When people buy a hybrid car, they worry about one thing a lot. And that is what they are going to do if any time in the future, they need to replace the battery. Well, fear no more, as this post is all about replacing a hybrid car battery.
Now let’s talk about the car model. Toyota Prius is a very popular choice when it comes to hybrid car selection. A lot of people own this hybrid car. So, by reading this article you will get a brief summary of what to expect when you’re dealing with changing hybrid batteries all by yourself.
So how do you know that your car needs a new battery?
Well with Prius it’s pretty simple. When you turn on your car you will see a pop-up notice on your screen saying “Check Your Hybrid System. If that’s not enough to understand, you will have bad fuel economy which clearly states you need to change the car battery.
Also, if that’s not enough you can plug in an OBD2 Scanner and it will say to you that you need to replace the hybrid car battery. It will also let you know that some of the battery packs have become weak.
Hybrid car batteries can be very expensive to fix. If you go to any car dealership or workshop and give your car model number and some other information, they will give you a quote.
The battery is very expensive on its own. Then there goes labor fees, shop fees, and tax. So what you’re looking for is a big cost whenever you take your car to the local dealership.
If you are tight on budget and don’t want to spend thousands of dollars then you can replace the hybrid car battery yourself.
If you own a Prius then you’re in luck because today’s car model is Prius 2013.
You can grab yourself a brand new battery pack from electronhybridsolution.com which will only cost you around $2200.
When you remove that old battery pack from your Prius you’ll realize that ones are not similar to this. Because the new one’s the upgraded version. With regenerating breaking this battery pack charges quicker. Also, this is more powerful than the previous one.
Also with this battery pack, you will get
36-month 45000 miles warranty
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Now the first part comes which is removing the battery from the car. The hybrid battery in the Prius is situated in the rear part of the car. Just open the trunk. Now you have to remove a couple of things before you can even reach the battery. So be patient because it’s not going to be a small ride.
Remove the trunk liner. Remove the floor lid. Then you’ll see the cargo tray, which you need to remove also. After removing these 3 things you should be able to see the hybrid battery but you can’t just pull it out yet.
There will be an orange-colored safety plug with the hybrid battery. You must remove it because it kills the voltage. Making you safer while working with the hybrid battery. Removing is pretty easy. Just pull the plug and turn the lever and the safety plug will be in your hand.
After removing the safety plug, you need to disconnect the 12-volt battery that is located at the back of the car in the right corner. Just use a ranch to disconnect the negative point and that should do it.
On the opposite side of the 12-volt battery. There is a plastic tray that you can easily remove. Then remove the privacy shades and turn down the rear passenger seats.
On top of the battery, there’s another plastic cover that you need to remove. But that plastic cover is attached with a screw which you need to open first. After removing the screw bolt just give it a strong pull and it should come right off.
There’s a side panel that also needs to be removed. If you press the seat cushion you will find a bolt. Unscrew the bolt with a socket. Then pull the side cover upwards and gently remove it.
Removing the side panel, you’ll find an air filter that may be covered with dust. It’s very important that you clean the air filter thoroughly or replace it with a new one. Because that air filter is basically protecting your hybrid battery.
Many Prius may not have an air filter, in that case, I’d suggest you install an air filter. It’s not expensive but it will boost your hybrid car’s performance a lot.
You can easily clean the air filter with running water. Just use the water pressure and it should be brand new.
Now that you have the side panel removed you can clearly see the hybrid battery.
On top of the electric chamber, you’ll see one black plastic and one white plastic. You can easily remove those. Then you can see another cover which has five 10mm nuts and a special lock that can be only removed with that orange safety plug we had earlier.
It’s actually a very clever design when you come to think of it. Because that area has all the exposed wires and without pulling off the safety plug first you can’t cut the voltage off and without that safety plug you can’t remove that special lock.
Now in the wire section remove the wires that take high voltage from the battery and transfer that to the Engine Bay inverter. These wires normally have tons of voltage in them, but only when the car is turned on and the safety plugs are in. But if you remember, we have removed the safety plug. So there’s currently no voltage in them.
If you want to be safer, just grab a pocket device that can measure voltage, connect negative and positive points where they should be, and you’ll figure out there’s no voltage there.
After that just unscrew a couple more bolts and voila, you’ve your hybrid battery in your hand.
You can place 2 carton boards and drag the battery inch by inch. The battery is not that heavy, unless you’re very weak you should be able to carry the battery all by yourself.
