How to Replace a Hybrid Battery in a Prius (Upgraded Battery)
Learn how to repair the hybrid battery in a generation 3 Prius 2010-2015 so you can get your Prius back on the road. If you are getting a "check hybrid system" notification or P0A80, P3011, P3012, P3013 codes that means the hybrid battery is failing. Not only are we replacing the hybrid battery but we are upgrading it to new cylindrical cells that give you more power and have lower resistance so your regenerative braking can charge up the batteries quicker.
How to install an E85 Conversion Kit: • How To Install A Flex ...
Upgraded Hybrid Battery Cells: bit.ly/UpgradedHybridCells
Entire Swap out Battery: bit.ly/EntireSwapBatteryPack
OBD2 Scanner: amzn.to/1XNUGfz
Permatex Epoxy: amzn.to/3ncdmhl
Threadlocker: amzn.to/3oRqHfC
Extendable Ratchet Set: amzn.to/3VbFGwQ
Panel Clip Removal Tool: amzn.to/3AzmoIj
Torque Wrench: amzn.to/3HiBPZ9
Ft-lbs Torque Wrench: amzn.to/3LBxRxs
Battery Air Filter: bit.ly/HybridBatteryAirFilter
Gen 2 Prius 2004-2009 Hybrid Battery Replacement: • I Bought the Most Hate...
How to convert your car to run on e85: • How To Install A Flex ...
0:00 Intro
2:14 How tell if your hybrid battery is bad
3:18 How to remove car interior pieces
9:10 How to use epoxy to repair interior panels
10:00 How to disconnect the hybrid battery
15:12 Removing the hybrid battery from the car
16:09 Disassembling the hybrid battery pack
21:17 Installing new cylindrical battery cells
32:30 Installing the rebuilt battery into the car
34:07 Testing the new hybrid battery
35:18 Installing the car interior
38:17 Fuel economy test drive
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of ChrisFix, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. ChrisFix assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. ChrisFix recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of ChrisFix, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not ChrisFix.
The safety plug tool being the safety connection is genius
Perfect design!
They just don't want to get sued.
@@holidayrap It doesn't matter why, its good design.
Well that's Toyota for you. Best designed car ever.
It helps that the battery pack has a main relay that - if all is well - prevents voltage from getting out of the housing without a lot of monkeying around.
Watching this just in case. Never know when it might come in handy
yoo wassup
im watching just incase you never know
TheStrightPipes has appeared!
Never know when the hybrid battery in the Prowler will need replacing
Real????
My brother was a master technician for 30 years. You have an amazing talent not only for mechanics but for teaching!!
Thanks a lot!
Chris, you did a great job making this video. The camera positions was perfect. You explained everything. My son-in-law recently purchased a 2011 Prius with 150,000 miles. It needed the batteries replaced but the previous owner opted to sell the car and purchase another vehicle. We watched this awesome video and purchased the batteries used in this video and we installed them yesterday. We took our time and referred to the video several times. Everything fit perfectly and we did not have any issues at all. Being an ex-mechanic, everything was pretty straight forward, but my son-in-law wanted to follow your steps. We even torqued the bolts and nuts to your specs. After installation, the car was charging up the batteries. Thanks again, for this fantastic video and recommending these batteries.
I'm glad the video was helpful and you were able to get the Prius fixed up!
Good job
Man this is so great thanks for sharing
Did the gas mileage get into the 50-60 mpg range with the new battery?
Thank you very much your vidio is very helpful!
I don't own a Prius or plan on buying one anytime soon, but Chris's car videos are just too educational and well-made to not watch. This is some high quality entertainment!
Same, i dont own one either yet i still came to watch. Always, good things to learn from Chris' videos
It does show how well and simple Toyota prius are built, straight forward
I don't own one but as a Toyota DIYer it's great to know Toyota still knows how to make car work easy for the end user.
Same, and yet I somehow always manage to learn a tip or trick that's applicable somewhere else. Very useful videos.
Tesla Fan who 1000% agrees with you. Wish all BEVs were as easy to upgrade.
Find me one person who wouldn't spend 40 minutes not only learning how to replace the hybrid cells in a Prius, but also experiencing the passion this man has for his job. Shine on, Chris. I know nobody more down to Earth, and no bigger nerd (in the best way) than ChrisFix. Thank you for the years of entertainment.
Good efforts
Of course, it will take you a lot longer to actually do.
I don't know if I am the only one who does not want to waste 40 minutes of my life but I am sure that there is more of us. Oh, and by the way I don't buy anything from Japan. Their automotive industry can't even come close to rest of the world with exception of India and of course China.
lol Do I ever plan to own a Prius? Certainly not. Did I somehow watch yet another ChrisFix video about a car I'll never own? Yup. I'll never know the guy irl, but I'm genuinely happy, after finding him years ago, to see his channel keep growing and he's now up to almost 10M subscribers(holy shit, go Chris!). You said it best; Shine on, Chris.
Ion think fixing cars makes you a nerd lol
One thing to mention - you can see corrosion of original buss bars (like in 17:10) which is is often the cause of reported battery failure while battery itself is still in pretty good shape. Sometimes it is enough to take buss harness apart, clean it and re-assemble and your "failed" battery will work again perfectly fine. It is not guaranteed fix but if you are willing to take battery apart it is worth a try before spending 2000+ USD on new pack.
