Enginer PHEV Technical Information

Why is the converter quitting at 3.2v? 3.2v is the nominal voltage of LiFePO4 right? Shouldn't the convert quit at around 2.7v?

 

I've been watching my Scangauge2 closely these last couple of weeks. When the SOC reaches 66.5% the battery icon on the screen lights up, indicating it is almost full. In my case I've never seen it exceed 70%.
There doesn't seem to be any logic in it: while sircumstances and route are exactly the same soemtimes the HV battery is loaded fully (70%), but most days it will stay between 55 and 65%. So in my case also 5 or 6 bars most of the time, I don't know why that is.

 

Hi Floyd,
Both you and Fibb222 may have your converters set a little low. Adjusting the converter is an Installer function. Your installer should have checked this voltage during the install.

You can check this with a DVM capable of measuring 250vDC.
1. Turn off the Prius
2. Disconnect the 2 blue connectors on the output of the converter.
3. Connect the DVM to the converter output.
4. Insulate all the connections both to the DVM and the loose wires to the Prius HV Battery. This is important you are working with High voltages that can be dangerous.
5. Turn on the Prius
6. Turn on the Enginer system.
7. Record the reading on the DVM. DO NOT TOUCH ANY OF THE CONNECTIONS. THEY ARE LIVE
8. Turn off the Enginer System and the Prius.
9. Remove the DVM and reconnect the Blue connectors.

You should have gotten 240v+/-5v. If you are outside of this window then you need to have your installer do an adjustment. I am at 241v and I get 7 bars most of the time. I get 8 sometimes if I have regeneration from a hill. I get lower If I am using EV mode or electric only glides.

If you did the install your self then contact Jack about the adjustment.

Thanks,
Dan

 

Yes, way way back when I wrote that I wasn't getting any juice into the oem. I was advised by Jack to check my output voltage and it was low. Jack instructed me on how to turn that up and I did successfully. It made a big difference. Now I get bars rising on the SOC oem screen icon in no time.

 

Hi Fibb222,
Good to hear that you are now doing well with your system.

Thanks,
Dan

 

Sorry guys, I’ve caused some confusion I’m afraid. I was responding to an old question (back at page 14) but figured that out just now. I was referring to my experiences with my standard Prius 2006, haven’t installed the Enginer kit yet but intend to buy one within the next couple of months.

Only recently the Enginer kit became available here in Europe: in France or the UK: Kits For Sale I am a novice ham so I know a little about electronics. So I could save the $ 600,- minimum installation cost doing it myself.
I understand a return of investment is not what really matters here, I should do it just for the fun of it.
Looking at the list on the url above, what would be the best option for me? I can afford the 4 or maybe even the 6 kWh kit. My daily commute is about 50 miles round trip, running on EV only I should stay below the 30 mph limit I assume?
Hope you can give me some advice… Thanks! Floyd

 

With a 50 mile round trip and no charging at work, I'd definitely suggest 6+ kWh. Even charging at work, 6 is probably worth it. I have 4 and it doesn't last as long as I like.

On current tank I have gone 460 km with an average of 3.2 L/100km. With 6kWh, I may have been as low as 3.0 or lower.

 

It is well worth the $600 to have an installer.

Hi Floyd,
The Enginer kit with one converter will only do about 5 miles in pure EV before you get low bars and drop out of EV. The Enginer kit is aimed at "blended mode" which gives you much improved mileage but still uses the ICE some of the time.

Also the more you use EV the lower the ICE temperature and the more you will have issues with warm-up.

More expensive kits fool the Prius computers and become very complicated in order to address issues like this. The Enginer system is very simple.

Thanks,
Dan Lander

 

Thanks Dan & Fibb. I heard some great stories about extra 15-20 miles in EV mode only but it seems some users got a little over-enthousiastic.
Getting the fuel consumption down to around 70 maybe 75 mpg seems more realistic. I will ponder over it a little while longer, it's still a lot of money.

Another thing, slightly off-topic: I watched a tv program the other day an an expert told that we have reached the top when it comes to battery development. Since the invention of the socalled 'Leyden jar' in 1744 (yes, the battery is a Dutch invention ) batteries have improved a lot but pretty much stayed the same over the last few decades. According to this man we don't have to expect any improvement on the design, capacity or weight of batteries anymore in the future.
What do you think: does he have a point here?

