How to Replace a Hybrid Battery in a Prius (Upgraded Battery)

[00:00] the entire process of how to replace on my Generation 3 Prius. and this is my 2013 Prius I just purchased.

[00:15] because, well, it has a bad hybrid battery. the car will be fixed and it'll be worth about $8000, Now, this Generation 3 Priuses are getting up there in age

[00:30] these batteries to fail. And when they do fail, from a local dealership to replace the hybrid battery So we're talking a lot of money here.

[00:44] an aftermarket battery pack from Electron Automotive. This is about $2200, saving us $1000 over OEM, with common hand tools ourselves, saving us $1000 in labor,

[00:58] And the best thing is, this is an upgraded battery pack. and also, when you're using the regenerative breaking, Plus, we have a 3-year 45,000 mile warranty

[01:12] Now the most important thing when getting an aftermarket And I've actually used this company before. the hybrid battery on over four years ago

[01:27] It's a Gen 2 Prius, so 2004 to 2009, to that video below. to bring the car by real quick is because the proof

[01:39] no hybrid battery issues. So I've used this company before with good results recommending them to you guys.

[01:53] and making these high quality battery packs That way, we could fix these cars instead So all these tools and products I used

[02:06] that way you could easily find it. and let's go get started. let me show you real quick how to tell

[02:18] is it clearly lets you know that the battery is bad. at the dashboard, Additionally, you'll notice that the fuel economy

[02:32] but with the new battery, I bet we could get over 60. And finally, the best for sure way to know an OBD-II scanner like this, that way we could scan

[02:47] into this port right here. just open up the app on the phone and scan the codes. we have P0A80, that says to replace

[03:02] P3011, saying Block 1 is weak, So if you see codes like this, you could be pretty confident So now we know for sure the hybrid battery is bad.

[03:15] Now, the hybrid battery is located in the rear And just to give you an idea, the hybrid battery First, let's remove the trunk liner,

[03:30] followed by the cargo tray. our hybrid battery right here. But before we do anything else, once I could see

[03:44] So all you have to do to remove it, and that comes right out just like that. so now the battery is safe to work on.

[03:57] So with that removed, now let's go So pop this tray out, as well as this little side panel Now I'm using a 10mm wrench to loosen up the negative cable.

[04:10] And with this loose, we could disconnect it So with our battery disconnected, So remove the lid, and then there's a plastic nut

[04:24] With that out, now let's head over This just pops out. And that quickly, we almost have access

[04:37] We have this interior piece right here But before we do that, there is a hidden bolt And then we have our side interior piece,

[04:50] So let's get this top piece off first, and let me show you where that hidden bolt is And this is a 10mm bolt, so let's break this loose,

[05:03] So now with our rear bolt removed, and we could pop this plastic trim piece out. under the plastic and you want one good strong pull.

[05:17] So now you could clearly see the battery this side panel here. we're going to sneak around to the passenger side

[05:29] And to do that, it's going to be hard to see, and there is a bolt down there that you need to remove. with an extension,

[05:43] the rest of the way so you don't drop it right here with the vent, we're going to lift upwards at the top outwards like that,

[05:58] So with the trim piece removed, you could see we have If you have a Prius, check to see if you have And if you don't, all this stuff

[06:10] into your electric fan and it could cause That's expensive. make sure you check and see if you have a filter.

[06:25] in the description to where you could find one. your battery getting hot. it's worth checking to make sure it's not clogged up

[06:38] Now on the side of the filter is a little tab, you could carefully pry the filter out, Now to clean the filter, just use some running water.

[06:51] and hit it from the other side. And once this is clean, just give it a good shake So just reinstall it the same way it came out.

[07:05] Just get that filter tab into the hole. Beautiful! and now we could remove our side trim piece.

[07:19] to pop off this trim piece. And now we could remove our side panel, We have one right down here, we have one right there,

[07:33] So let's get those removed. and loosen this 10mm bolt and remove it Then, right above that is the cargo net tie down

[07:45] And with that removed, let's remove the fastener into the hole here and pry it out like so. is this tie down right here.

[08:00] And then, we could loosen it the rest of the way now we could pop this panel out, So now we just have to peel back

[08:14] we could work our fingers behind. So that's the plastic clip right there and not on this material because you could rip it off.

[08:29] Somebody on this and rip that clip off. has been in here. or something or tape, whatever this is,

[08:45] So I think somebody might have been inside So we're going to have basically But I'm curious to see what's inside,

[08:57] Now just work your way along the top of this panel, and the seatbelt slides right out. And with that removed, now we have plenty of room

[09:12] But before we remove the battery, to our interior trim piece, that way we give it'll be good to go.