Okay, I have to mention something about safety. I worked near high-voltage lines for about 20 years and have worked with people who have died from them, so I know just a little bit about dangerous voltage, which this scenario is. Lockout tagout is absolutely crucial in a situation like this. Basically, you want to set up your environment so that you cannot possibly hurt yourself, no matter what happens. When you take out that orange safety plug, you are deenergizing the system from the battery, which is good if you are working on the system (inverter, generator, trunk to engine wires, etc), but you are still in danger from the battery, and the battery is what you were working on in this video. The battery is the source of the dangerous voltage that everyone is nervous about. It can shock you to the point of killing you, but that's not the only thing it can do. You can cause an explosion if the battery grounds to the frame of the car, which puts you at risk for blindness, getting injured by projectiles (in this case the entire battery or parts of it), getting severe burns from the fireball that will be caused when said grounding is accomplished, and probably some other things I'm forgetting at this point. Think of that battery as a bomb. You don't want just anyone handling a bomb if they don't have to. The safety plug splits the battery down to lower, BUT STILL DANGEROUS, voltages. Either way, the danger throughout this entire process is always the collection of 28 battery modules in one single location. As long as you have that, you are in great danger, from the time you are disassembling the trunk to the time you actually separate the modules in such a way that they do not have a reasonable chance of grounding out a certain voltage that will be able to kill or injure you ( basically when you're handling one single block away from any other blocks). Up until this point, you should at least have high voltage gloves and variety of other things as well as a variety of environmental safeguards to ensure that grounding is a very small possibility (such as putting an insulating barrier between the car frame and the battery, using insulated tools, safety glasses, etc.) When removing the battery, all sorts of things can go wrong. It's heavy and awkward, and you can easily flip the battery so that the terminals ground to the frame and then it's lights out, gloves or no gloves. The plastic bus bar covers are supposed to lower the risk but, as you can see, they are extremely fragile. They would not stand up to the weight of the battery if it were dropped. They are basically there to protect you from touching the terminals accidentally.. like touch.. touch.. tap tap.. Nothing forceful. When you do take out the battery, you must absolutely put it on a non conductive surface like dry wood, rubber mat, etc... No metal tables. There's probably a whole bunch of other precautions you need to take that are listed in a manual somewhere from Toyota, hopefully. I wish they'd put warning labels on these batteries so that people don't accidentally get hurt by something they don't understand..
The way he pry the bus bar cover open with a flat head screwdriver was a little dicey to me. I wonder if there's a safe procedure to deenergize the whole battery pack (drain the batteries completely) before working on it?
This is a great comment. The video makes it look easy but dealing with these types of batteries should really be left to the professionals or at least someone experienced with the safety procedures youve mentioned. Super easy to make a silly mistake in this case.
The safety switch disconnects the battery pins that are shown in the video twice. After you remove it, there is no circuit through the battery and no voltage on the battery board. And, you are relatively safe until you put it in place. Relatively, because the wrong wiring can do the job and shortcut some cells. It is super hard to do the wiring wrong, but possible if you try hard enough.
@@kanstantsin-bucha I learned that it could be quite easy. I was doing an experiment where I was trying to power something with two used battery cells that were not good enough to run in the car. I made the mistake of closing the loop of the two batteries even though I connected them in series. The connectors started melting and everything started sparking. That was just 18 volts. Imagine if it was 160 volts, or 200 volts. Also, that safety switch only splits the battery voltage into two sections, which are both quite lethal in themselves. It doesnt deenergize anything except the rest of the car from the battery, which doesn't help you if you're working on the battery itself
Chris took plenty of precautious measures. There's a fine line between safety and paranoia...
I’ve done multiple hybrid battery replacement and repairs , I have to say this is the most straightforward and detailed video on KZhead I’ve seen , great job Chris!
But it looks like he's replacing nickel metal hydride with nickel metal hydride
@@mattlane2282 you need to unless you update the charging technology as well.
@@de-rangeddurango43 No you don't look up project lithium dropping cells for the battery you don't change anything
How much does a mobile or local mechanic (not dealership) charge to replace the battery if I buy everything online? I’m thinking of replacing mine.
@@mattlane2282 ccc😅ooog
These videos are without a doubt the highest quality in the industry. It’s incredible how seamless all of his steps are. At times it feels like Chris can see into the future. Fantastic work as always!
Thanks!
I like the step-by-step format. When I rebuilt the battery in our older Prius I continually referred to his previous video. The only downside to these videos is that Electron Automotive probably has to deal with incredible demand peaks when these videos roll out. Really - why would any of the 9 1/2 million subscribers with a bad Toyota hybrid battery go elsewhere? (I went with them for my rebuild and I was not sorry.)
No music or any zoomer editing needed! Always feels super grounding to watch a good ole chris fix video
100%
@@chrisfix 😀ALMOST 10 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS ‼️💯🇺🇲🎉
Your preparation before filming is spectacular. Scripting to ensure you pantomime to match your voiceover, pacing to make sure sped up parts match the feel of the rest, and overall preparation (research on torque specs, for instance) is absolutely unmatched anywhere else. You also have branding down to a science. This is a must watch for anyone looking to create instructional content.
