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Hi all, new Prius v owner

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by farmecologist, Jan 31, 2018.

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  1. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    You’ve pulled the orange plug out:whistle:?

    If so, both sides of the battery are isolated, but no reason to let your guard down;).

    Test before touch and use non-conductive tools. You can still get small shocks from the individual modules, but not the big one that ruins your day.

    The orange plug is the key(y).
     
    #141 Raytheeagle, Jul 22, 2018
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  2. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Yep the big orange plug was removed. (y)
    • Edit: See bonehead move discussion in post #144 below. Needless to say..make sure you slide the loop on the orange plug to the right after reinstalling! o_O

    Now that I know how to do this and not shock myself to death...it should be pretty easy to install a Prolong harness. I wonder if I can get just the harness for now....because I'll need another harness for the 2010 liftback anyways when I pull the trigger on the Prolong system. So do you feel the Prolong system is worth it? Looks like they are going commercial so it must have some benefit I would think. :D
     
    #142 farmecologist, Jul 24, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2018
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  3. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    That's crazy amount of dust!

    Did you get a voltage reading for all the modules? Curious to see how far apart they are from each other.

    I'm planning to install a plug-in charger to keep my existing pack topped at 80%. Sometimes I'm at home and it's 20% SoC. Then after that I hope to convert to LiFePO4 but won't be for a few years from now. I need to make sure the right modules exist. I'd like to replace the existing NiMH to LiFePO4. I have also began asking LiFePO4 manufactures to look into creating Prius module upgrades. This would make it a plugin with a decent electric range.

    This guy modified his Prius to run on LiFePO4.



    Just a warning: Modifying a Prius outside of manufacture specs can be dangerous!
     
    #143 PriusV17, Jul 24, 2018
  4. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Now that is some interesting stuff! Having extra battery capacity like that certainly would be helpful....but I'd have to see about the cost. I can't imagine his project was cheap.

    I'm pretty well versed on the mechanical side of things now ( read this thread for the full saga if interested ):whistle:. However, I'm new to the electronics side. In fact, I did a bonehead newbie thing that gave me a scare after inspecting the battery compartment for the post above. My son called me saying the car would 'turn on' but wouldn't go into gear...it stayed in neutral. I thought I had done F'ed something up! Turns out that I had not slid the 'loop' on the orange plug to the right after reinstalling it. :oops::oops::oops:. Works like a charm now. (y)

    I'll have to get a voltage load tester and learn how to test the modules without getting zapped. I think I have a mild phobia of getting shocked after an 'incident' that happened a few years ago. :whistle:

    As for the dust...yep, the previous owner ran the vehicle in an extremely dirty environment. The dealer cleaned it up nice enough that some idiot like me would buy it...I should have looked closer at the time ( I did get a great deal though ). I've gotten it pretty much totally cleaned up by this point but there is *still* some dirt coming out of nooks and crannies after a car wash.

    I hope the dusty battery modules don't affect performance much. If I ever get the courage it might be good to disassemble and clean the battery at some point.
     
    #144 farmecologist, Jul 24, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2018
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  5. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    If you're taking it for a long road trip, it's too bad you can't clean up the dust. It may affect not only performance but the heat may build up due to poor air circulation.

    The fastest way to check the module voltage is using the Dr. Prius app (since it's free) but you will need ODB2 with Bluetooth. It would give you a good idea if any of your modules are really out of sync. It's seems the last owner was a bit reckless on the care and maintenance side. But you gain a lot as a result.

    Have fun on your road trip (y).
     
    #145 PriusV17, Jul 24, 2018
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  6. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I’m a believer and after Sunday, I’ll have another co-owner:).

    So three people sharing the same equipment all with their own harness equals lower cost of ownership ;).

    The equipment works and since I have a 1 year old Lexus RX450h to compare battery performance against, I’m seeing similarities :).

    Not bad for a 9 year old battery and now even lower cost of ownership (y).
     
    #146 Raytheeagle, Jul 25, 2018
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  7. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Dr. Prius looks nice. However, I don't have a bluetooth OBD2 Adapter ( only WiFi ). Looks like Dr. Prius wants a fee for WiFi use?

    I'd like to purchase a Bluetooth adapter anyway so now appears to be the time. (y)


    Edit #2 : Went with this one...



    It seems to be the unit that the EngineLink web page recommends...and has an auto-off feature ( the unit I have now seems to draw power all the time...not good ). We'll see if it works with the Dr. Prius app. I don't see why it wouldn't.
     
    #147 farmecologist, Jul 25, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2018
  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Ok good. I think I will get it at some point. Geez..they sure stick it to ya on the extra harness pricing though!
     
    #148 farmecologist, Jul 25, 2018
  9. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    oops - posted by mistake.
     
    #149 farmecologist, Jul 25, 2018
  10. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    I got Engine Link up and running on my old OBD2 reader. Coolant temps, etc...all look good.

    Here are the voltages :

    This one is while driving :
    Pv_Voltages0.jpg

    This one is at a stop light.
    Pv_Voltages1.jpg

    Even though they are dusty.....it looks like the cell blocks are in good shape? Anything else to check?
     
    #150 farmecologist, Jul 27, 2018
  11. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    It's a layup.
     
    #151 Air_Boss, Jul 27, 2018
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  12. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Not a softball:whistle:?

    I like the easy ones:p.
     
    #152 Raytheeagle, Jul 28, 2018
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  13. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    Wow. Interesting. I would see how much voltage drops if you leave it unused for 1 or 2 full days. You may want to compare the results with your liftback.
     
    #153 PriusV17, Jul 28, 2018
  14. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Interesting in what way? The voltages or the dust? The voltages have been consistent. (y)

    I was looking for a cell block that was lower than the others From what I understand that is a good indicator of something starting to go awry. Correct?

    BTW - These ‘low energy’ Bluetooth OBD2 readers are great. My LELink II arrived a few days ago and it works flawlessly.
     
    #154 farmecologist, Jul 28, 2018
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  15. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Usually the module blocks will be within 0.1-0.3 volts if one another;).

    A code is illuminated when the block is 1.2 volts or greater less than the others. This indicates one of the 6 cells in a module are bad:(.

    But quick charge and discharge cycles indicate imbalance;).

    Hope that helps(y).
     
    #155 Raytheeagle, Jul 28, 2018
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  16. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    #156 farmecologist, Aug 14, 2018
  17. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    Impressive. How did the car perform? MPG? Any problems came up? Any big drop in oil?
     
    #157 PriusV17, Aug 14, 2018
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  18. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    I notice our Prius v (and Gen 3's in general?) are missing vent tubes?

    vent-tubes.jpg
     
    #158 PriusV17, Aug 28, 2018
  19. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    I'm thinking if the air is not being forced out through the tubes then having them may serve no purpose.
     
    #159 PriusV17, Aug 28, 2018
  20. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    Looks like same is true for Gen 4 NiMH packs.

    2016-Prius-Battery.jpg
     
    #160 PriusV17, Aug 28, 2018
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