[09:25] And always use a non-porous surface like that, until it's one uniform color, which takes about 10 seconds

[09:37] because this hardens pretty quickly. and sprea it out like so. So let me get this on the same position,

[09:50] And finally, clamp this down to hold it tight So as we let that cure, let's go back over and we'll start right on this side.

[10:02] this clip right here. and then pry up until it pops out. Next, we have this white plastic piece

[10:15] So push the plastic off the clip, and it'll come right off. that we need to remove from this cover.

[10:29] so you're going to need to use an extension a stick magnet makes this really easy. And then finally, there's one last nut right here.

[10:43] And all that's left is this right here, It cannot be removed without a special tool. are exposed wires.

[10:57] without your safety plug removed. all the voltage to the battery. right there, you could see there's a peg.

[11:09] that way we could remove the safety fastener. then you give it about a quarter of a turn So that's a really good design to make sure

[11:23] And now's probably a good time for me to explain the nuts, the bolts, when I go to reinstall them This is just the beginning and we already have a bunch.

[11:36] with a note card in it and just label everything. and then I'll put it right in this bag. to reinstall everything where this goes.

[11:50] So now we could remove our cover, which is all the electronics for our battery. are these two wires.

[12:03] from our battery and bring it to the inverter Now normally, these two wires have a lot and when our safety plug is plugged in.

[12:17] it opens the circuit here so there's no voltage flowing And just in case you want a little bit of extra piece of mind you could grab your multimeter and you could take

[12:32] you could take your positive lead right here, there are no volts at all running through the system. So break both of these 10mm nuts loose

[12:47] of the way by hand, they could touch metal without any problem So tuck them out of the way like that,

[12:59] So with our high voltage wires disconnected and tucked off this black duct work that connects to our fan here, There's also a couple of wires that go over here

[13:13] and then we have some wires with pigtails to remove our battery. and pry it apart,

[13:25] Next, we have two retaining clips right here. And then, next clip right here has a little tab and then that clip could slide right off like that.

[13:38] And the easiest way to remove this the two ends of the clip, and that makes it pop out now let's disconnect them from the connectors.

[13:51] Same with the connector here, So with those wires removed, all that's holding this battery in There's two in the front, there's one right there,

[14:05] in that corner. So all of these are 12mm bolts, So break it loose, and then you could remove it

[14:19] So break that loose. Now, the next two bolts are in the back corner here. the rear seat down and the bolt is different

[14:33] for when we go and reinstall these later on. And you could see, the shorter one is the one So with these two bolts removed, let's come over

[14:46] Again, both of these are 12mm And to remove them, a stick magnet works wonders Now we have our last bolt right here.

[14:59] Now, the battery is completely disconnected First, let's get all six of those bolts we just removed Good.

[15:13] that way it's easy to slide the battery out. Then, go to the other side and pull it out a little more. this 90lbs battery.

[15:27] if you really need to. all the old cells that we'll pull out Once the new cells back in, we'll wire it back up,

[15:43] Now real quick, I do want to mention, with brand new cells preinstalled, It does cost more money about $500 more,

[15:58] you're uncomfortable with digging into the battery I'm about to show you how to do it right now So there are four nuts on this side of the case

[16:10] Now real quick, something that I noticed and in this hole should be one of these somebody's been in this battery

[16:23] So in your battery, if it hasn't been touched, so just pop it out. of the battery and remove the other four nuts.

[16:36] and four. Okay. So with the cover removed, that makes the entire hybrid battery.

[16:49] the busbar. on this side. and just pry it at the top like that and it should come

[17:03] So with the covers removed, you could see onto each individual battery cell, And if you have power tools, now is the time to use them

[17:17] really quickly with this. to show you could get it done with just this. And again, if you have power tools,

[17:30] But as you could see, you could still get in your used nut and bolt jar So now let's pull the orange busbars

[17:44] from this side of the battery. We're going to remove that completely in a second. So pry off all the busbar covers

[17:56] And again, remove all 28 8mm nuts. to do this by hand and only about a minute So now we could remove the busbars.

[18:09] so just pop it out. So with the busbars removed from both sides of the battery, we could just tuck this off to the side

[18:23] And then, we want to take our old busbar wiring, So just use a small flathead screwdriver Same for the other one.

[18:37] and remove both of the orange wires. So depress the tab and pull it out. our high voltage busbars.

[18:52] with the new battery. from the battery. there is one right there, there is another one

[19:04] And to remove the sensor, just pinch each side inwards and save this 'cause we're going along with the other wire holder.

[19:18] could be removed, again, with its wire holder. And then, this top wiring harness So let's remove the top one to get easier access.

[19:31] And then, there's one more temperature sensor And now the whole temperature sensor harness from our battery.

[19:45] And to do that, we need to flip this case over. so carefully flip this. And just flip this over completely like this.