Thanks!
I don't even have a prius, but I watched it from start to finish with full pleasure... Great job on the video, amazing!
i don't even have a car & did the same
Damn, this guy is a gem! Nobody on KZhead does instructive car repair videos in detail as well as him.
Thank you! It’s because how long it takes. Almost a month to plan, film and edit this video!
@@chrisfix It shows in the finished product.
It’s Chris Fix. He’s been around. He is an OG lol 😂
What I like is, he goes over the reassembly in detail as well. Some of the other channels, they'll do a nice disassembly, but then at the end just say "oh reassembly is the reverse of disassembly". ChrisFix leaves no stone unturned. Every last detail. Great stuff!
Totalmente de acuerdo
Chris, it's a master demonstration. I don't own a Prius, but I enjoy the efficient way you explain every aspect of the repair, giving us useful tricks to become better weekend mechanics, It may even encourage me to turn EV after all. Thanks a lot.
Thanks a lot!
Same. I don't even know anyone that owns a Prius, but I watched this whole video because it was so enjoyable and educational in how it was demonstrated and explained. Keep up the good work, Chris!
This isn't an EV though, this is a hybrid, which is closer to an ICE vehicle than an EV. This is not even close to being an EV, as that's a different ball game and dropping the battery pack on an EV is not this simple and requires way more steps.
@@lupavo1738 Agreed!
Interesting. You did it again. Just another great video that's all.Thank you. Easy to follow.
I will never own an EV or a hybrid but I still watched this entire video. Great production, consice and to the point, no annoying background music, overall a great video.
Its crazy to me how far you go the extra mile. There will be a single bolt and yet you still set up an entire shot, Camara, lighting, everything just to get a one and a half second shot of a single bolt. Genuinely, i appreciate that a lot and so mad respect for you for really going the extra mile and then some!
Yea!
Can we just appreciate for a second how good his voiceover skills are! 15:28 He squeezes his voice as he lifts the battery in the footage!! And the effect is so natural. Also the fact that 1:23 he called in a 4 year old client just to show that his previous fix works!!
So true. Chris is a legend!
Plus he had somebody record a drone video of him going to that beach trip, that's something too.
@@Majki70 it could just be him. Good drones have flight path and object tracking so he can just have a flight path to the side of the bridge and have the camera track the car.
I guess... why?
Until you mentioned it, it never even occurred to me it was a voiceover.
I swear to god I wished this video never ends. Amazing attention to detail, camera angles, explanations, and so on and so forth. Just perfect.
The hand movements are super annoying.
@@tcalbrecht What hand movements?
@@techforever1970 It's pretty obvious, especially at the beginning. All the sweepa and gestures are unnecessary and distracting.
Ended* Mixing up the tenses mid sentence sounds odd to native ears.
@@Matt_Alaric Nope. What happened was before writing this comment, and during me watching this video, I said “I wish this video never ends”. Therefore, the past tense of wish is wished. Adding an I swear to god to that makes up the sentence “I swear to god I wished this video never ends”. On the other hand, I wish this video never ended is a plausible form, although one of different meaning than the one I intended while writing this comment. Besides, I’m from FL. What native ears are you talking about?😂
Started watching videos on how to detail a car and ended up here... I don't have a car, not even a drivers license, but these videos are so mesmerizing! Chris, hats off to you for going in such details and being so patient and explaining every step! I wish professors in schools had this kind of approach to reaching kids. Great job and keep being awesome! 😊
Thanks a lot! Hopefully you are learning something new!
Hey Chris, I'm not a mechanic at all, but because of the detailed process you shared in this video (including the trusted vendor for the upgraded battery), I had enough confidence to attempt swapping out our old hybrid battery on our 2010 Prius myself instead of paying 💰💸 to a dealer or shade-tree mechanic. I spent the extra $500 for the entire pack from Electron Hybrid Solutions instead of just swapping out the cells, and, for me at least, that was money well-spent. There were a few hiccups along the way, but nothing insurmountable. I just filled up the tank today in town and reset Trip A just to see how the new battery is behaving. On the 21.1 mile trip back home, half on the highway at 70+ mph, half on country backroads, I averaged 65.6 mpg. Before the old battery bit the dust, I was averaging about 43 mpg. I'll take a 50% improvement any day of the week. Thank you so much!!! The hiccups: 1. The ratchet straps holding the battery tight in the wooden crate had loosened somewhat during shipment to me, so a couple of the mounting fins had been bent up pretty badly. I was able to gently bend them back good enough to get it properly mounted. I advised the vendor of this. 2. Also due to the loose straps, one brown, cigar-sized piece of electronics had broken off its mount and the square socket end where it plugs in had been broken. I just transferred the same piece off my old battery onto the new one and sent the broken piece back to the vendor with my old battery (notifying them of the situation). 3. Because my Prius had been out of commission for a couple months, the 12v battery had run all the way down, so I had to manually unlock the car and climb back through to the hatchback area to manually release the hatchback door latch to get it open....to even begin work. Also needed to jump start the car to test out the new hybrid battery once I'd gotten it installed. 4. When the Prius first started up after the new battery installation, the "check hybrid system" error had gone away (and no triangle of death), but the entire right side of the dash display was dark. I drove it a bit down the gravel driveway and back, and the car seemed to work fine both with the gas engine running and on electric motor alone, but the right half of the dash remained dark. A quick check of PriusChat indicated that that might happen if the 12v battery runs all the way down. Which mine had. So I parked it for a bit and left the jump pack attached to the 12v battery to give it a bit more juice. Of course the regular driving of the car should charge the 12v up just fine, but I didn't feel it was safe to drive the car around or get too far from home until I had the full dash display back. After about 15 mins on the jump pack charging, the Prius started up with full operational dash and has been fine ever since. Thanks again, Chris! You're amazing!