 

The guy is NOT up-to-date (or the show is old) on current lab research. A story came out in the last month or so regarding some nano/composite-batteries that could become part of the vehicle structure itself. Therefore being lighter weight and faster charging than current technology (again, this is strictly lab research now...no telling if it will ever be practical). Another recent story talked about batteries being made out of paper, yet having the same or greater capacity than today's batteries.

I would never bet on today's technology being the best there will ever be.

 

Battery tech is going to improve by huge leaps and bounds. Mark my words. We ain't seen nothin' yet!!!!

 

Hi Gang,

I'm looking for advice. Last night my check engine and exclamation point lights came on on the dash and I couldn't get them to clear. Took my 2004 Prius to the dealer, even though the car appeared to be running normally.

They said a long list of codes were tripped and it was probably caused by my Enginer kit. The codes they wrote out for me are:

P0A90 INF 605 P3102 INF 581 ABS C0215 C1242 C1313 TRANS C2300 C2318 POWER SOURCE B1412 B1421 POWER B2286 GATE B1200 B1207

Could this be a one-time event? If it happens again, is there anyway I can clear the codes myself, as this cost me $118?

 

First thing you should do is get a Scangauge and you will be able to clear codes yourself. I would assume that this item is probably available through the PriusChat store but don't know for sure.

There is a guy with an 8kwh Enginer system that has thrown codes for some time because of the kit. He has always been able to read and clear them via the Scanguage.

 

Hmmm...P0A90-605 is caused when there is an imbalance in motor power (that is, abnormal amounts of electricity going to / coming from the motor). This could conceivably be being caused by the conversion.

The Toyota documentation points to the current sensor as a possible culprit--I would start there since the Enginer system does go "through" the current sensor. It's possible that the way you have the system mounted could be causing EMI and interfering with the signal (though the stock BMS system is pretty resilient to said interference...).

It could be a more serious problem.

Do you have two converters? Any other "modifications" to your vehicle besides having the kit installed? Did it happen while you were driving or while the car was sitting still?

The rest of the codes seem to be fall-out from the first one (electric surge / dip could cause the rest of the codes conceivably). They're more along the lines of general faults with various different ECUs but I'm shocked to see so many in that many different ECUs...

Andrew

 

Thanks to Andrew for giving information on the codes. This points to the ferrite.

I suggest rewiring the feririte to do a better job of surpressing conducted EMI.


I just saw that Elearnaid.com says (as part of the Optima installation guide) that cycleing the power button 4 time will clear codes. But I agree that it is best to look at them with a scangauge and then clear them.

Thanks,
Dan

 

Thanks Andrew, I just have one converter and the coastal ev mod.

Dan was saying I could clear the codes with a cycling of the power button (didn't work for me) and or disconnecting the 12 V for 15+ minutes (haven't tried the kit/tripped codes again since the dealer cleared them).

If I need to clear the codes since I don't have a scangauge yet, will the 12V disconnection work?

Cheers

 

Just wondering... how many times did you try cycling on/off?
As Dan mentioned, and I have experienced, sometimes you need to cycle up to 4 times to clear codes.

 

about 6 times and left over night as well. After my 12V was dead a few weeks ago, I had a ! in the red triangle light which I got to go away with a 3 power on/off cycle but this time I had the engine check icon too and no cycling seemed to help.

 

Sounds like there may be a legitimate "problem" then. It could be related to your 12v battery--unless you replaced it obviously. I assume by "dead" you mean really dead-dead as in needing to be replaced and not just charged?

Has anyone else experienced codes like these with the Enginer system? The motor performance DTC shouldn't be being set under any circumstance.

EDIT:
Clearing the codes will only stop the malfunction lights from being illuminated (an annoyance for sure), but nothing more. You only need to restart the vehicle to restore vehicle operations unless of course the codes are actively being set which, depending on the DTC, can disable the vehicle.

If power cycling your car 4 times doesn't make the lights turn off, you have a more serious / persistent problem.

Andrew

 

I just want to chime in that I have been having a ball learning about my enginer kit, and I have learned a wealth of information from MY installer, (Eric.) lol

I also learn more with every page read on here. I seriously think this might be something I would be interested in doing if I could get more comfortable with the installation process. I guess I'm basically going to be taking at least one kit apart to bury it in the wheel well. I'll see if I still feel the same after that.. haha