[19:59] this bracket right here which is covering So remove all eight fasteners holding this bracket in. to all 14 bolts on this side, as well as the 14 bolts

[20:17] So let's remove those. and you want to crack each bolt loose use them so it's quicker.

[20:30] grab your Phillips head screwdriver So unscrew all the bolts on this side. So with all the bolts on this side removed,

[20:44] So quickly unscrew these bolts as well, So with our battery removed, now what we're going to do and slide in our new cells.

[21:00] A trick here is to use a piece of wood to elevate loose back here. So crack all four of these bolts loose,

[21:12] the end cap off. and the old prismatic cells. and the cylindrical cell technology is current.

[21:26] is you could see the air gap in here. and that allows it to cool better Now, heat is the number one killer

[21:39] which is a big benefit. charge quicker with regenerative breaking So now remove all the old cells

[21:52] of the bracket. so we could get our core charge back. of protective wire loom and this is included

[22:04] The reason why you want to do this that way it doesn't cost any shorts just in case it's a little sloppy so grab some electrical tape

[22:17] So just get a couple of wraps around the end All right. on all four of these posts. They're all nicely taped up

[22:30] So let's go and install our brand new battery pack. from 1 all the way to 14. because these batteries are matched and balanced

[22:43] So with that said, let's get these installed. our bracket properly. We want the wider ones on the bottom

[22:56] that way it's easier to slide the batteries in All right. So we're going to start or drop them because you can damage

[23:10] Next, we have batteries 4, 5, 6, and 7. And finally, we have 12, 13, and 14.

[23:22] We just want to make sure they go from 1 all the way So you could see, here's the two metal rods. It's even through the whole battery pack,

[23:36] So all the cells are flushed against each other, So the rib side goes up against the battery And we want to torque each one of these down

[23:51] So with the battery cells locked together, Then we could get the battery case that goes on the open end of the case.

[24:05] on the computer side of the case. Okay. So with our case on our battery, in the battery line up with the holes in the case,

[24:17] you could shift the case around to get them and then the rest of this will line up as you thread in And if we take a look at the other side,

[24:30] all those bolts. If you want to do this job without any problems at all, where everything goes and keep it in order

[24:45] you're not trying to figure out which nut or bolt So we have our case to battery bolts, Now I'm going to quickly speed through

[24:58] but just make sure you hand tighten them all Let's come to the other side and let's get these bolts in. And now we want to get our torque wrench

[25:13] and set it to 54 in-lb. Not ft-lbs, in-lbs. and also make sure, again, it's 54 in-lbs, not ft-lbs, right out and that'll damage the battery.

[25:27] and I have this baggie so I could stay organized And just get these hand tightened in there to 66 in-lb.

[25:40] so we could finish up the install, So next, what we want to do is connect So each of these cells is about 15.7V,

[25:52] it's around 220V. brand new busbars, and they go right up and on the other side.

[26:04] the new bolts that came with the kit. you don't want to tighten down the bolts all the way just yet And right here we don't need a busbar

[26:17] But we do need to get this last busbar in right here. now we could come around to the other side Now both of these ends don't get busbars

[26:30] So just connect the busbars to all the other batteries the reason why we kept them loose is which are these right here. They connect to each

[26:42] if the battery's depleted, if it's fully charged, So this wiring harness plugs right into the computer in the wire holder on the bottom,

[26:57] Now, there are two main wires here, The shorter one stays on this side which is closer, So for the voltage acquisition wire

[27:09] of the battery, we don't want to just run it that overtime could cause issues against this metal bracket. through the white wire loom protector,

[27:22] and run it around the corner to the other side grab the small orange wire that we removed before The shorter wire goes here. They can't fit in

[27:37] And then, let's put this in this white wire holder. Now the other orange wire is still connected So you could see it right down here,

[27:51] And then we could separate it, keep our wire here, So let's connect this wire right here. Good.

[28:06] to our first battery right there, and our long one runs So let's get this all wired up. on the bolt, and then bolt up

[28:20] And we'll torque this down in a second. And notice how I'm holding the wire Keeping this pointed down will help keep everything nice

[28:33] for each busbar, on either side, just make sure And finally, we have our last blue one right here

[28:47] And now we could torque each of these down to 54 in-lb. But first, let's tuck the acquisition wire harness

[28:59] so it's neat and organized. as well, that we could push it into. and then the wider ones go on the rest of these.

[29:12] So get all the busbar covers on. It's covered with the busbar covers Let's flip over to the other side and finish wiring

[29:28] Each wire end goes on one of the busbars, And now for the safety switch wiring, And now the two wires line up to the batteries like this.