The safety plug as a tool is great. The ease of battery replacement makes me see these cars completely different. Beautifully engineered.
That really impressed me -- the safety plug is also a tool for removing the safety screws. I went "whoa."
It's super clever. It doesn't stop an independent mechanic from repairing it, but also serves as a good idiot check to make sure you don't zap yourself. Little engineering details like these remind me why people like Toyotas so much.
I'll probably never own a Prius but i still watched the whole thing. It's amazing how you take such an intimidating task and break it down to where it looks easy!
I'd own a CT200 though.
I don't own aprius, never will. Why am I watching this? 😂
Because it's chris
I can't imagine a better video to explain how to get this job done. 10 out of 10, well done Chris!
Thanks Chris for getting me into the automotive industry and since I'll be going into a vehicle related course at college this September, this is especially useful, 11 years of good quality videos and not one has let your channel down!
I'm glad the videos got you into the industry! Good luck on the course!
@ChrisFix same with me actually, I got into mechanics watching you a few years ago now I'm doing motorsport in college Thanks mate for all the great videos
@@chrisfix ur soon gonna tell us how to revive a person lol
I think part of Chris's draw is that he's working on cars that you might find on American roads -- with the occasional Jaguar and Hummer thrown in.
@@thepcuser5469 "First, you are going to want to verify all the important parts are still attached. If any have come loose, be sure to reattach them with an adhesive that says it is for surgical use." (When I lacerated my scalp a few years ago the ER doc glued it back together with a purple "superglue." It worked great, immediately lowering the pain one lor two levels.)
I don't think I've ever done any of the work you do in these videos but I still love watching your videos. They're so well made, very detailed, and super informative. It's almost therapeutic.
I'm glad you still love watching the videos! Thanks!
@@chrisfixill be honest here, we dont even have a car yet i still watch these videos multiple times, who knows might come in handy
This was EXPONENTIALLY ***THE BEST*** Automotive repair video I've ever seen! Well done!!!! --Your explanations were perfect: the lighting was spot on. Editing was unbelievably crisp & sharp.... VERY impressive. (No extraneous tightenings, explanations or removal steps, etc.)... the best 40 minutes I've spent in years! Thank you!!!!!
That comment absolutely NAILED it. Thx Chris.
I don't even have a Prius, now I am looking for one with a bad battery. I was glued to this, while I just stumbled on it while looking for a totally different stuff. Good job Chris!
It’s such a good car! I ended up not selling it lol
I don't work on cars other than my own personal vehicles and I don't own a hybrid, but I couldn't stop watching. What a GREAT video!!! Torque specs and all. Excellent work Mr. Chris!
Same! 😂
Heres a challenge for u. How about a nissan leaf battery swap.... Great job tho
So you do work on cars!
I'm impressed at how Toyota engineered this vehicle's battery pack. You explained / demonstrated it such that any DIYer could tackle this job. Thanks Chris!
Yep it's way to easy to work on! At least from the engineering and repairability point od view! No Lazer welding of the batteries....
Now, if only it were lighter or we were stronger....
@@flagmichael the newer generation hybrids have more energy dense batteries meaning much smaller and lighter.
ChrisFix needs to win a "Regional Emmy" for the KZhead region!
That sounds like a great idea.
I just watched entire 39 minutes of guy changing Prius battery and enjoyed it. Is this how you become an adult? 😅
I love how this dude is one of the biggest automotive KZheadrs with videos that consistently break 1 million views yet he is still working out of he’s driveway instead of he’s own shop. Being hard working and frugal will do wonders for him later in life.
Thanks a lot!
@@chrisfix hello chrisfix you can make around 14,000 dollar on the pruis. thank you for make very eduction it help million fix there car.
I’m starting to believe that’s not his house and just a film set. He lives in a mansion somewhere in California.
@@andrewiskb24 nope it's the same house he's done all his videos at from day one. Even seen his mom a few times, especially in some of the early Mustang videos
@@ironduke6100 whoosh
I love how in depth Chris goes in all his videos. It makes me feel extremely confident in my abilities to do these fixes
I wouldn't have dared work on my car before watching Chris' videos because a lot of videos just assume you already know how to work on cars. He goes into so much detail and goes through the what ifs so it's near impossible to mess it up
My sister is a Prius fan. She is on her second. After seeing your video I think I am going to ask her to let me buy it when she is ready to replace it. And then follow your instructions to replace the battery. A $5,000 Prius would be a nice addition to my stable of vehicles.
