In this video I walk through how to test remaining battery capacity on a 3rd Generation Prius. Link to OBD reader used in this video - amzn.to/3lM1rBM Cheaper OBD option - amzn.to/3m7VejJ
Do you think a 2013 with ~120k miles would have better battery health or worse health (on average) than this car here? Main difference being a slightly newer battery, but more miles. I’m not sure if age or miles impacts battery life more.
According to a mechanic I know and the numerous online articles I’ve read, 150k is about the point that many packs start falling below an “acceptable” level of charge held. Of course this is not set in stone, as some batteries last much much longer than others. And even then, you may only need to replace a couple of cells within the pack to bring it up to par, but remember it’s only a band aid.
Age and miles both impact the battery but so does heat. Two 2013s both with 150k miles could have packs that last to 250k but the one that has been garaged is much more likely to have the healthier battery. Both my 2010s have less than 100k miles but the car with less miles actually has the pack with the worst battery because its previous owner didn't garage the car When these packs fail its usually the middle cells because they are exposed to the most heat most often.
The battery cares about charge cycles not mile or even time. It also important what temperature those charge/discharge cycle occur (simply saying high temps are bad). So a car used a lot in short runs potentially used up a lot more charge cycle in a lot fewer miles than another car which runs long trips on highway where the battery doesn't get a lot of charge/discharge. And a similarrly used prius in Arizona will have more degraded battery than a more moderate climate. (Again these are general rules each car and its battery are different.)
@@HEVTech1 " its easier to generalize battery cycles to miles as they are positively correlated." Yes it is easier BUT simply not true, just to give an extreme example it is not the same if a prius is used as a taxi in middle of Manhattan or I drive 60 miles daily on a highway (not in stop and go traffic like CA but a rural area.) Miles are a lot better indication of the mechanical parts like engine, drive train etc not so much for battery. As I said even the climate matter quite a bit... It is quite important to learn as much as possible how the car was used. But of course it is usually hard or down right impossible to know how the previous owner used the car (if you consider buying a used prius) the only thing you can usually get is the mileage and perhaps maintenance and repair history. So this is realy good tool for anyone who consider buying a used prius ... havent tried that although downloaded the app over a year ago. Just switching out my ScanGauge II is a hassle but will do it someday.... to test my 2012 Prius. But I am the first and only owner so I know my driving history.
Wow! very helpful video for those who own Hybrid cars.Hybrid battery is a great concern.You will know this if your EV mode keeps stating “not enough battery”to operate EV driving mode.You will know this when you only get 2 to 3 bars showing on the battery display.You need at least 4 bars to operate the EV driving mode.
Even if the make of the OBD says not good for electric vehicles and not compatible with apple… i do have a tablet… ughh i think im just going to get it.
Oh Thank you thank you,.. my baby is resching that 200k mile and it is a 2008. This car has bern the best car i have owned. I need to do the water pump and drive belt before it hits the 200k. And was considering selling it because unsure about the hybrid battery life. But i have NOT ever had any issues with the battery at all. Hoping that it will hang on for a few years. Putting in 1200. Bones into it make sense now. Its worth the money because I have kept awesome care of my car inside and out. This will be definitely a video helpful to us owners of Prius cars!!
Great tutorial. It amazes me that hybrid cars will display tons of information but not the battery health. I'm sure they can do it, but why don't they? Valuable info.
Thank you so much! My local repair shop is full of thieves telling me that my car is going to break down any day and trying to sell me a cheapo replacement battery when my hybrid battery capacity is still above 40%!
The data link connector (DLC) is the multi-pin diagnostic connection port for automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles used to interface a scan tool with the control modules of a given vehicle and access on-board diagnostics (OBD)and live data streams.
