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kicksbutt

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hybrid batteries
Apr 2^nd, 2015 at 8:53pm

Hello all

Just wondering who out there messes around with hybrid vehicles. One of my long term customers just bought a hybrid and his hybrid battery died. The dealer wants 3500.00 to replace. There are aftermarket companies that will test the cells and replace the bad ones and rebalance the battery. Never messed around with hybrids much i watched alot of YouTube videos of Grin

the replacement process. I am not finding anything on this rebalancing process that these different companies are quoteing they do after they repalce the bad cells. Can anyone out there shed some light on this rebalancing process and what equipment is needed to accomplish this. Thanks in advance
Kicks Grin

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Anthony Lamb

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #1 - Apr 2^nd, 2015 at 10:16pm

kicksbutt wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2015 at 8:53pm:

There are aftermarket companies that will test the cells and replace the bad ones and rebalance the battery.

You can just replace the "bad cell/s", but you will be back in there very shortly after.

Also the other thing you have to account for the the over all process to remove the battery strip it down clean the buss bars and then go through and test each cell.
This takes a fair chunk of time to do.

Rebalancing is from what I think is just recharging each cell.

The biggest thing with the older batteries (before lithum ion) they have a colourless and odorless electrolyte that has a very high Alkaline (You don't want to contact it with your skin).

Also depends if the battery is still in warranty it won't cost the customer anything.

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Abndanger LSD Guide Picogroup Offline Posts: 2,141 Grand Rapids, Mi Michigan USA Gender:	Re: hybrid batteries Reply #2 - Apr 3^rd, 2015 at 12:57am Haven't dealt much with the hybrids. They are here in Michigan but not as popular as elsewhere. They don't tread snow to well here. I know Napa has been promoting the battery replacements. I am not sure of the cost though.
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Matt H

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #3 - Apr 9^th, 2015 at 4:06pm

Once cleaned up, and put back together, "balancing" in the aftermarket is done by completely discharging, and then very slowly charging the entire battery. Some cells will hit 100% before others, but because of the slow charge rate, it doesn't harm them to keep the charge on while the other cells "catch up."

One of the main problems seen with batteries in the gen 2 is the bus bar corrosion. People have put to together DIY tutorials on how to "fix" it yourself, but the real problem is that the corrosion is caused by leaking electrolyte. Even on "reconditioning," they don't last long once they're at this point.

Last, a "dead" battery may not be a dead battery. What codes is it showing?

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kicksbutt

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #4 - Apr 9^th, 2015 at 6:51pm

matt h

the code i was getting was c1310 malfunction in the hv system
i don't mess with those to much so the owner took it to Toyota who said yes the battery is no good. They wanted 3500.00 to replace it. So he took the car to some guy who reconditions them out of his garage. that peaked my interest thus leading me to ask the question. seems like it could be a good revenue path? still looking into it

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Anthony Lamb

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #5 - Apr 16^th, 2015 at 3:15am

kicksbutt wrote on Apr 9^th, 2015 at 6:51pm:

the code i was getting was c1310 malfunction in the hv system

Heads up with Toyota Hybrid stuff there will be a additional sub code.

This can be found in both the data list and in the freeze frame data.

They did this as there can be multiple areas for faults.

Like a HV leakage. The sub code will give you a direction on which end of the vehicle to start with the insulation tester.

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Jeff Gouveia

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #6 - Apr 17^th, 2015 at 8:56am

If your customer is going to have the battery balanced he's better off taking the money he's going to pay that person and throw it out the window as he's driving there. STOP your customer from going there if it's not too late. We'll help you fix this car. The C1310 is a info code in the HV ECU telling you there is a problem in the HV Battery ECU. Get that code in the HV Battery ECU depending on the year of the car there may not be a sub code. Most likely if there is a code for a battery pack then it is bad you can get one from Dorman or Napa (same rebuilder) and give your customer a 3 year warranty and make good money. I work on a ton of Hybrids and make good money at it.

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Jeffrey Gouveia

"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive."

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kicksbutt

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #7 - Apr 17^th, 2015 at 8:30pm

Thanks guys for your input. He already took the car to get the battery repaired. He said it had two bad cells so they replaced them and rebalanced the battery for 450.00 I believe. I am very interested in this whole process now so I am going to see how long this repair last for him. Never gave hybrids much thought but my interest is peaked thanks again
kicks Cheesy

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Anthony Lamb

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #8 - Apr 30^th, 2015 at 1:38am

kicksbutt wrote on Apr 17^th, 2015 at 8:30pm:

Never gave hybrids much thought but my interest is peaked thanks again

It isn't really that hard, having some background training on the systems, repair information and a scanner that has coverage you will be right.

There are plenty of them on the road now, pretty good market to tap into.

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Matt H

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Re: hybrid batteries
Reply #9 - May 6^th, 2015 at 3:42pm

Anthony Lamb wrote on Apr 30^th, 2015 at 1:38am:

kicksbutt wrote on Apr 17^th, 2015 at 8:30pm:

Never gave hybrids much thought but my interest is peaked thanks again

It isn't really that hard, having some background training on the systems, repair information and a scanner that has coverage you will be right.

There are plenty of them on the road now, pretty good market to tap into.

In Japan, you can't throw a rock and not hit a Toyota or Honda hybrid. Almost every car they sell has a hybrid version, and almost everyone opts for the hybrid.

So... This is the route I've chosen. Goal is to become a hybrid-only shop. Also allows me to use the US-based Techstream, and TIS for Toyota/Lexus, as these cars seem to be pretty standard throughout the world. Still don't dare program or flash a module with US stuff, though... Shocked

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