I own a 2010 Prius and have completed a lot of preventive maintenance over the years. I still get about 50 mpg with 123,000 miles on it. This is such a great tutorial Chris. I hope my Prius can make it to 300,000 miles.
I think we got mega lucky, when our 2007 battery went, our local mechanic out in Omaha quoted us 2,500 to replace, but just warranty on the work. The dealership decided to play ball and did the job for 2,600 + 10 year / 100k warranty on the battery. Thank God for small mechanics who keep them honest!
31:46 this is exactly why I love ChrisFix, you go above and beyond for us man and I appreciate the hell out of you. You are organized, and detail oriented, and that gives me confidence to do these things on my own. Hands down the best Auto DIY channel out there. Thank you!
Thanks a lot
This has to be the best, clearest, well lit, well narrated, well edited car fix-it video I've ever watched. Very cool. My wife drives a 2008 Prius and her batteries were replaced by the dealership in 2012, still going strong today.
The level BEST instruction video available. Concise, efficient, informative, detailed and crafted in such a manner to hold the viewer's interest. I don't own a Prius, but if I did, this would be the video I would choose to help me replace the battery. Already subscribed.
Hey Chris, I love how you consistently emphasize putting nuts and bolts in bags and labeling. It just goes to show how that, even for small things like that, you really want to make sure the person who is following along in the video is just as suited to tackle the issue just as much as you are. I don't plan on being a mechanic, but even as a casual viewer, your quality stands out to me. Thanks a lot!
Yeah these basic tips Chris demonstrates, and thoughtfulness and safety emphasis (such as electrical) when it comes to taking apart and putting something back together, can apply to any machinery one might work on.
I've had similar luck using old egg cartons. That'll organize a bunch of small items. For larger things, his baggie method is better.
You are an amazing mechanic. Your organization, attention to detail and efforts to "do it right" are impressive. I wish all mechanics had your ethics. BTW, I don't own a Prius and I am not a mechanic (did a bit when I was young) but I watched this entire video because of your skills and clear explanation were entertaining and educational. Great job!
I Agree great job
^
Me too!
Those are basic fundamentals in aircraft maintenance
If all mechanics did the same there wouldn't be any good or bad mechanics
You are the most through DIY mechanic on KZhead! Definitely have a ton of useful videos!
I'm always amazed at how simple you make these jobs look.
I don’t own a Prius or a hybrid and I don’t plan to , but I just watched this because Chris explains everything so simply and in a straight forward manner , every video inspires me to actually do the work on my own jeep myself instead of getting ripped to shreds by the mechanics in my country
That's what I said since the first Prius rolled off the boat, now I am the husband and personal mechanic of a new Prius owner 🥳🙋
man, you are the GOAT car maintenance guy on YT. each and everytime: clear instructions, precision when needed and enough camera work to show us without being pedantic. Even the grunts while you're in studio watching yourself carry the 90 lbs battery was great!
Thanks!
I have no plan on ever buying a Prius, but this is really interesting! Didn’t even think you can change these “on your own”.
Well done Chris. No time wasted. Great demonstration on panel and clip removal. Most importantly, the reassembly was perfect. The torque details and thread locking is such a gift in time saving and an important addition to others doing the job correctly. Great work!
What makes chrisfix so great is the close up filming of what he's doing. It's frustrating in other people's videos when they talk about taking off a tough piece, but you can't see how they did it. Thanks Chris fix! I already saved a ton replacing my own drum brakes!
TOTALLY AGREE !!!!
I love the way he gets right into it. No 15 sec lead ins, etc. Then he clearly and succinctly describes the process in detail without being boring. My 2010 Prius is going to need a battery change soon and this video will save hundreds of dollars or more. Thanks for doing this Chris.
you know by him putting a larger capacity battery pack into the pruis that means the battery life will last longer due to the higher capacity as that means it takes higher mileage to get the same charge cycles through the battery pack to wear it down
I don’t even own a Prius but I watched this anyways because youre such a good teacher
I don't know why I clicked on this video, however it one of the rare videos that I watched completely with no skipping, I really enjoyed your crystal clear instruction and skills. keep it up, great job.
He basically repeated the video from 4 years ago (improved), but still huge respect for ChrisFix because helped alot of Prius owners out there!
Thanks! I was able to help thousands of Prius owner's save their cars so I wanted to help again!
@@chrisfix I was one of those thousands. I didn't know where to go for a kit until I saw your video; then the video itself was my "manual" while doing the job.
Love the hybrid videos. I am sure that these will save a lot of cash and headaches. Easy to understand instructions!
Thanks!
This is the most comprehensive educational technical video I have ever seen. All manufacture educational departments should use this video as a template.
Simply a perfect lesson of how to perform a rather complex repair, so well explained and considering every detail. This may encourage other owners to dare doing this themselves, just by using the video and many pauses to follow each step of the way. Congratulations and many thanks.