Hey Bud, great vid... I just subscribed. Question: I just bought a 2017 Camry Hybrid with 96,600 miles so a bit concerned on the battery condition.... would these apps work on the Camry Hybrid as well? I have no prob. buying a Bluetooth OBD reader and download the app if they do. Looking at the Hybrid Assistant app as well... Thanks
Really useful, I subscribed and thumbs-upped for this alone. Buying a 13-year old Prius most likely, because it’s what can be afforded, but this is right in the zone for replacement being possibly required, and flying blind is a problem. Seems like £3k or $3k battery upgrades can be done now into Lithium ion, making the pack half the size and still better than the original, but three grand is enough to buy some cars with. That’s the issue, paying or saving for a battery, is more expensive than running a gas/petrol or diesel conventional ICE-only as with those, you are paying a bill that is done-and-dusted as you go along. Have to say, this is Toyota’s choice, to,use NiMH, but the Lithium ion batteries at the time may not have been much better. NiMH is a second-choice, to me, from my experience with consumer batteries they are lousy, and die if unused for a while, but the Toyota packs have held up surprisingly well. Thanks and take care.
At what point do you think a life expectancy test is worthwhile? I have generally seen people, at least those who frequently scan, worry less until the Delta SOC is not 0.00 anymore or the ECU starts to throw codes.
This GREAT! I have a bluetooth OBDII reader, and I just downloaded the app on my phone. Getting ready to take a 2008 Prius that I'm looking at buying, to the mechanic tomorrow, and I'm going to also perform this test on the battery to inform me on a fair price.
@@blythe9703 no, definitely not. We have to have motor vehicle inspections every 2 years and it likely wouldn't pass the next inspection. I'm not spending $7,000 after tax for a vehicle to only last 2 years.
@@SarahPoulin do you think it wouldn’t pass because of issues with it or the age? Yea I kind of doubt the prius I’m looking at would make it 2 years but I’m going back and forth on it because it’s my first car and I can’t afford anything above a rust bucket lol and the one I’m looking at is 5k and the owner kept really good care of it. Since it’s only 5k I might be willing to buy it and get an upgrade once it’s time is done and I’ll be hopefully more established. Yea idk it’s definitely stressful.
question..do you do this test on the street ? or you can park in garage and do the test ?. does hitting on the brake and hitting the gas at the same time the car still run forward ?
But what's the miles on the car?! More miles = More cycles. Usually I think. Also since battery cells don't like to be off balanced and using off balanced battery cells is detrimental to all the cells. Do you think it's possible and/or recommended to simply take out an individual cell until the other ones are diminished to the same level of the cell taken out? So that one cell that was taken out can be put back in and then have a rebalanced overall battery?
Nice! You think this might work with Prius+ too? It doesn't show up in the "Current supported model:" part of the app information. But Prius V is there, so close enough?
Hi, i have prius 3rd gen 2011 s led version, current odo meter : 98650Km, car show my error chech hybrid system, when i checked odb code it is: POA080 . Does full battery pack needs to be replaced?
Thanks so much for the video. My life expectancy test came back at 5%. I have the P3000 and P0A80 error codes. Poor block balance #13. So does that mean I can replace #13 and the life expectancy will go back up? Or should I be looking at rebuilding/reconditioning the whole unit?
The capacity of the pack is only as good as your weakest module so unfortunately your health test with a bad module wont be accurate. If you are comfortable removing the pack to work on it, I would suggest testing each module before deciding exactly which ones to replace but at a minimum you would want to replace those causing the error which would be one of the two modules in block #13.
i cant seem to find an answer. if the battery is in new condition, about 90%... will that give you better milage than a 70% battery? im wondering if its worth trying to recondition my battery or replace it if its about 70%. what do you think? im getting around 40 mpg and im trying to see what i can do to increase the mpg. i know it varies with conditions and how i handle the gas and up and down hill, but i have never gotten close to 50 mpg and that was trying my best to get the most milage. i have a 2015 prius with about 87,000 miles.
Great useful video - thanks! We are facing a question with our 2010 Prius with 195k miles whether the IMA battery is bad or not. The mileage has been pretty bad ranging in between low 30s to low 40s. I will try your methodology to get an idea about the battery later today. The car had a gasket leakage at ~165k miles which was repaired by Gasket Masters (they have a YT presence). Not sure if the engine is damaged...
I get the low traction battery warning before I can compete the test with about 170 seconds left. I had to charge the battery again I got 48.3% after that on the test. Should I run it again?
