ok i found a guy on ebay and ive been emailing him back and forth about prius modules. he has 1st gen modules. he has hundreds he says and he can send me these things at about $15 for two of them or he can send me more, that would be under $400 to build a pack of 1st gens as backup to get me through the winter. the reason is because he does not have the time or resources to properly charge and discharge these. he said he has a whole bunch that have been sitting for 2 weeks with no charge at all on them and are at 7.7 to 7.8 volts what do you think? should i pass or buy or buy a bunch of good spare first gen cells from him and spend the money on a 3rd gen pack from a hybrid shop like priusrebuilders. im not sure where he got these things from but i just asked him. thank you, scott Read more: http://priuschat.com/conversations/prius-modules-yes-or-no.122794/#ixzz2fZk6FmJb Follow us: @PriusChat on Twitter | PriusChat on Facebook
What is the status of the current pack? What are the minimum voltage module-pair numbers? What is the minimum voltage vs maximum voltage difference? Are the maximum voltage module-pairs numbers rotating? What are the traction battery temperatures after a typical drive? What are your long term plans for car? Drive until the wheels fall off? Extend life 10-25 years? What is your typical driving profile? Pretty much commuting car? Quarterly +500 mile trips? If you plan to keep the car in service for a longish time, no thoughts of an upgrade in the next 18+ months, go for the the rebuild using Gen II or later modules. These have lower internal resistance and handle heat better than the NHW11 modules. If it is going to be a commuter car until the wheel fall off, "carpe diem", and get a batch of NHW11 modules. Test them to establish their characteristics and keep them on the shelf with an an annual discharge/charge cycle. I'd recommend keeping four or more depending upon how good of a deal you can get. If you are thinking about upgrading to a more modern Prius . . . how does the current pack look? Bob Wilson
sounds like a good deal. for that price it's hard to go wrong. i've heard a LOT of bad things about priusrebuilders.
i plan on keeping the car for a while, not sure how long. i drive it to work and elseware everyday so its my commuter. its hard to tell how the pack is. mostly it will be at .1v to .3 v difference, sometimes times it is .5v difference but not for long. i parked it tonight and it was 16.4 hi 16.3 low the only time it really has a big difference is when i pull out up a hill from a stop and it tries to propel the car and then start the ICE at the same time, then for a second it may vary by almost 1.ov then jumps back to .1-.3 v but all the while the highs and lows bounce around all over. i currently cant afford to upgrade to a newer prius with out being financially tight. i could make a three to five minute video of how it behaves on my scangauge but i dont know how to post a video on here. well he will sell me 2 modules for $15 but for 38 of them, its $1600. no way, i think ill just buy some spares. thank you, Scott
never mind, i just caught him at his own game. he lists them for 15 but doesnt tell you thats the shipping price. its 40 per module. i can get 2md or even 3rd gen modules for that price. forget him.
slim, really thats who i was thinking of getting my battery from. i can tell you i wasnt happy that i paid him for 3 modules about a month ago and waited a week and nothing showed and when i called mark over there, he had not even shipped anything. then he tells me he was moving the business to a bigger warehouse. i should of known, it seemed fishy. i got a refund tho after bob helped me out.
When driving, the voltage will vary but the battery controller has to measure 19 samples during these transitions. During these transitions, the voltage difference can temporarily exceed the 0.3 V threshold. There is a probe technique that runs the traction battery voltage down and up by blocking the wheels and using "R" to discharge and "D" to let the engine recharge the traction battery. It is used to confirm a weak module BUT it is a little rough on the traction battery. It provides no hard metric on HOW weak or strong the battery, no "%" life metric. Then it makes sense to continue driving and let the car tell you something is wrong. Your observations are close enough we don't need a video. Bob Wilson
Voltage at rest is an almost useless metric. All that tells you is they might be good. I have plenty of used Gen1 modules I can sell you that have 7.8 voltage at rest, but they have high internal resistance and low usable capacity. (i.e. they will fail if you put them in the Prius battery). How many you want to buy? Be very careful buying used modules. Many "rebuilders" have no idea how to properly test the modules. It's a hassle to swap modules more than once, especially if you have to pay shipping to return modules for warranty swap. (assuming the vendor will swap them).
Ill take your advice Bob. I have yet to get a charger to cycle my two weak ones from my pack that I took out but after sitting now since the rebuild they are resting at 6.6 volts, is that ok or are they bad?
Compared to what? If you have another module or two fail with a 1.2V or higher drop . . . a cell has shorted . . . these will look brilliant. Think of them as a full-size, nearly-bald spare. Compared to the donut, it is brilliant and well capable of reaching a destination where the original tire can be repaired. <grins> I wouldn't recommend them but they haven't failed hard and you don't have to spend any money on them. Bob Wilson
Ah, I see what your saying. Didnt think if it that way. Any advice on trying to bring the capacity back, maybe try rehydration? Or just the charge discharge cycles
I gave up on my rehydration experiments when attempts at plastic welding didn't work out. I also realized that though we might get the modules rehydrated and back to full capacity, the original problem of the leaky, terminal seals remains. I've speculated about an alternate approach that involves drilling out the 'pressure relief' valve of two modules and connecting them with a clamped, plastic hose. The theory being small, stainless steel clamps and a heat expanded plastic tube can form a 'tight' seal over the drilled out nipples. The two modules then share a common pressure environment and the plastic tube may provide enough 'give' that the weakened seals won't leak. But this is pure speculation. These refurbished modules have to be used together. They can never be mixed with other modules like we did with the two strong modules and two weak ones. It doesn't take long to realize it begins to look like 19-pairs, which might as well be refurbishing a full, set to 'like new capacity.' Of course eternal glory and fame awaits anyone who makes this work . . . but I have other projects that currently have my attention. <grins> Bob Wilson
i forgot about they leaky terminal seal thing. the guy got back to me and said he could send me 15 good ones $400. im going to pass.
