Force Charging for Maintenance

When troubleshooting engine problems, be it diagnosing a misfire, scoping a sensor, doing a power balance, test, checking exhaust gas concentrations, etc., most things require the engine to be running. Problem is, while forcing the ICE to run, either by keeping your foot on the accelerator pedal while in park, or by putting the car into maintenance mode, the traction battery does not charge... It's possible to run the traction battery down to a level where it will cause serious problems, and have to be recharged, usually by Toyota...

This video shows how to force charge the traction battery to get it to a higher state of charge, so that it won't be run down to critical levels while testing.

Keep in mind that it's for maintenance purposes only! It charges the battery at full-rate, and can build a lot of heat in some components. Possibly causing damage if done for long periods while the car is sitting still. It also applies some torque to MG2, so there is potential for the car to move forward during this procedure. Use caution.

Other than for maintenance reasons, there is NO REASON to force charge the traction battery. It should only be done to a healthy battery, for the stated reasons. I learned it from the Toyota dealer, here in Japan, and it's an accepted method of charging the battery to a safe state to facilitate engine-on maintenance.

Some parts are blurry because it's night, and I'm tired... My videos aren't monetized. I do them for fun, and to help others, so the editing is down and dirty... ;-)