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Replacing 07 Prius Hybrid Battery Cooling Fan - Diy Or Dealer Job?


mfs1011
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So I posted recently about issues with my Hybrid Battery ECU. To cut a long story short it wasn't the Lead Acid 12v Battery (though that's been replaced). I've sourced and installed a salvage ECU from the US which cost far less than the £800 the Toyota dealer quoted.

I still get the warning lights.

I accept that there's a possibility the salvage part may be a dud, but I have one more line of attack as diagnosed by the dealer - the hybrid cooling fan was showing a fault code. I've taken it out, given it a jolly good clean and made sure that the entire air cooling system is sealed tight to ensure the batteries get the full benefit of the fan.

So assuming that the lights ping back on, I see that there are salvage fans available in Germany for around EUR33 which is a whole lot less than £300 quoted Toyota.

What I'd like to know is whether this part can simply be replaced without any tweaks to the ECU?

If it can, then its a DIY job. If it isn't then I suppose I have another £130 bill from the dealer to replace a part and code it up.

So, has anyone replaced their fan or is there a techie who knows the answer?

PS: The 500kg gorilla is that its actually the hybrid Battery that's failing, but that's the topic for another post.

PPS: Thanks for all help and suggestions.

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Wow - I can only suggest you trawl through the priuschat forum (US - based primarily) and see of anyone's posted on there.

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Personally I wouldn't touch the Prius hybrid system if you haven't got a clue what you're doing.

1, It's very dangerous in part

2, It's very sensitive

3, It requires the correct diagnostic computers to at least reset the error codes etc.

Even changing the brake pads on the Prius requires a different way of doing things that can catch out many.

Just be very careful.

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  • 1 year later...

This is a very old post but there was a happy ending which I thought I'd share.

Using the Torque app with custom PIDS http://priuschat.com/threads/gen2-prius-custom-pids-for-torque-android-app-with-formulas.95370/

I was able to see what was actually happening and not happening

a) The voltages of each cell in the Battery were pretty uniform - I did not have a sick Battery.

b) As the car was driven the temperature of the Battery rose - Torque could monitor this cell by cell. When the temp reached a certain level, the ECU tried to start the hybrid fan, which would not start - this started an error message.

c) Using a multimeter I was able to check if there was a current going to the hybrid fan when there should have been - there was not.

d) Having replaced the ECU and acquired a salvaged fan, nothing would resolve the issue. I therefore concluded that the problem was not the battery, ECU or fan but rather somewhere in the wiring loom.

e) I could not find the wire in the loom that was causing the problem, thoug it stood to reason that that was a result of corrosion. I was on the verge of taking the Prius to an electrician when my son-in-law, a mechanic, blew the turbo on his Focus. He had previously made his excuses for not touching the car but now needed to borrow it. With his trained eye he eventually found the corroded wire and was able to easily repair it. 

Job done. Albeit after spending £300. But a lot less than a new battery, ECU and wiring loom from Toyota.

 

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