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Traction battery rebuild question

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by YY4U, Apr 6, 2013.

  1. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    Starting with my wife's '05 w 149k mi. I can just feel that triangle warming up.

    yy
     
  2. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Another good reason to use the mini VCI for this activity. You can see the individual module resistances all listed, in real time, as the car is driven.
     
  3. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    Can you tell me exactly what I need to purchase? I'll order it today. I've been wanting to get a proper scanner for this thing. Mini VCI?

    yy
     
  4. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    Can a couple of you guys verify that the battery is safe to handle while the modules are connected in parallel? Let me know if there are any extra safety precautions needed here.

    yy
     
  5. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The battery is safe to handle when connected in parallel as it then becomes one very large 7.2 volt battery, or about half the voltage of the "12" volt battery that runs the accessories, so no shock risk. The only danger comes "as with the 12 volt battery" is shorting the battery "connecting positive to negative" as the current (amps) available is substantial.

    John (Britprius)
     
  6. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Check on Ebay for Mini VCI with Techstream software, about $25. This will enable you to check out or set or bleed just about everything you need on a Prius or any other Toyota.

    John (Britprius)
     
  7. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    Baddabing baddabang baddaboom let's see what's happens: DSCF7550.JPG DSCF7551.JPG
     
  8. ryousideways

    ryousideways Member

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    Haha Honestly I ran out of speaker wire. I would have done the entire thing the same way if not for my short supply.
    As long as you keep the positives connected to positives and negatives to negatives it should not matter how ugly the set up is.
     
  9. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    I pulled off the harness and measured the voltages. Each module read exactly 7.72v. I'm going to connect the bus bars and push the button. Stay tuned........

    yy
     
  10. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    DSCF7552.JPG I cannot catch a break here. I stripped 2 of the terminals and can't connect the busbars. I really wanted to power up the car when I knew the voltages were all perfectly balanced, but Murphy's Law seems to be in full effect tonight this month.

    Does anyone have any idea what I can do, besides breaking the battery all the way down to work on the threads? I can't get a dye on the terminals without taking the modules out. Maybe some type of self-tapping nut??

    Anyone? Help a brother out here.



    yy
     

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  11. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    DSCF7556.JPG
     

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  12. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    BTW all the voltages were exactly 7.72v.

    yy
     
  13. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    I got the pack apart and repaired the stripped terminals. The good news is I'm getting must faster at yanking it out of the car and getting it torn apart on the workbench.

    Since it's apart I want to check out my new weakest link and replace if neccesary. Module #1. The original numbers were respectable:

    CELL#1
    DCHG #1 3689
    CHG #1 7501
    DCHG #2 5316
    CHG #2 7500

    DCHG #3 5698
    CHG #3 7500

    This module has consistantly read the lowest voltage whenever I measured all of them. Last night all the modules were at exactly 7.72v when I removed the harness. Today they all read 7.71, except for #1, which is at 7.69.

    Should I even bother to load test this module and compare it to the others, or just go ahead and replace it because of the larger voltage drop? Anybody still reading this thread?

    I'll check them all again in a day or two.

    yy
     
  14. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    For what it's worth;

    It turns out there is actually a patent for a "self tapping nut".

    yy
     
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  15. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    As it is only 0.02 volts down you could wait a day to see if it deviates further. If it does junk it if not it could be ok.

    Replace that module if it is not holding it's charge, or to put it better is loosing it's charge at a faster rate. This means over a relatively short period it will be out of balance with the rest of the modules.

    You only need to replace this one module with a freshly balanced replacement charged then discharged down to the same levels as the rest let it stand then recheck adjusting again if required. Not what you want to hear, but the best way.

    Good luck, Your efforts are getting you there.

    John (Britprius)
     
  16. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    I checked all the modules again, most of them were at 7.70 and #1 was still at 7.69. A couple were 7.73. So I put it back together and as soon as I finish dinner I'll put it in the car and see what happens. If I have a problem I'll know where to look, and I'm going to keep a couple modules ready and on hand.

    I'm exactly where I was 24 hrs. ago.

    yy
     
  17. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    Well, I started the car up a few times and drove it around the block, and all the idiot lights are still on. I'll take it for a longer drive tomorrow.

    If they don't go off, I'm done with it until I get a Mini VCI and see just what codes it's throwing.


    :mad: yy
     
  18. YY4U

    YY4U Junior Member

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    I took it on a 20 mile drive and no luck on the lights. I'll order the Mini VCI and hopefully have some meaningful numbers to post in a week or so. I know, I know, I should of done that in the beginning.

    If you're reading these forums trying to decide if you should tackle this job, I would not recommend it. I have average mechanical skills and realized I was in over my head early on. I thought figuring out how to set up the chargers would be the most difficult part, but there are many varibles in this equation and many many ways to screw things up.

    On the other hand, I learned a lot and at times the process was quite enjoyable. What took 2 days to get the battery apart and on the workbench, between stopping to watch a video and cussing all the commercials on YouTube and figuring out which tools to use and wait a minute what did that guy who posted a comment on that blog say, now takes an hour.

    I've kept going with this because we have 2 Gen 2's and I'm looking for a 3rd for my daughter. If I can somehow figure all this out, I don't have to be afraid of buying one with no hybrid warranty remaining (100k mi in my state). These cars certainly seem to have a lot more than 100k in them, but you have to be able to work on them yourself. It makes no fiscal sense to buy an out-of-warranty Prius with no plan of what to do when something goes wrong.

    If you think you can take it to the dealer and say, "fix it," you'll be in for a shock that would make grabbing ahold of a hot traction battery, barefoot in the garage standing in a pool of dog pee, seem like the static shock you got when you rubbed up against Betty (by accident) this morning.




    yy
     
  19. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Good on you for your perseverance. Thanks for adding to the knowledge base, that will make it easier for DIY's in the future to deal with the inevitable. I hope you enjoy the satisfaction of a car running like new as a result of your new found skills.
     
  20. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Have you tried disconnecting the 12 volt battery for a few minutes to remove the trouble codes? This may be all that is required.

    John (Britprius)