023
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