One quis. I'm not clear about one thing. How can put drive mode and accelerate with break paddle all the way down. I feel that car will go forward. Please correct me
HI< I got the ap working. Put the Prius in Drive and them pressed the brake and the Gas at the same time. THE RED TRIANGLE OF DEATH came up. .Now if I put the car in drive, the red triangle comes up. The motor starts fine, the AC is working fine. Running a complete code check on battery and Engine results in no codes. The Car reverses fine. Any ideas? I recently drove back from Maryland to North Carolina with no problems.
Hi , when i have done the test the engine starts at 198 second before the time has finished , but it gave me the result which was %74.5 . Is it accurate or something wrong ?
Hi man. Is the ODBLink compatible with Toyota Auris Touring Sport? It looks like a very useful tool to have on o hybrid car. Sorry if it's a dumb question, just bought the car ...
Hi! Thank you for recording this video! If possible, you might answer a couple of questions that I have searched all of RU-vid with no clear results. 1st- My 2017 Prius Prime (42000 miles-just purchased 11/2020 and pre-owned) usually has only 2 bars of battery strength showing for usual driving (sometimes down to 1 bar). Is this normal? Or should the charge be higher? 2nd- How often can I plug the car in to charge the battery without running it down or decreasing its life? I am concerned that the battery is not doing its job, as I am only getting 37 to 40 mpg, which I think is much lower than the 55 or so that I'm hearing that a Prius is supposed to run on. I live in upstate NY. I would be very grateful if you have any explanations or suggestions about this situation?
1st: I do not own, nor have I driven the prius prime, but what you describe where it shows 1-2 bars doesn't sound abnormal as it has a much larger capacity than a regular prius. The prime hovers around 15-20% I believe, but I am happy to be corrected by someone who owns a prime. 2nd: The short answer is "about as often as you please" as you are likely going to drive shortly after it being fully charged. Also, a "fully charged" prius prime, likely is actually only 80-90% charged as toyota provides a buffer to reduce battery wear. That said, the lithium chemistry used for the prius prime likes to be stored around 50-60% state of charge when not in use, if this isn't possible I trust toyota battery engineers more than my own research. 2nd-2nd: you absolutely should be getting better than 37-40mpg out of your prime especially if you are plugging it in before your commute. Some prime owners will see upwards of 65-75mpg adjusted for the use of the additional charge from plugging in. I would suggest maybe getting it looked at?
I'm reading your comment just curious if you're still getting 37 40 mpg and I charge my battery every night at the lowest setting which would be 8 amps It's a slow trickle charge It's a good idea to completely drain your battery before you charge it up again. It's important to run that gasoline engine. Otherwise the fuel will become stagnant and Clog all your Fuel lines.A charge overnight turns out to be 29 miles. On the average
Hi! I’m looking at a 2007 Prius with 200k miles for 5k, this is my first car and I’m super nervous about the miles but I know Prius’ are super reliable. Would you recommend this investment?
@Blythe depends what the average value is in your area. A 2007 prius with 200k miles is close to 2k in the UK. I just bought a 2010 prius with 160k for 3500, hoping it will last for the next 10 years. It certainly is a good investment
Very useful demo. I have an OBD II Reader, and a Prius Gen 1. The batteries were replaced about 7 years ago. The Dr Prius/Dr Hybrid App could collect data, but not run the "Life Expectancy Test" on this old model Prius. Any suggestions?
going to try this. i have a 2011 gen3 prius with 55k miles on it. i'm the only owner. i've honestly never really got the advertised 48-51 mpg. but lately i am getting 34-35 mpg. trying to figure it out...
check air filter clean mass sensor (located by the air filter) usually it will be a clogged EGR cooler that drops MPG but that's Priuses over 100k miles yours is 55k so I don't think it will be EGR same with spark plugs and bad ignition coil boot
@@MrDICKHEAD28 I just bought a used Prius a week ago and know nothing about hybrids. I've been doing research on them and this video popped up. The car has 101k miles on it and last night, 3 lights came on and a warning bell went off. Because I've never had a prius before, I started to panic. Come to find out it was the battery. It dropped below half and caused the sensors and alarms to go off. I don't know what a good mpg is but since I got the car it's been running around 34 or 35 mpg's. I got the battery charged today and all lights went off, but mpg is still around 34. My car does not have a regular dashboard and does not have dials that I can watch, so idk if the 12 V battery is good, or if the oil pressure is okay, or any of that. Any advice?
