The plug fouler isn't a fix - It is a HACK. Exhaust leaks between the combustion chamber and the downstream CAT sensor is going to give the ECU erroneous data. That's part of the reason you can't get rid of the P0420 and it's more than likely part of your low mpg issue too. The upstream sensor is part of the mixture control equation.
Changed the plugs today. stock gap was .044 they now measure .056 to .06 I can say the motor starts much smoother. I'm sure it's going to help. traction battery was check this week. I actually think the traction battery has something to do with it but the app says NO as well as someone I've talked to.
As i said the plug fowler is a hack and it helped at first. visual inspection show no exhaust leaks. I have enough carbon at the tailpipe that if there was an exhaust leak I'm sure it would show. I have around 25K on the car the P0420 started not long after I started driving the car. at first I could reset it and it last for a few days then shorter and shorter time before it would throw the code. I figured cheap aftermarket CAT. As it went off as the fuel economy went down I'm now wondering if it just may not be sized properly and all the extra fuel it's using heated it up more... IDK.
Fresh oil, Denso plugs, filter. Old plugs were .056 to .06 starts much smoother. I have hit the wheels with my inferred gun and they all look good. New suspension going on next week will check all the brakes at that time.
Carbon at the tailpipe is a bad sign. Firstly, your engine is (or at least was) running poorly (producing too much soot) and secondly, the CC was not able to clean the exhaust. After your most recent work, it will be interesting to see if the CC will be able to clean itself up assuming the engine is now running cleaner. Some long runs to ensure the CC gets nice and hot will certainly help in this regard. I'd sit on the P0420 for a bit and observe your engine PIDs to confirm things are better up front.
With their ring issues I doubt there's a second gen Prius with 200k that doesn't have carbon at the tailpipe. My point was there is at least enough that should show a leaking exhaust gasket, leaking around an O2 sensor etc. It's an after market CAT and has probably been throwing this code since it was installed.
You need to diagnose all systems and engine parameters. The main reason for incorrect engine operation is incorrect fuel supply settings. Your fuel flies into the pipe without burning completely in the engine. Feedback, adjustments do not work. If you do not set up the engine correctly, the high-voltage battery will not help. It takes energy from the engine, not from the surrounding space.
If you are still showing a negative voltage on block 1, then yes, your HV battery is still a problem. Most likely the sensing wire has a break or the plug/socket have an issue. I'd like to think your 'rebuilder' was good enough to not put a module in backwards, but I'd also assume if one was backwards, it would be a bit more exciting than just a weird voltage.
With the tune up, when the ICE starts it's so much smoother and when ICE power it pulls and runs a lot better. With that said MPG is still decreasing. I'm now down to 24 MPG on the MDF. I've lost another 3 to 4 mpg. #9 and #10 have always been high and low respectively. I drive the 15 from Salt Lake to Vegas regularly. I used to have no trouble over the hills and mountain ranges, now the cruise control will cut out because the traction batter has depleted. I've even stopped before some of the bigger hills and force the battery to charge.
I wouldn't worry too much about block #11 at this point, but block #9 is problematic with this set of modules. There is a 0.31 V difference between the highest (#9) and lowest (#2) block when only drawing 1.98 A. The one or two modules in block #9 are not necessarily bad but the capacity of one or the other (not likely both, but anything is possible) is at odds with the rest of the pack which means it is (or they are) not playing well with the rest of the pack. It is interesting that block #9 also has the highest voltage when charging which again points to one or the other module not being bad, but just incompatible with the rest of your modules. Have you had the pack apart and have you done a load test?
I just drove about 120 highway miles at 70ish. After the tune up the MDF is showing 31 MPG, which is an improvement over where I started. Guess I'll keep chipping away and see if I can't find some more MPG's somewhere...
You can install Hybrid Assistant for free on your phone to record your trip parameters - speed, fuel consumption, battery charge and much more. This will help you understand where the problem of low fuel consumption is buried.