I swap packs at my day job. It takes me about 1.5 hours. Couldn't tell you how many I've done. Occasional semantic cringeworthy moments aside, this was a pretty good vid. Personal safety gear is above and beyond, which for a DIY instructional about handling batteries, is a must. I label disposed water cups instead of ziplock bags for nuts/bolts, and nest them to keep track of order. I still think it's better :-) You don't need to undo the 12V and lose your radio presets, but doing so clears your previous batteries' error codes (& everything else) from the car's computers. Otherwise you can restart the car 5 times to reset the codes without wiping the radio by disconnecting the 12V battery... which you could just unplug on the positive instead of undoing the ground... but you don't need to. Never used Loctite. An impact gun is sufficient for all nuts/bolts except the two HV line nuts. They should be torqued to spec. We gun them to one-two clicks. You can blow the crap out of the HV battery fan with any air gun and it won't do diddly to the fan motor. They're tanks. Been doing it for 10+ years and only had a couple die due to prolonged hair buildup, never compressed air. I spin that stator in both directions somewhere outside to get it as clean as possible, from every angle. If you have a dog, annual fan or AM filter cleaning ends up being worth the battery life in the long run. My only criticism would be to stress TAKE EXTRA CARE IF YOU SWAP CELLS like Chris does. I rebuild OEM packs and have used cylindrical Headway cells for AM rebuilds since 2012, and many prismatic AM brands. With all batteries, once busbars are exposed (& ESPECIALLY after they're removed), accidental metal (a wrench, screwdrivers, belt buckle, etc) touching multiple battery electrodes (ends) can easily result in sparks or a fire... next to other flammable/toxic batteries. Let's just say there's a reason Chris rebuilt his pack outdoors on a nice day, aside from a great vid shot. Don't put anything near/on the batteries that is metal that could accidentally fall onto the battery ends. Even draping a clean shop towel over the ends when not working on the exposed electrodes prevents incidental fire. I know this has "don't lick a 9V" energy but I've seen sloppy work result in battery fires with trained technicians, and millions of DIYers going to see this vid. From one tinkerer to another, be aware around exposed battery terminals. It's the gas tank of EVs, with touching metal as the ignition source.
What is your experience with the code: P0AA6, high voltage leak possibly in the HV battery?
"torqued to spec" "gun them to one-two clicks"
@@kiyoponnn, couple of Ugah duggahs with 1/2 inch air impact wrench should do.
Express Auto Care here in Colorado has your playlist of videos playing on loop on a TV in their lobby. The amount of people I see intimately watching what you're doing simply because of how simplified your videos are is incredible.
All the customers are probably thinking, that's so easy I could have saved a ton of money.
The battery's are much smaller than I thought they would be.That being said,the whole process is very doable, that is with the help of your very detailed video,much thanks!!!
this guy is amazing, i wish i had 20 percent of his knowledge and skill
There are so many technicians/mechanics that do not bother putting the wiring harness back into the right location whether its for a battery pack or just in general. Actually taking time to reinstall everything so you have no extra bolts or panel clips is what makes you a professional whether you are a DIY'er or working at a shop. Its the little details that will always be overlooked. Great work! leading by example to change the industry standards
Just completed my battery installation this morning! 2011 Prius with 191,188 miles on the original battery. Could not have done it without your excellent instruction, referral to this battery company, and your list of tools needed. For anyone wishing to do this yourself, a couple things to note: 1. Choose your sockets wisely. you will probably need a step up adapter for the 12mm socket if you use the recommended inch-lb torque wrench. My socket were made for a 3/8" connection, but the torque wrench has a 1/4" connector. Had to call for a ride to the hardware store to get an adapter mid project, and it ate u a lot of time. 2. If possible, do not break the nuts that hold the harness to the original battery with a socket. Use a 10mm wrench instead. Five of the nuts holding my harness got rounded over on. I had a "lightbulb moment" after the fact and determined it was probably my 10mm socket that damaged them. I lost around 3 hours between another ride to the HW store and trying to get the nuts off with all sorts of vise grips, nut extractors, and lubricants before finally resorting to cutting the harness off and leaving the frozen nuts attached to the battery cells (after removing and saving the needed wire, of course!). 3. Lastly, don't assume your Prius will accept the filter shown in the video if it doesn't have one. I received a free filter from the battery company due to backorder delays, but the housing on my Prius was not designed for a filter. There are no notches to accept filter pins/clips, and the opening is a very different shape that is not compatible with their filter. Surprisingly, the fan had zero dust on it after 12 years, but there was a lot of lint-like dust trapped in the crevices of the original battery pack. Hoping the open-air design on the new battery will make this a non-issue.
nice side notes
Thanks for the helpful sidenotes. Will definitely be sure to add each step of yours to my check off list. I am wondering if the reason one Prius vs the same exact year Prius goes out of miles a lot sooner has to do with no added in filter. Your Prius needed a battery change around 190,000 miles and others last right around 350,000. Such as mine did. Could the difference be the filter? Mine has one. The filter is a huge role in keeping a battery running longer. They sale filters you can put on the front part of it if you cant get one to fit behind it. I know have both added. Thanks again!
That is awesome! Glad the video was helpful and thanks for your notes!
@@holylabs Filter must be one the keys to prolong battery life. I don't own Prius but we have a Lexus. Should we check for dirty filter every few years just like other filters?
@chrisfix how can I buy a car from you?
I don't care about the Prius at all, and probably will never do a battery swap in my life, but I enjoyed watching every 39 minutes of this video!
