1. Use approved lineman’s gloves when removing and installing the high-voltage disconnect service plug.
2. With the gloves on, lift the handle on the service plug and then pull the handle away from the battery. This will release the service plug from the battery.
3. Place the plug in a safe location while working on the high-voltage system.
4. The plug is installed by placing it into the battery and then rotating the handle toward the battery.
5. Push the handle down to engage the microswitch on the handle. If the handle is left in the upward location, the vehicle will not power up and will set a code for the microswitch.
6. Test the vehicle by powering the vehicle on and checking for fault indicators on the instrument cluster as well as testing the operation of all systems that were being repaired.
This single battery module is from a Toyota Prius and is a nickel metal hydride design. The batteries that propel hybrid and electric vehicles are typically made up of many cells similar to this
The battery cover has been removed to provide this view inside of the battery. The cover should never be removed by anyone who has not had training to repair high-voltage
High-voltage lineman gloves are needed in order to work safely around the high-voltage systems on hybrid and electric vehicles. These gloves should be closely inspected before each use to make sure there are no holes or tears in the surface of the
The cells of hybrid and electric vehicles are connected in series, which creates a very high-voltage DC battery. The positive terminal of one cell is connected to the negative terminal of the battery next to
Hybrid and electric vehicles mostly use electric AC compressors that operate on three-phase high voltage. The high-voltage system should be safely turned off and disengaged before any service is performed on any high-voltage
Leather protector gloves are typically worn to cover the rubber lineman gloves in order to reduce the chance of damaging the rubber gloves when working around the sharp edges of a
The high-voltage service plug is typically orange in color and designed to be removed whenever the high-voltage system needs repair. High-voltage gloves should be worn when removing or reinstalling this
Once the handle is moved upward, then it can be rotated away from the battery to facilitate the removal of the
This close-up view of the service plug allows a clear visualization of how the plug is designed. This service plug has a large fuse under the cover that protects the high-voltage system from shorts and other
The upper part of the service plug is the handle and it must be lifted to begin the removal
The service plug is installed using the reverse steps that were used during removal. The last step is to push the handle downward to engage the microswitch on the
