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Can i save my 07 pruis?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by AJ200, Jan 14, 2017.

  1. kinglew

    kinglew Member

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    3200 are you joking !!!!!!
     
  2. b100

    b100 Member

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    But, when the car runs good an uses not mutch oil. I would stick new battery in it. And you can take the battery to another gen2 when this one is really wasted
     
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  3. stockdaddy

    stockdaddy Member

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    KBB value
     
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  4. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    Hi stockdaddy, thanks for the insight That sounds like great idea, i didnt know the Torque App could monitor the voltage for individual modules.

    I will do this and see. Also still reading threads on here on how to refurbish the battery

    Why doesn't everyone do this instead of taking the battery out and load resting which is more time consuming?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  5. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    Discharging and charging the whole pack may provide some balancing of the modules, and it certainly won't repair or replace a ruptured module. There are cases when modules need to be replaced, and then all must be individually load tested and charged and sorted for capacity and internal resistance.
     
  6. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    I see.. it looks more and more like I'm heading on that road.

    Challenge accepted !

    Thanks really appreciate it

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  7. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    The previous owner is a code clearing scumbag.

    AJ200, welcome to Priuschat. Sorry your first experience is going to be a bad one. If you have to buy a high mileage car, buy a Corolla.

    Good luck. Let us know where you land.
     
  8. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    Thanks man. The people on here are incredibly nice and knowledgeable. Way better than the stealer-ships.

    Yeah he must of done some sneaky code clearing.

    Oh well i love the technology in the prius and i see it as good learning experience.

    This was the state of the battery fan before i cleaned it.

    1484714773509.jpg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  9. Moving Right Along

    Moving Right Along Senior Member

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    According to Edmunds valuation, a car with that many miles with the problems described would be worth more sold as scrap than as a trade-in. However, if there are fairly cheap solutions that would allow the car to run a few more months, they might be considered worth it to allow time to save up for something else
     
  10. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Stockdaddy must have missed the voltage readings in your first post. Using Torque to watch live battery data is just going to tell you what you already know. The 6.88V module is junk. Replace it. The two end modules at .49 volts less than the rest are suspect.

    You can spend a lot or little time, money and effort repairing your battery. The absolute minimum is to just replace the bad module and start driving. This would do nothing to recondition the modules, measure the module capacities, internal resistance, and self discharge, or to at least start with modules at the same state of charge. You might get lucky and the new module will match the rest well. With this approach you can expect to repeat the process every few months.

    The next step would be to at least bring all the modules to the same state of charge. The quick and cheap way is to use one charger to bring all the modules to the same voltage. This is not the same as resting voltage. Resting voltage is not a good measure of state of charge. Connecting the modules in parallel does not work. The cheap chargers can charge at a 6 to 7 amp rate. It dose not really matter what voltage you chose. Between 8.2 and 8.4 volts would likely work for your pack. With the average charge time limited to about 10 minutes per module it will take five hours to go through the whole pack. Some modules will take longer than others. All the modules should be charged on the same day. Spreading the charging out over multiple days would allow the first modules to self discharge. You still would not know anything about the modules other than they are starting at the same SOC. This should get you a few months unless you'r unlucky.

    Next would be to add a deep discharge to recondition the modules. You could use a cheap light bulb discharger like this. Prolong Simple Discharger User Guide – Hybrid Automotive What I do not like about the light bulb discharging is the wide variance of discharge across the modules. Some will drop to zero volts while others stay at 6 volts. There is also the danger of working with high voltage. I prefer individual resistors on each module. 30 ohm 5 watt resistors work well. Deep discharges should be done slowly. Discharging anywhere to between 1 and 4 volts works. It will take overnight to complete the slow deep discharge. Modules should not be left in a state of deep discharge. You need to get at least some charge back in them. With just one 6 amp charger it would take 9 to 10 hours to put just 2000 mAh back into each module. The costs would be a $50 module, $20 Imax B6 charger, $20 for light bulbs or resistors. The single deep discharge is a big step in reconditioning the modules. It's not the only thing but it is the biggest bang for your buck. For less than $100 and a couple of days work you would have a partially reconditioned pack brought to the same SOC. You still have not measured capacity, internal resistance (load test), or self discharge.