I’ve been on the fence about buying a used Prius just for the fact of knowing I’d eventually have to or pay someone to replace the battery. Watching your videos Chris give me so much confidence. You have this conviction and depth of knowledge that makes you know you don’t have to watch a single other video.
Been a tech for many years and just got my first Prius, 2012 with 83k on the odometer in excellent shape. I gotta say this is one of the most informative and best made videos I have ever seen. With no prior experience on hybrid vehicles I now feel much more at ease and have less anxiety about my 1st hybrid. Keep up the exceptional content and great work. Your dedication to doing the job right shows in everything you do. Subscriber for life.
Hi Dino, I'll appreciate if you share where to look for similar Prius myself.
The engine goes bad on those bad boys pretty soon keep an eye on that
Easily one of the best tutorials I have ever seen: Proper info, good pace, zero nonsense chat. Excellent! I don't even own a Prius and I watched this excellent video!
Thanks a lot! Glad you still enjoyed it!
Thanks Chris. To say nothing about your excellent mechanical skills, your educational/instructional videos are the absolute gold standard for empowering people. A masterpiece!
I don't think I will ever have to change the batteries on a Prius, but I watched this anyway. And as always, your narrative is very informative. This is so thorough that anyone could accomplish it.
Chris' vibe, chill commentary is on point, appreciate your educational content
Thanks!
How does the bot get a comment from Chris fix but I don't 😢
I see you in the comments so much
Now I can buy an old Prius.
I have to say that YOU are the absolute most informative, most clear speaking with the best explanation youtube teaching / how-to mechanic that I've every seen!!! Wow....Great Job!!!
Hey ChrisFix, I just wanted to say that it was thanks to your last Prius video I was able to replace the hybrid battery in my moms 2010 prius, I even used the same company you used since they are actually only 30 minutes from where I live! I was originally going to replace every cell like you did in the video but Electron automotive had a special where they gave a whole battery assembly for the same price. My mom passed away in November but I'm thankful that she never had to worry or stress about car issues. Thank you Chris!
Good on you! I took ChrisFix's advice and turned to Electron Automotive too, for a first gen (2002) battery pack. I wish all companies were as easy to work with. The only thing they couldn't help me with was removing the sealant (similar to the "construction glue" in hardware stores) from around the bus bars so I could get the old modules out. I found brushing on Techron (I had it on the shelf, but I think other oily solvents like SeaFoam would work) and scraping with moderate force. That problem does not appear in 2004 and later Toyota Hybrids.
@@flagmichael yeah, electron automotive is the only place I trust with hybrid batteries. There are so many companies claiming to fix hybrid batteries for dirt cheap (300-500$) but all they really do is slap a couple of cells into an existing battery pack or just grab a hybrid battery from a scrap prius and call it good. I know this because when we bought my moms Prius, one of the selling points was that it had a "refurbished battery" with a one year warranty. Sure enough, in less than a year we got the dreaded "replace battery pack" code. Took it to the place it was "refurbished" and the guy threw a couple of cells at it. Within 4 months we had the same issue again. After replacing the whole battery pack with the electron automotive one. The car has been good for, I want to say about 3 years so far.
Chris, like many others, I started pursuing automotive tech more seriously, I didn't go to college, but my experience and past knowledge gained from you secured a decent position in a well paying job. Love you bro!
I've been seeing this in your videos for a while, but your closeup shots are absolutely unrivaled and make a HUGE difference in actually translating this to someone at home. Thank you!
Thanks a lot! I love taking the time to make sure you can clearly see whats going on!
@Chrisfix I watched your first video back in 2015 when you were making videos on how to replace LCD screen and IPhone batteries now to replacing a Prius Hybrid battery! Amazing tutorial one of the best on ony repairs I've seen on YT period!
11:11 That safety plug tool 😮 🙌 pure genius.
I'm one of the most pedantic people I know and believe in scrutinising every Instruction Manual there is. That said, I can't think of a single thing you missed or left to the imagination. You went as far as manually removing the nuts even though you had a power tool that could do the job. You deserve manifold subscribers - your channel is the best there is, Mr. Fixtopher from Gotham, NY.
It's worth mentioning that the two connections for the safety switch have a voltage potential >200 volts. So when using metal tools near it, be sure not to let it touch them. This is true whether or not the safety switch is installed. There are also various potentials on different parts of the bus bar until it is entirely removed from the battery. It's worth wearing high-voltage PPE (gloves).
It is impressive how much storage space you have above all that! You have roughly 3 feet of storage above the floor plan, battery, spare tire, etc. Very impressive!
Hands down, you are the best at making repair videos. No one else is even close. Concise and detailed.
I really appreciate the attention to detail and the step-by-step process of making this swap possible. Taking the time to set up your lights so there is extremely clear video of what you're doing is something very few KZheadrs ever do. Great video.
ChrisFix is hands down the best automotive KZheadr! Keep up the amazing work!
It's so great to have you cris and if it is possible show us how we can replace one cell which is blown, may God protect you because missing you it's like missing worth, thank you so much I wish I could meet you and give you big hug.
