Seems like electric is the end goal

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by hayden55

I imagine that prius will end up going to some guy who can fix it as the cost of hard parts isn't too high to fix that prius and its really just a lot of labor for people who are more than willing to fix it. Especially at 210k miles. I see it honestly all the time with old Toyotas. Down here a poorer guy would try a piston soak on that prius or re-ring it for very little money and just a lot of labor on his part, replace the wheel bearing, remove the catalytic converter and clean it ultrasonically with a good solvent, and recondition the battery here and there, or a lot of people really do love throwing new batteries in those priuses. They are really popular now as cheap cars like how the old 90s honda civics were.

Makes me wonder when it will become somewhat affordable to try makeshift fixes to a Prius in my country

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Makes me wonder when it will become somewhat affordable to try makeshift fixes to a Prius in my country

If there were a cheap way to recondition the cylinders, that would be a huge help. But the cylinders are disposable on these engines. Once they're damaged the engine becomes an oil burner.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

If there were a cheap way to recondition the cylinders, that would be a huge help. But the cylinders are disposable on these engines. Once they're damaged the engine becomes an oil burner.

Resleeving the cyls is no rocket-science, unless it resorts to some unobtainium alloy. I was referring to an overhaul/remanufacture of the battery packs.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Resleeving the cyls is no rocket-science, unless it resorts to some unobtainium alloy. I was referring to an overhaul/remanufacture of the battery packs.

I can't find any info on resleeving a Prius engine. From what I understand the sleeves are ultra thin and burred making the engine impossible to resleeve.

Batteries
I don't think there is any cheap way to overhaul/ramanufacture the HV batteries without drastically affecting longevity. It seems that everyone who gets a remanufactured battery (or aftermarket cells) may get less than a year out of the "new" battery at worst, or up to around 3 years at best.

There are a few aftermarket batteries out there that seem like they hold up nearly as well as OEM, but they also cost nearly the same as OEM.

I'm certain that batteries are a wear item that when they wear out, they wear out and need to be replaced by a new one that will cost $$$. You can "grid charge" them or whack-a-mole and change dead cells with other used cells but in the end it's all just prolonging the pain of having a dying battery.

[redpoint5]

I wonder how feasible it is to DIY a LiFePO4 replacement?

Pre-inflation, I was finding 32700 cells with 7.2 Ah capacity for dirt cheap. Something like $4 each.

62 of those in series gives 200v and 1.4kWh, which is slightly more than a standard prius battery, and it would cost $250.

[Piotrsko]

To diy a pack using essentially canned batteries you're going to need whatever bracket/tabs they spot weld on to assemble, spotwelder, holding fixtures. Not sure you want partially charged batteries, so perhaps even some sort of discharge system. Figure a 5% waste learning how to actually assemble properly so they fit the cases.

Imho, pre assembled modules is the way to go, but that's a bit pricier.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I wonder how feasible it is to DIY a LiFePO4 replacement?

Pre-inflation, I was finding 32700 cells with 7.2 Ah capacity for dirt cheap. Something like $4 each.

62 of those in series gives 200v and 1.4kWh, which is slightly more than a standard prius battery, and it would cost $250.

These guys seem to have figured out how to make LiFePO4 work in Toyota hybrids. Basically every block of 12 NiMH cells are replaced by 5 LiFePO4 cells. The max and min voltages seem to coincide nicely. The only problem I see with this setup is cold weather as freezing temps can kill a LiFeO4 battery. But they do put a BMS in each block of 5 cells. I guess if you can follow their design than you could make a DIY LiFePO4 battery that would work.

https://projectlithium.com/

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

These guys seem to have figured out how to make LiFePO4 work in Toyota hybrids. Basically every block of 12 NiMH cells are replaced by 5 LiFePO4 cells. The max and min voltages seem to coincide nicely. The only problem I see with this setup is cold weather as freezing temps can kill a LiFeO4 battery. But they do put a BMS in each block of 5 cells. I guess if you can follow their design than you could make a DIY LiFePO4 battery that would work.

https://projectlithium.com/

I'd probably be willing to pay 10x more for their engineered solution. My experience with replacing NiMh batteries with lithium has been extremely good. Roombas used to come with NiMh that wouldn't last even 1 year. I replaced the pack with a lithium one that someone on a forum had engineered, and the battery is still working to this day, more than a decade later.

That link also has a 12v battery replacement for only $170, which is quite cheap.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'd probably be willing to pay 10x more for their engineered solution. My experience with replacing NiMh batteries with lithium has been extremely good. Roombas used to come with NiMh that wouldn't last even 1 year. I replaced the pack with a lithium one that someone on a forum had engineered, and the battery is still working to this day, more than a decade later.

That link also has a 12v battery replacement for only $170, which is quite cheap.

Especially when the 12V OEM battery is something around $300.

I've been following them for a while. It seems like everyone who's bought batteries from them have beem happy. Some have had their batteries for a few years now and still seem to be doing well.

I am very tempted to get their HV battery for my Prius.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Especially when the 12V OEM battery is something around $300.

I've been following them for a while. It seems like everyone who's bought batteries from them have beem happy. Some have had their batteries for a few years now and still seem to be doing well.

I am very tempted to get their HV battery for my Prius.

That's why I experimented with a $125 20Ah LiFePO4 when my OEM died. It's still going strong 7 years and counting in the Prius. Looks like Batteryspace has increased the price to $200. So much for the speculation that battery prices will continue to fall.

Seems like the one in the image above is about 40+ Ah. That's a darn good value, and I'd be tempted to have one just for experimenting, but 150 peak amps isn't enough to start most vehicles. Could be bypassed I suppose.