Resistor smell new gen III

Bike-a-man · 10-01-2009, 06:04 AM

Have not seen a reference to this one yet! First long trip we are going down a 5 mile very steep hill in the Smokey mts of NC. 3/4 of the way down the unmistakable smell of resistors frying in the morning wafts through the car. Traction battery ICON hits full for the first and only time! No residual issues since. Normal break in occurrence or should I have a chat with my dealer?

spinkao · 10-01-2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bike-a-man

Have not seen a reference to this one yet! First long trip we are going down a 5 mile very steep hill in the Smokey mts of NC. 3/4 of the way down the unmistakable smell of resistors frying in the morning wafts through the car. Traction battery ICON hits full for the first and only time! No residual issues since. Normal break in occurrence or should I have a chat with my dealer?

Doesn't seem normal to me. I would definitely have the car checked. Might be all right (perhaps some manufacturing residual or debris somewhere burning off), but "amper smell" is never a good sign.

Patrick Wong · 10-01-2009, 06:55 AM

Sounds like the traction battery heated up more than normal due to your long descent which caused the battery to reach a "full" charge as reported by the icon. If you don't have a recurrence of the smell, I wouldn't worry.

Did you happen to hear the battery fan running faster than normal?

spiderman · 10-01-2009, 11:12 AM

Were you using your brakes at all? New brakes in the process of setting often give off a similar smell. The prius uses its friction brakes a lot less than other cars but going down a steep hill it will use them.
With that said, I wouldn't worry about it unless you notice your traction battery not holding a charge or something like that. Remember, those components are covered for 100K miles.

a64pilot · 10-01-2009, 11:35 AM

What would you expect the dealer to do? If they take you seriously they will check for DTC's (diagnostic troubleshooting codes) in the ECU. Most probably they will dismiss it as normal without even seeing the car.

a priori · 10-01-2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bike-a-man

Have not seen a reference to this one yet! First long trip we are going down a 5 mile very steep hill in the Smokey mts of NC. 3/4 of the way down the unmistakable smell of resistors frying in the morning wafts through the car. Traction battery ICON hits full for the first and only time! No residual issues since. Normal break in occurrence or should I have a chat with my dealer?

Were you riding your brakes much of the time, or did you put the car in B mode?

Did the ICE rev up?

Did you hear the battery fan in back?

I think Patrick may be correct on this (because he usually is!), but I also wanted to know what you heard at the same time.

jayvee · 10-01-2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a priori

Were you riding your brakes much of the time, or did you put the car in B mode?

I have "maxed" the charge on the traction battery several times, with no noticeable odor. I would suspect that the odor was from your brakes, since I would expect your foot was on the brake pedal a good share of the time?

hill · 10-01-2009, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

Sounds like the traction battery heated up more than normal due to your long descent which caused the battery to reach a "full" charge as reported by the icon.
. . . . . . . . . . . snip

Patrick, to follow in Priori's inquiry ... doesn't the ICE spin up to dump excess battery charge in potential downhill recharge scenerios?

.

qbee42 · 10-01-2009, 02:28 PM

The electronics and battery can smell a bit when they are new. I suspect this is the first time they have heated up to this level, which would make this smell normal. It should be fine. Keep your nose open, and if it happens with regularity it could be a red flag, otherwise I wouldn't worry.

Tom

Bike-a-man · 10-02-2009, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a priori

Were you riding your brakes much of the time, or did you put the car in B mode?

Did the ICE rev up?

Did you hear the battery fan in back?

I think Patrick may be correct on this (because he usually is!), but I also wanted to know what you heard at the same time.

Yes to B mode very briefly. Yes while in B mode. did not hear batt fan. Some braking but not excessive.

No DTC's present and all indciations normal. Thanks for all the feedback

10-01-2009, 06:04 AM	#1
Bike-a-man Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Old Saybrook,CT Posts: 7 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: III Package: No Package Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	Resistor smell new gen III Have not seen a reference to this one yet! First long trip we are going down a 5 mile very steep hill in the Smokey mts of NC. 3/4 of the way down the unmistakable smell of resistors frying in the morning wafts through the car. Traction battery ICON hits full for the first and only time! No residual issues since. Normal break in occurrence or should I have a chat with my dealer?

10-01-2009, 06:55 AM	#3
Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Green Valley, AZ Posts: 4,053 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 21 Thanked 213 Times in 184 Posts Friends: 44	Re: Resistor smell new gen III Sounds like the traction battery heated up more than normal due to your long descent which caused the battery to reach a "full" charge as reported by the icon. If you don't have a recurrence of the smell, I wouldn't worry. Did you happen to hear the battery fan running faster than normal?

10-01-2009, 11:12 AM	#4
spiderman Prius I am Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Alaska Posts: 545 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: II Package: Base Thanks: 121 Thanked 66 Times in 48 Posts Friends: 2	Re: Resistor smell new gen III Were you using your brakes at all? New brakes in the process of setting often give off a similar smell. The prius uses its friction brakes a lot less than other cars but going down a steep hill it will use them. With that said, I wouldn't worry about it unless you notice your traction battery not holding a charge or something like that. Remember, those components are covered for 100K miles.

10-01-2009, 11:35 AM	#5
a64pilot Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Albany Ga. Posts: 732 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: III Package: N/A Thanks: 19 Thanked 45 Times in 40 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Resistor smell new gen III What would you expect the dealer to do? If they take you seriously they will check for DTC's (diagnostic troubleshooting codes) in the ECU. Most probably they will dismiss it as normal without even seeing the car.

10-01-2009, 02:28 PM	#9
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 10,487 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 95 Thanked 392 Times in 290 Posts Friends: 10	Re: Resistor smell new gen III The electronics and battery can smell a bit when they are new. I suspect this is the first time they have heated up to this level, which would make this smell normal. It should be fine. Keep your nose open, and if it happens with regularity it could be a red flag, otherwise I wouldn't worry. Tom

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