Safely welding exhaust brackets?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Cardchucker, Oct 17, 2022.

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  1. Cardchucker

    Cardchucker Junior Member

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    Two of my exhaust brackets have come loose where they used to be welded to the pipe. I took it to a shop thinking it would be a simple job and they said they would have to let it sit for 24 hours to let the hybrid battery drain before doing any welding.

    This doesn't seem right, but I'm not sure what the real answer is. What precautions are actually necessary to do this repair? I'm seeing different answers in old threads but nothing definitive. There has to be an official Toyota SOP.
     
    #1 Cardchucker, Oct 17, 2022
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Theyre drunks yeesh holey fek batman .
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Oct 17, 2022
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    1. If 24 hours were enough to "drain" the hybrid battery, how many times would you have been stranded by now? :)
    2. For the record, in cases where you do have to disconnect the traction battery (this isn't one), there is a time you need to wait for capacitors in the inverter to drain; that's ten minutes, not 24 hours.
    3. The Repair Manual for Collision Damage does mention the possibility of damage to electronic components in the car, if welding is done with an electric arc. That's the standard 12 -volt stuff, nothing hybrid-specific. They suggest two precautions:
      • Disconnect the (12 volt) battery ground, and
      • Attach the welder ground near where the welding will be done.
      (I'm looking in a Gen 1 collision repair manual; if they've changed that advice for Gen 3, I'm behind the times.)
    4. If the welding is done with a flame, no worries.
    5. Well maybe one worry ... they should look around near where they'd be welding on the pipe to see if they might melt any nearby wiring. It would be good to avoid that.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Oct 17, 2022
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