Here's a thread on Prius chat where the app developer was discussing using the Dr. Prius app to test the remaining capacity for the prius plug in: priuschat.com/threads/2012-2015-prius-plug-in-hybrid-beta-tester-needed-for-dr-prius-app.204393/
Where are you seeing the amps? I'm at 3:27 and only see the number 36%. And just to confirm, you actually floor the brake and the gas pedal at the same time? That sounds so scary. And will all this work on 2nd Gen 2005?
Hi bud. Can you recommend an ODB reader for a 2014 Prius. I could really use one right about now. I just want to choose one that shows cell health like yours. Nice work. Thank you.
40% is poor condition. how much longer can that last though? anyone have an estimation coupled with north texas weather? it's a 2008 gen 2 prius with 143k miles. also, a couple days ago i had the red triangle of death. i saw there was an ounce of water under the battery and i drained that. a couple months ago i covered silicon on the commonly issued areas and have done a water hose test afterwards with no leaks after a few minutes. i didn't receive any codes during the red triangle which i find strange. i checked the battery fan wires for corrosion or loose connections. i tested the battery fan and it runs well. there are no clogs, it's clean throughout the intake and exhaust air. I put it all back together and the car works without issue again. I'm not sure what happened. before the inspection i unplugged the battery for over a minute many times to reset it and that didn't work. any clue?
Does this method work on Avalon hybrids? I just purchased a 2015 Avalon Hybrid and I have no idea how to check the health of the battery. I've researched and I can't seem to find the answer. Anybody able to assist?
I just bought a new 2020 Avalon. I used the app mentioned in this video along with an OBD2 reader I have had for a number of years - and the app worked fine.
Will it also work for my Gen2 Prius (2006), I understand you have/are going to rebuild a Gen2 HV battery pack? I noticed that hafway this video at around 50% SOC it showed 36% health so it could be expected that it would show about 72% health for a full pack or am I simplifying things? Great video, thanks! Subscribed!
This will absolutely work with a Gen 2 prius - I have done this with a Gen2 2006 and it worked flawlessly! The 36% value you are referencing is referring to the "Charging Score". That is an arbitrary value used by the Doctor Prius app to show how close you are to getting the battery charged up prior to the actual battery test. The health is shown at the very end of the test specifically at 5:48.
Yes, I put a 2014 Gen 3 junkyard battery in my 2005 Gen 2 Prius. But you throw out the 2014 case and transfer just the 28 modules to your old case. The modules are the same (except for updated chemistry) but the cases and cooling fan are different. Also the 3 temp sensors on the old case are on the bottom of 3 modules and the 2014 has temp sensors (thermocouples) on the top of the modules. When you remove the modules from the old case be very careful about those temp sensors attached to the bottom of 3 of the modules. If you are clumsy, you will pull off the wires from the sensor. So as you pull out the old modules from the old case, look for those 3 wires on the bottom and carefully unclip the sensors. The sensors will be near the first module if not on it, a middle module and a rear module. This is the most critical step in removing and replacing the modules in the old case. And if it's your first time, take pictures on your phone as you take things apart. I paid $850 for a 2014 battery complete. There is a date code on the top of each module but few know how to read the code. Many unscrupulous module sellers on E-Bay scratch off the code because they don't want you to know that they bought a really old battery for nothing and they are selling junk modules for $40 each. And get a Bluetooth scanner on Amazon and get a program called Dr. Prius for the scanner. Only Dr. Prius will tell you the most important parameter of the modules - Internal Resistance. Voltage means very little.
In my case step 1 never ends. I did for 30 mins and I luck. It keeps asking me to release the pedal, then press again, and repeats same thing. Battery charges to 60% and the circle in the app doesn't go any further than 70%. What am I doing wrong?
