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Testing Gen 2 HV battery with EV-PEAK charger

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Rob Prius 2005, Mar 7, 2021.

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  1. Rob Prius 2005

    Rob Prius 2005 Junior Member

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    Hi folks!

    I recently (4 months ago) bought my first hybrid - a Prius 2005.

    All works great and what a dream it is to drive.. she is in beautiful condition.

    About 2.5 months ago the car seemed not to run as normal, and with a week the red triangle and other lights came on. Long story short, my mechanic hooked it up and it seemed that all cells were fine, yet the problem persisted. I had reset the electronics (remove 12V for a min) and it would run for about 1-2km (1 mile) then warning lights came back.

    Cycling of the HV seems to be fast.

    There was a day when I had a trip up to the mountains, and it seemed OK but on the way down it seemed to overcharge the HV - and at one point I had to pull over as the rpms seemed to max out yet were not pulling the car. A quick 2 min stop with the engine off seemed to resolve this with only the usual symptoms.

    So I have been researching on threads like these and YouTube videos to figure out what could be the issue. I learned that using a battery charger and charging and discharging the modules would actually 1) detect the bad modules, and 2) increase the performance of the modules, so I chose to buy the EV-PEAK CQ-3 4x100W charger.

    It just arrived on Friday, and I removed the battery on Saturday (it has been opened before as there are permanent marker notes (e.g. all +ve terminals have been marked with a red dot). I started to charge on Saturday afternoon.. and I just wanted to see if anyone could confirm or suggest changes to the settings,so that I know I am doing this right, or if it is somehow exceeding limits or not pushing hard enough.

    My settings are as follows:
    Battery Type: NiMH
    Charge: 3.0 Amps
    Discharge: 1.0 Amp
    Cycles: 3
    Capacity Cut Off: 7500mAh (on 3 of the 4 modules tested so far, this max has been reached)

    NOTE: I have heard that when discharging, it should not go below 6V, however I did not find any setting to prevent the discharge going below this, so the discharging have been reaching 5.5V or so.

    QUESTION 1: Any changes needed, or other settings to be considered?

    QUESTION 2: In addition to the above, do I need to be checking on time taken to reach a certain point?


    The STEPS I am taking to learn about the HV battery:
    1. measuring the original voltage right after I removed the HV battery.
    2. Connected a 21W bulb for 1 minute and measured the voltage
    3. deep cycling with above parameters
    QUESTION 3: Any other suggestions? What else should I do to really know if the modules are good?

    Any pointers and suggestions would be really appreciated as I am just starting on the cycling of the 28 module and it would be great to know if I am doing it right :)

    Many thanks!

    Roberto
     
    #1 Rob Prius 2005, Mar 7, 2021
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when going down a large hill, and the battery can not hold any more charge, the engine revs up to burn off the excess regenerated electrons.

    you should get dr. prius if no one there has tech stream
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 7, 2021
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  3. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    To elaborate on this: Dr Prius is a smartphone app that gives you info about the status of your HV battery. To use it you have to get an OBDII adapter that plugs into the diagnostic port under your dashboard. The app then communicates with the adapter via bluetooth.

    Here is a link to info about Dr. Prius: Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus
     
    #3 royrose, Mar 7, 2021
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  4. Rob Prius 2005

    Rob Prius 2005 Junior Member

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    Thank you @bisco and @royrose.

    I had seen Dr.Prius and could not locate the OBDII adoptor locally, but have chosen to cycle the modules in any case, so as to improve their performance.

    I assume that the Dr.Prius/OBDII adaptor will only work when the HV battery is in installed in the car. Currently the HV battery is out of the car with the cover removed. I think though, that it would be good to have the Dr.Prius/OBDII adaptor just to keep an eye on things when the car is up and running..
     