    To get to the next level will take more time and money. I recommend a dual Turnigy Reaktor 300W.
    Turnigy Reaktor 2 x 300W 20A Balance Charger That's a $130 charger with two channels that can each charge and discharge at 20 amps. It needs a separate power supply also. That's 8 times faster than a single Imax B6 can charge. It is 40 times faster at discharging. Discharging at 20 amps is a great capacity and IR or load test. The Reaktor has a pre programed "Formation" charge. It starts at a 1C rate to 1.48 volts per cell. The current is then tapered to .1C holding the voltage constant. The formation charge cycle does take about four hours to run. That adds up to 60 hours to run through your pack. With deep discharges, formation charges, and 20 amp capacity tests you are doing all you can to recondition your pack. You might find more crappy modules that should be replaced. It will take more time than the above short cuts.

    Good Luck, Brad
     
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  11. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    Thank you Brad for this awesome step by step guide.

    I ordered a module today. Will put it in when it arrives and see what happens.

    A

    Also reading your instructions I'm collecting bits and pieces for the next steps.

    I will keep you posted!
     
  12. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    This forum real busy huh? Took me a while to find my post..

    Anyway just quick update with hybrid battery:

    I got a module online. When it arrived it tested at 7.7V

    I replaced the 6.68v module and left the other two that were 7.5v in the pack. To try my luck..

    The triangle and fan come back on after 1hr of driving.

    I will start the process of reconditioning when the bits i need arrive.



    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  13. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    What do you have for a code reader? Now would be the time to use Torque or a Mini VCI to look at live battery data.

    Brad
     
  14. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    Elm 327 mini. What would you recommend?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  15. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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  16. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    Ok great thanks..was beginning to think i won't go far with the ELM 327.

    What live data should i be looking at now to see where things are going wrong ?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  17. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    Sustained Delta V > 1.2 V or spikes > 2.0 V will throw codes. Then look at module voltage and module impedance. This will tell you which module.

    What gauges do you have on Torque? | PriusChat
     
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  18. AJ200

    AJ200 New Member

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    Ok i Will do that.

    Should i not drive the car untill i have this fixed i normally drive about 18miles per day.
    Im afraid of making this worse (battery catching fire?!)espically when the car is only running on the petrol motor. As it wasn't design to work by itself.

    Is there a kill switch in the battery or something to prevent it from over heating

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  19. stockdaddy

    stockdaddy Member

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    This is why i told you earlier to drive the car first rather than guessing which cells to swap.

    Goldfinger is correct, get the custom PID setup with torque. Then drive just around the block, look for large drop in voltage under load in EV mode and if any cell blocks are 1.2v from the others.

    There is no magic way to recondition the cells and if you don't know exactly what are are doing you can do more harm than good.

    My torque setup
    prius2.jpg
     
    #39 stockdaddy, Jan 31, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2017
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  20. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    No there is not a kill switch.

    I use a Mini VCI and Techstream and am not familiar with Torque. Stockdaddy's list will do. Rather than trying to watch all that data while driving you can do the same test with the car stationary.

    First get the car warmed up so the gas engine will shut off. Set the parking brake and apply the brakes firmly. The idea is hold the car in place. Clear the codes so the car will try to function normally.

    Forced charge. Put the car in drive with the brakes applied and put the accelerator to the floor. The car will sit still and charge the battery. "HV Current" will show the current going into the battery. The voltage of the weak module blocks will rise faster and higher than the rest.

    Discharge or load test. Put the car in reverse with the brakes applied. Give the car some gas but not so much that the gas engine turns on. This will pull current from the battery. To increase the load you can run the AC on high and turn on the rear window defroster. "HV Current" will show the load being pulled from the battery. On discharge the voltage of the weak modules will drop faster and lower.

    Let us know what you find.

    Brad