I do my maintenance of my 2012 prius at my local Toyota dealer. They do a battery check every service and than i get a certificate with a year warranty. So i guess my 10 year old battery is still good enough. It’s the egr and the gasket that i fear. The most because i want to keep the prius longer
I rebuilt my battery pack on my 2007 Hybrid Camry last year! Does the Dr. Prius work on my Camry? What kind of balance charger/discharger you recommended for balancing the whole pack? I have used a couple of hobby chargers to charge and discharge each separate module ten times after replacing 5 bad modules!
Dr Prius works on all Toyota hybrids. You can forget the grid charger, if your pack acts up again just replace the defective module(s). Drive the car highway speeds more often too. Stop and go driving is death to these cars. Also sitting parked for weeks does them dirt too.
Hi Samuel! Sounds like you did it right! I had good success using the Tenergy T180 but any hobby charger that can handle NiMh would work. The price goes up with the chargers ability to discharge at higher rates. The T180 could discharge around 15-20 watts which was about perfect for what I wanted. There are much better chargers out there that can handle multiple modules at once which would speed up the process.
@@HEVTech1 Hi, I tried to use the Dr. Prius App. on my 2007 Camry today, but it did not allow my Fixed Blue tooth transmitter to work! I have been using this for years, it worked on Fixed App. and Torque Pro. App. Can you recommended one that work! I don't want to keep buying the wrong one please!
@@ChuiSamuel I've had good success with this one: www.amazon.com/dp/B005NLQAHS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_oeVTFb175RC90 I have an android device running Dr. Prius
Does anybody know if the dealership would let me do this test on sight? Looking to buy a Prius that is 10+ years old. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Under your link to tool key features: Note: Apple iOS devices are not compatible Note: This product is not compatible with hybrid or electric vehicles Tool own feature section says it is not compatible. ? What good is it?
You never state whether the vehicle is started or not as you connect the OBD or when you start the car. The vehicle appears to be started as DrPrius gives instructions for the test but we don't know when the vehicle is started. I*'m a stickler for instructions.
I have an Innova 3211a OBD II device and when I try to pair it, it asks for a pass code which I do not have. The official Repair Solutions app of course by passes this and does not require this, but I really want to get my device properly paired, so I can use third party apps like Dr. Prius. Any suggestions?
Get a different OBD2/bluetooth adapter. Many do not work right with Dr, P'. Also read the write up at the Dr. Prius site. It has many suggestions on adapters. I bought a Veepeak on Amazon for $12 and it works great.
Amazon description say " Maximum Vehicle Coverage OBDLink LX Bluetooth works with all 1996 and newer cars and light trucks sold in the United States (except hybrid or electric vehicles)." Work or not work to diagnostic battery pack on a Prius ?
it is in the description. I purchased the first one that works with iPhone. Link to OBD reader used in this video (works with iOS and Android)- amzn.to/3lM1rBM Cheaper OBD option (works only with Android device) - amzn.to/3m7VejJ
@@mtken0321 Thank you for your links... In the description it is written that Apple is not supported. Can you confirm if OBD reader supports IOS system?
Should work great with the Gen 4. hybridassistant.blogspot.com/p/cars.html?m=1 Appreciate the use of the referral link - hope you find the video helpful when you try this yourself!
@@HEVTech1 silly me. the product has been shipped and just realized it was NOT compatible with iOS devices. .. (other than my iPhones, I only have my wife's Huawei Android phone which cannot access to Google PlayStore..) Any advice ?
Hi I’ve got a 16’ Prius Hybrid C that has 23k on the Odometer. I got a car diagnostics completed… all of my battery block vol are showing up as 15.84V. Is that good or bad?
Thanks for the great tip!! I will use this method to check the battery when I buy a used Prius. One channel claims that we should avoid 2010 model, what’s your opinion on that?
Before troubleshooting individual cells, a diagnostic on the inverter coolant and associated cooling fans need a look. Without clean coolant and a proper cooling hybrid fan, new cells/pack will go bad again.
Lexus is a Toyota company like GMC to GM. I don't think the "Dr. Prius" app will support the Lexus RX450H for a hybrid battery test. The "Hybrid Assistant" app may support the PIDs needed for the test. I absolutely would try it :)
@@HEVTech1 I think the Dr Prius App may work on Lexus. At least the GS450h. Because I saw someone use the app (or something that looks very similar) to test that car.