    #4 Rob Prius 2005, Mar 8, 2021
  5. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Yes, it would be something for you to use after you reinstall the battery. I assume that you can order from Amazon? Lots available from cheap to expensive. I use the OBDLink LX with my android phone. About $50. It works well with both Dr Prius and Android Assistant (an android only app)

    As far as balancing, there are several older threads on PriusChat that could help. Let us know how it goes.
     
    #5 royrose, Mar 8, 2021
  6. Rob Prius 2005

    Rob Prius 2005 Junior Member

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    Thanks royrose,

    I will look to order the OBDLink LX.. just so I can get a more accurate reading next time.

    Do you know where I can source modules from, in Europe? I have a feeling I will be needing 3 at least.. module 6 was a goner, but it looks like #28 isn't happy either.. so I expect i may be needing a handful.
     
    #6 Rob Prius 2005, Mar 8, 2021
  7. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    I have the ev peak cq3 as well but for some reason I cant set 3 cycles continuously so I have to start manually every time finishes each cycle, what are you capacity readings to determine you have 3 bad modules ?? I bought the Panlong Bluetooth OBD2 OBDII Car Diagnostic Scanner Check Engine Light for Android - Compatible with Torque Pro and is working perfect with all 3 apps it would be awesome if you could show your numbers for us since I am in the learning process as well.
     
    #7 kdfchannel, Apr 8, 2021
  8. Rob Prius 2005

    Rob Prius 2005 Junior Member

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    Hi kdfchannel,

    Thanks for you message and I only just saw it come in.

    So far I only have numbers for the modules.. I will upload the data here as an attachment.

    I am still not completely sure of the criteria. One of the battery suppliers on ebay has said that they deep cycle their modules and if the discharge goes below 5000mAh, then they do not consider it a healthy module.

    Certainly I would add that the charging would need to be above 8V as well.

    I have not been able to figure out concretely what are the best criteria to determine the health and longevity of a module. I will rely on the OBDLink LX that I bought (as suggested by royrose).

    Let me knoe if i can help in any way - cheers
     

    Attached Files:

    #8 Rob Prius 2005, Apr 19, 2021
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  9. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    try to rely on capacity rather than voltages, and specifically the discharge capacity.
     
    #9 kdfchannel, Apr 21, 2021
  10. Whalerpaul1

    Whalerpaul1 New Member

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    The selection of a replacement module as they cost 35 to 55 dollars. The reputation of the source would seem to be pretty key. I'm planning to select a source that I can actually test it for a few minutes before I pay for it. The many people who provide disassembly reassembly of the battery and charge about 500 bucks for that have their own supply of modules and several that I talk to were willing to sell their modules for 30 to 50 dollars. Generally I found that these folks rely on voltage measurements and have probably not read the Prius chat technical form or they would be doing a lot more testing on their batteries.
    Since this is one of the few avenues that you can actually test the module before purchasing it, are there simple tests you can do to maximize your chance of getting a good module. These tests would have to be non-destructive and quick. Possibly checking internal resistance?

    What has worked for others? I would have guessed there would be reputable sellers who actually cycle their modules before selling them and provide the detailed information similar to the charts that Prius chat contributors have shown.. i e how the battery had responded to multiple cycles. Can anyone suggest such providers located in Northern California?
     
    #10 Whalerpaul1, Apr 24, 2021
  11. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    we have a fellow member called JIM you can ask him if he has some modules available and the label them with the final capacity he can give you a module to match the capacity you are looking for, another way to test not so recommended load test them for 2 minutes with 120 watt load and check the delta V .
     
    #11 kdfchannel, Apr 25, 2021
  12. C Wagner

    C Wagner Member

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    Did you see the Wiki section at the top of the priuschat screen? Check there for the Wiki I wrote/started on How To/ "Maintenance" under repairing the HV battery. Here's the link: Prius High Voltage Battery Reconditioning | PriusChat

    It might help with the process around the module health/reconditioning efforts.
     
    #12 C Wagner, Apr 27, 2021
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