Computer Assist battery

Which device or app are you using to retrieve the OBD2 codes (DTCs) with ?

Many will use an OBD2 bluetooth adapter (20usd) and techstream (toyota dealer technician software) on a windows device, or emulator.

 

Next step is to get a 50w halogen or similar headlight bulb and record voltage loss after 2 minutes of that load on all 28 modules... There's like 20 other things you can do to make your pack awesome, but this is a good place to start for newbies. And if you need 'em, my buddy in Oregon sells really strong replacement modules: 2ndlifebatteryllc on eBay

Also check orange plug that plugs into battery ECU, it gets corroded and will benefit from your cleaning-greasing endeavors.

 

This is a common mis-conception but can be very important......like maybe in this case.

Di-electric grease (gel) is NOT CONDUCTIVE.
It is an INSULATOR and is not intended to be put on conducting surfaces.
It is intended to be spread over the connection AFTER it is put together.......not before.

It looks like your hubby has a LOT of cleaning to do to fix his mess.

 

Is there any chance of posting a photo of what the gel was applied to? We might not all be using the same terminology.

I should perhaps add that I have historically believed the same as Sam over the years about "dielectric grease" and "electrical grease"; I have some of both (most recently, Motorcraft WA-10 is the "dielectric grease" I have, and another Motorcraft product, XG-12, is my current "electrical grease"). I generally use the dielectric grease in places where I want to prevent conduction, such as the rubber of spark plug boots, and the electrical grease where I want to protect conduction, such as terminals of ordinary connectors.

That said, numerous PriusChatters report using dielectric grease on ordinary connectors without issues, and there's at least one post around here from the last couple years or so where someone mounted a well-supported argument that the normal terminal pressures reliably displace the grease where conduction needs to happen, and there might even be fewer material compatibility issues than with an "electrical" grease. So it's possible I've been overly cautious through the years on that point.

I think that on the high-voltage sensing harness at the battery ECU, I would be leery of adding anything at all that left a residue. But in any event, an issue where trouble codes can't be read despite warning lights being on won't be explained by anything that was or wasn't done at that particular connector.

 

After is OK. Before is NOT.
If it didn't cause a problem, he was just lucky.

 

For that to be a fair statement, one must define "ordinary connectors" and the application they are serving.

Many automotive connectors have one side with edges that "bite" into the mating flat connector.
If they are that type AND the current load is low, then it makes no difference that the facing flat connections are not contributing to the actual current flow.......usually.

If the connection is of a type where ALL of the conducting surface is flat and relatively smooth.......OR where the current demand is high......then it is not appropriate to put anything between those contacting surfaces. NOTHING.

A possible exception is a product that is specifically labeled as "conductive grease" and contains a high percentage of powdered graphite.
It is pitch black.
I would not even use that except in an application that tends to corrode quickly.......like the connector for the lights on a trailer, which is constantly exposed to the weather and road grime.

 

Make sure to ignore the misinformation in this thread about grease interfering with conductivity:

Myth: Grease Interferes With Conductivity

There are many misconceptions about connector grease, the most common being that dielectric grease interferes with conductivity. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding prevents many people from using a grease that would otherwise protect their connectors against corrosion, fretting, and power failure.

To debunk this common myth, our application and validation test design engineers created an Electrical and Water Resistance test kit, with the help of our UK Channel Partner Newgate Simms. This test demonstrates the insulative properties of dielectric grease, in this case NyoGel® 760G, and proves that grease does not affect conductivity. The kit has everything our engineering team needs to complete these tests, including a power source, connectors, a multimeter and samples of NyoGel® 760G.

Want to see the kit in action? Watch our Electrical Resistance and Water Resistance Test Tutorials below:

 

how is the 12v health?

 

Thanks for those links. Nye is definitely a well-respected name in specialty greases. Interestingly, the Motorcraft XG-12 that I am using as "electrical grease" is widely thought (by the internet...) to be a Nye product, rebranded for Ford. The internet doesn't seem to be as unanimous about which Nye product it is. In some corners it is said to be the exact same Nyogel 760G mentioned above.

Hmm, looking at that PDF, I see the Ford spec WSB-M1C239-A, which is exactly what's printed on my tube of Motorcraft XG-12, so I guess those corners of the internet were on the mark.

Interestingly, this tube is labeled "electrical grease". It doesn't say "dielectric" anywhere on it. My tube of the other Motorcraft product, WA-10, very prominently says "dielectric compound" on the front.

I also notice that neither of those two Nye videos calls 760G a "dielectric grease". They call it an "electrical connector grease".

On the other hand, the PDF linked above does list a "dielectric breakdown voltage" for it (the one place the word 'dielectric' appears in the document).

So many things turn out to be not as simple as they seem.

 

THIS is inaccurate, misleading and irresponsible. It is not a myth.
You are not doing anybody any favors by posting this crap.

Most forms of grease absolutely WILL "interfere" with conductivity.

Dielectric grease in particular is designed to be packed AROUND the open spaces in electrical connectors where it will touch multiple different wires and must be NON-CONDUCTIVE or it will create a short.

That is obvious and doesn't need any fancy tests to "prove" anything.
Simple fact.

UNLESS IT IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO BE CONDUCTIVE, YOU SHOULD NEVER PUT ANY FORM OF "GREASE" ON CONDUCTING SURFACES. NEVER.

 

Indeed. And that little, seemingly obscure, fact means that under normal conditions, it does NOT conduct current in a low voltage situation.

You should NOT be thanking him for giving out BAD information.

 

I'm only thanking him for giving out sourced information from a credible party that backs their claims not only with a test kit but with specifications hammered out with engineers of eight electrical product manufacturers including five automakers.

I'd probably even thank you for giving out credibly sourced information, if you were to try it some day.

 

You are reading much more "credibility" into this than there IS.
I've been in the electronics field for over 50 years and never heard of Nye before.
And some of the "information" is unfounded conclusions.......if not downright fabrications.

The fact remains that any product that is labeled "dielectric grease" is designed to be an INSULATOR, not a conductor.

 

Usually those ECUs can be found used on ebay in the $100 range, but the likely problem is the voltage sensing harness where it plug into the ECU, also known as Wire Frame No.2 which sell for $50. First thing is to inspect the ECU for damaged plug pins that shorted out. If they haven't shorted out you can just clean them. BUt with code c1310 you might have a problem with a different system, not this one.

 

What are you reading codes with?

C1310 is a code from the braking ECU. The braking ECU sets that code whenever it is notified of any code in the Hybrid Vehicle ECU. That means the HV ECU has a code (or some codes) needing to be read to tell you what the issue is.

Sometimes there's one more level of indirection involved, where the code in the HV ECU turns out to be something like P3000, and only means it was notified of some code in the battery ECU (that's the little box you're thinking of) and really you need the codes from that to know what the real issue is.

But sometimes what happens is people use a generic code reader that knows there are such things as brakes (a lot of cars have those), but does not know there is an HV ECU or a battery ECU, and so the reader will only taunt you by showing the C1310 from the brakes, which doesn't tell you anything except you need to get the other codes the generic reader won't show you.

If it were my car, I wouldn't spend any money on parts to replace until I had reviewed the codes.