I'm hardly a car guy at all but I started watching this video and I could not look away! I -am- a retired engineer and the technical quality of this DIY video is spectacular! I had to take a break about 15 minutes in to write this because of how blown away I was feeling about the words you use, ChrisFix, to narrate. There are no extra opinion/fluff words AT ALL! Every word was important. I was literally hypnotized! I wish I could start my life over just to watch all your work, Mr. ChrisFix. Way to go and keep up the good work! Just great!
Wow...just wow. I'm a type A personality pharmacist, so my soul was superpowerd by the level of detail and pure perfection of this video. You sir, are max leveled up.
I had to make sure it was perfect so thank you!
Super helpful! Saving the DIY community so much money removing the ambiguity from working with hybrid batteries. Thanks so much
All those safety features they included are actually really smart. Makes it easy to not have something go wrong.
Love seeing upgraded cell technology going into old cars.
⚠️WARNING⚠️ If any of you replace the Hybrid battery, make sure you get special training. If you get electrocuted by the battery it will kill you, not injure you, kill you. That is according AMD from the KZhead channel Car Care Nut. He is a Toyota Hybrid Specialist and Master Diagnostic Technician. So be careful! P.S. Your content is awesome, Chris!
You just need to undestand how electricity works and follow safety protocol you fearmonger
I thought DC power cant injure people?
Good warning. I have worked with DC around those levels since my first encounter in 1967. That was also my strongest contact with 300 VDC. Short form, I had my hand resting on the radio chassis and clapped my other hand down on the field coil magnet structure of the speaker. For reasons unknown to modern man, one side of the field coil (used to filter the plate supply) was connected to the speaker frame. It was a tremendous jolt but I didn't black out completely. DC is not as dangerous as equivalent AC voltage - I have brushed up against 125 VDC battery voltage in electric substations a couple of times and it bit enough to make me jump. However, disrespect would be a very bad idea. Follow Ahmed's instructions and you will have a happier day.
I haven't ever seen an instructional video more impressive than this - not a single word was said too much or too less.
Nice presentation. I like the fact that the work was done separately from the description and with those little details that make it go smoothly. Thanks
Chris is the exacly the type of person you want to work on your car, he takes time to fix even tiny details like a bolt missing or stuff like that, does 100% of the job properly
Flawless filming and editing as always. You are an inspiration to your fellow KZheadrs.
Andrew Camarata is the best KZhead editor
This maybe the best done DYI video I have ever seen on KZhead. The step by step process was very well done.
just did a replacement on my 11 prius last week. its holding up strong honestly wouldnt even dream of attempting this if it wasnt for chris making it ask simple as possible he saved me a ton of money from recommending a company that delivers to hawaii. from the actual installation itself. Thanks chris.
How well is it working after 4 months?
Not really a car guy so I've only seen your channel a couple of times but you're probably the BEST youtube DIY explainer across all genres! The first person view and the way you point to everything as you do it is really amazing. Very thorough and informative and there's no way for me to know but it doesn't seem like you leave anything out! Thank you so much for making great content!!
Thanks a lot!
@@chrisfix @ChrisFix my head gasket blew between cylinders 3-4 on my nissan d21 causing 0 compression whilst cylinders 1-2 have 150 psi. can head gasket sealer be used on a head gasket blown between cylinders?
Great video. As an engineer who is responsible for the high voltage safety of our fully electric truck batteries I want to add some comments: - The safety plug only protects you for working on all components with the exception of inside the battery itself. The cells will always have some voltage and so does the battery. At most the system voltage is splitted in half with a service disconnect like in this case. - There are HV-Gloves especially designed to handle voltages up to 1000 V for about 50 bucks and its definitely worth at least that for work like this (aside some other protective equipment against arcs). - With the new batteries being that much smaller by cell volume I dought that they will perform better than a new original battery. For 500$ more I would choose to have a complete new battery from toyota in this case... That is, if they sell it without installing it...
I totally agree. Everyone should understand the safety plug provides no protection once the cells are exposed. Touching the wrong combination of busbars could give a nasty shock, or shorting them will give a powerful arc.
Just out of curiosity, you can’t run the battery down to zero v before going inside? Starting cables and an old electric motor or smthing? Not willing to brt my life on it, though
@@evlps Technically you could actually... But you wouldn't want to charge a lithium battery after it was deeply discharged due to fire risks. The discharging alone without recharging is usually safe. But: The new cells will definitely be live. So, it would only help for the old ones.
I agree, those gloves he is wearing are 100% not suitable.
My 1st thought as i am an mechanics apprentice for Audi and VW and my "instructor" tought me not to touch anything with orange HV markings if I dont wear protective gear cause you dont know if something is defect and there is voltage present.
I gotta say this is probably the BEST intallation video I've ever seen, for any project. Fast presentation but very complete. Plastic baggies, magnetiic bolt retriever, safety orange connecton built in, ALL so helpful, THANKS
Thanks a lot!
Toyota Prius XW30 is legendary one. I bought XW50 few days ago and still have the old one, I don't want to sell it because it's priceless, this shape of body, this trustworthy system😢😢 68MPG is pretty good, I had 56 at average.
Content A+, Mechanical Mastery, Efficiency A+, Clarity A++, Video quality A+. This video is the new standard for mechanical videos. Thank you Sir. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