[29:42] and then get that acquisition wire And that's all there is to wiring our safety switch. And now we could torque down all the busbar bolts

[29:55] And then, we could get the busbar covers And just like that, we are done wiring in our temperature sensors which go on the top,

[30:10] and get this battery back in the car and test it out. no. 8, and no. 13. that way when you push it on the battery,

[30:25] Now get the other two sensors on. and this clip right on to the metal rail So let's get the other two clips in place

[30:39] Good. So now there's one last temperature sensor So get it down there and push it in to the bottom spot on the computer,

[30:54] Then finally, let's connect the other connector Now our case could go back on. that way we don't forget to tighten anything.

[31:07] that get torqued to 66 in-lb. from the case. Let's real quickly come around to the other side

[31:20] Again, these four nuts get torqued to 66 in-lb. our brand new battery in our car. check your fan to make sure it isn't covered in dust.

[31:34] that filter so we don't have any dust in here, you're going to ruin your brand new battery that's clogged up, I grabbed this fan

[31:49] and check this out. So you need to make sure you clean that out. might overheat.

[32:03] Now, when you're cleaning this out, it's very important, because if you let this fan spin, You could actually do a core exchange

[32:17] or if you want, just hold the fan in place or use a vacuum. Something like that. Okay. So let's carefully get our brand new

[32:30] making sure we don't damage anything. just walk the battery back and forth along the cardboard And once in place, remove the cardboard pieces,

[32:45] Get some medium strength thread locker on the bolt And do the same thing for the other bolts as well. we have two more bolts in that corner

[32:58] And remember, the shorter bolt goes And the longer bolt goes into the other bolt hole and get these two bolts in.

[33:11] and just hand tighten both of these bolts down. to 14 ft-lbs. and we want to grab the wires that go

[33:25] then we'll attach the wires down here. and then we'll test this out. Then we could get the inverter wires on the posts

[33:38] and torque them down to 80 in-lb. these three connectors. a nice click.

[33:51] and grab your baggie with all the fasteners for this. securing the cover to the battery and torque them all down to 66 in-lb.

[34:03] And now we're done. and start installing interior pieces and vents We have the cover on here, we have our safety fasteners in,

[34:16] and it just pushes in, then you close the lever, And one thing I want you to keep in mind, so the unlock disappears.

[34:31] So with that safety plugged in, I also connected All right. Moment of truth.

[34:43] I'm going to hit that start button, turning the battery on and we should see So let's give it a try.

[34:57] or anything on the dash which is good. it's charging up the battery which is great. meaning, the battery is charged up enough

[35:10] And we know everything is working, right? So let's go install the rest of the interior. to remove this if we don't want,

[35:22] around the battery. Now let's go get some of the vents installed So first, get the wire harness clips

[35:35] Then, let's add that fan filter and vent Then, we could add our white cover And then push it right here to snap it into the battery.

[35:49] And finally, with all the vents and everything installed, And if you remember, we did epoxy that plastic clip and our clip is good to go.

[36:03] So just push in at the top of the panel around the panel, getting it in place like so. for the interior.

[36:17] we have the silver tie down, we have the plastic piece, another silver tie down there. and snug it up.

[36:29] Then under the seatbelt, push that plastic clip in. snugged up. now let's come around to the passenger side here

[36:42] So get the vent in place like this So now we need to install this black 12mm bolt, in our socket like this, the angle we have

[36:56] behind the seat. If it falls out down here, and just put it over the end of the socket closed off.

[37:10] Just like that. Now the bolt is Then, we could carefully get the bolt in the hole Perfect.

[37:24] So get the floor tray lined up and push it down that way all the clips snap in. to tighten down right about here.

[37:39] Then, let's get bolt seats back up so let's get this in. Now snug up the negative battery cable

[37:53] and it just snaps into place. followed by this bucket in the corner here Then, the battery cover in the other corner.

[38:06] followed by our floor lid. Let's go for a quick test drive and see what kind Okay. So for the test drive, I'm taking a trip down

[38:19] to all the red lights and stop signs. I'm going full electric mode as much as I can as well, This trip to the beach is a little over 20 miles

[38:34] we have city driving, so it's a good mixture And this car is performing amazing. That slipping in the transmission

[38:46] Also, you remember when the engine shut off, It's nice and smooth. And check this out. You're not going

[38:58] which is incredible. but typically expect to get between 40-50 MPG and we have no more trouble codes,

[39:12] And that's everything you need to know We got this car for $2700, we spent $2200 and we put about $100 in hubcaps

[39:27] So for $5000, we have a car that's worth We could easily get $8000 for this if we find and they'll have an amazing car that gets great fuel economy,

[39:41] Just look at this car. If it was, remember to give it a thumbs up. And as always, all the tools and products

[39:54] so you could easily find them.