Should I drive while waiting for traction battery rebuild?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by seabright_sc, Apr 8, 2017.

  1. seabright_sc

    seabright_sc Junior Member

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    This is a part II to an earlier thread.
    Background:
    2005 Prius
    160000 miles on original traction battery.

    Red triangle, engine light, etc. diagnosed as Codes P0A80 and P3012. Technician showed me the readout- One cell was reading 15.xx. the rest were ok. Codes were cleared and came back on within a few miles of driving.

    Despite warning lights, car appears to be running fine, more pronounced use of gas engine and battery fan always running on high.

    Due to the high milage and vehicle value, I decided to have a reputable, local mechanic replace the "bad" cells. He is versed in the process of testing the cells, monitoring, replacing suspect cells, and balancing. He is offering a one year, 20K miles warranty.

    Problem: He is booked for about a week and a half:(.

    Question: Can I drive the car about 10 miles per day, flat, (can take city streets or highway), until battery can get reconditioned? My concern isn't necessarily of break down. My main concern is that I may damage the rest of the battery cells by driving under these circumstances. Does the computer automatically protect, if needed, the additional cells under such conditions? Thank you for your input and expertise.
     
    #1 seabright_sc, Apr 8, 2017
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Yes if fan on high the system is detecting high temp in battery modules. It's throwing a DTC which will tell u which modules are running hot usually the inside modules which is a moot point to you. If you continue to drive there's a strong possibility those hot modules will thermal runaway and eventually explode. At the very least the case cracks and makes a mess of leaking electrolyte. And there have been reports of fires also by posters who continue to drive on a high temp failing hybrid battery.

    The fan is on high because high temp is detected, Thonk of it as the smoke detector in your house.
     
    #2 edthefox5, Apr 8, 2017
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  3. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    I agree with Ed. If the fan is running on high then it's getting hot and the damaged module must be generating a lot of heat. If you continue to drive it then this could cause more damage to the adjacent modules.
     
    #3 uart, Apr 9, 2017
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  4. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Can you get another 50 or 100 miles out of the battery? Maybe. Maybe not. The more you push the more damage will be done to the cells. Best case will be that you'll need to replace more cells or modules. The worst case could be a thermal event. Is the car covered for fire damage what is it worth? I'd leave it parked at the shop.
     
    #4 JimN, Apr 9, 2017
  5. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Do not run on a failing battery.
    Too much risk in my opinion.

    That said, if you had monitoring tools you could watch exactly what is going on and might be able to push the boundaries a bit farther. But it is still a risk. Not only that, extremely unreliable.
     
    #5 ericbecky, Apr 9, 2017
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