06/09/07 - Houston Prius EV + EBH install

[Dan.]

On Saturday June 9th I will attempt a Factory EV install and Engine Block Heater install. If anyone has wanted to see one of these procedures, next weekend might be your chance.

I can't guarantee success, but we (my neighbor and I) will give it a shot. I've done some recon on this today and was able to pull the ECU plug and also found the spot for the block heater. I've got the wire taps and assuming I can fit the ECU pin in and fish it the wire across the dash, I should be in good shape.

The block heater is a Toyota of Canada model and the EV is the Japanese Factory model.

Just email, pm, or post to this thread if you want to assist in the surgery.

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[priussoris]

Hey, got a digital camcorder broadcast on you tube!!! then we could all see fom anywhere in the world

[Dan.]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Jun 3 2007, 08:00 PM) [snapback]454660[/snapback]</div>

Hey, got a digital camcorder broadcast on you tube!!! then we could all see fom anywhere in the world
[/b]

Might do that if I can get a cameraman.... Got a camcorder and a DVR so it should be pretty easy...

On the todo list.

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[FireEngineer]

Got a spare plane ticket lying around, I'll come out.

Wayne

[Dan.]

OK... First the good news... EBH works and OEM EV works. .

Now for the bad news.

1) First stab at EV button wired it exactly, and perfectly backwards . Surprisingly, to me at least, backwards still works. Only problem is you won't get LED. Well I didn't like a ground reversal hard wired to my ECU so out with the wire clips, mosquito spray and camping lamp. Now everything works great.

2) Didn't quite get the suggestions on the EBH install right and tried to install it with the rod plugged into the cord. Well with that extra inch of coupling, the block heater won't fit. So after a quick call to FireEngineer I was informed of my error, and got it installed, then plugged in. Problem was the thermal guew went on, then off then back on since I had to re-approach the install path twice. Don't know how much effect it will have. It does work, just don't know if it could be working better.

3) To fish the cord to the grill, I took off some underplaying. In the process I stripped a nut There was a small rock that had fallen right at the thread entrance, and while I took the nut out, the rock scored the threads. So now nut 2 from the left headlight is replaced with one bright yellow tie cord.

Tests:
EV - Start the car, hit the switch and you get the popdown on the MFD "Cannot switch to EV" cuz I'm in stage one. So it works. LED now works too

EBH - It was about 90 ºF (32 ºC) outside when I plugged in the EBH and left it in for 60 minutes. The water temp (via SGII) gradually went up from 107 ºF (42 ºC) to 135 ºF (57 ºC). So about half a degree per minute.

Questions:
Is anyone running the EBH in the summer? Do you have any data to share as far as what type of measured heat exchange your seeing. If mine is low, I could consider re-installing it, but it's not something I'll do on a whim.

Special thanks to FireEngineer, mparrish, and my neighbor for providing the much needed assistance.

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[FireEngineer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dan. @ Jun 10 2007, 01:38 AM) [snapback]459067[/snapback]</div>

OK... First the good news... EBH works and OEM EV works. .
[/b]

Darn, no excuse to go to Texas this summer.

Wayne

[Skwyre7]

You could come back to VA though...

[Dan.]

[quote=Skwyre7 @ Jun 11 2007, 01:04 PM) [snapback]459617[/snapback]</div>

You could come back to VA though...
[/b]

I'll try to do a full write up later but here are the quick notes. (Wayne jump in if experience goes against any of these points)

Once you grease the block heater it's real slippery (big surprise huh). It ended up shooting out of my hands more than once, so I lost some of the grease that way... If I had to do it again, here's what I would have tried.

1. First, I would have put a dollop of grease inside the receiving whole in the block on the part of the whole facing the front of the car FRONT SIDE ONLY.
2. I'd put a dollop of grease on the first inch of the EBH and hold it (with a clean hand) on the ungreased end.
3. I'd thread and insert the EBH just about a half inch or so (just enough not to fall out.
4. Once it's already in place I'd grease the hole side of the EBH (still sticking out of the whole) that faces the front of the block
5. By now you should be out of grease, so slowly insert the EBH into the hole.

Fishing the line is another issue. One thing to watch out for is removing the under-plating. It's kinda a cardboard/plastic composite, so the nuts that snap into it receiving the fastener screw strip out easily. I stripped one out, and almost stripped out a second.

And finally, since I didn't have a jack, I had to improvise. I put some wood on the lawn right by the curb. Then I drove the passenger side wheels onto the boards on the lawn, leaving the driver side wheels on the street. This jacks the car up about 6-8 inches which was JUST enough to fit my frame. Probably to the most fool hearty stunt I've pulled but managed to get it done. By my calculations a blow out wouldn't have killed me, but definitely would have hurt like ***.

Ohh.. and there are plenty of sharp pieces of block under there. Got my hands tore up fiddling under there.

More later

PS.. numbers on in on the first commute post EBH/EV install. 15% jump in FE. Probably at least a 10% sustained increase, but time will tell. Totals for my drive in this morning were 14.3 mi] 80.4 mpg @ 82 ºF (outside air temp).

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[FireEngineer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dan. @ Jun 11 2007, 02:17 PM) [snapback]459664[/snapback]</div>

[*]First, I would have put a dollop of grease inside the receiving whole in the block on the part of the whole facing the front of the car.[*]I'd put a dollop of grease on the first inch of the EBH and hold it (with a clean hand) on the ungreased end.[*]I'd thread and insert the EBH just about a half inch or so (just enough not to fall out.[*]Once it's already in place I'd grease the hole side of the EBH (still sticking out of the whole) that faces the front of the block[*]By now you should be out of grease, so slowly insert the EBH into the hole.
[/b]

You keep putting your arm in there for all those steps and you better call the blood bank to replace the DNA you're leaving behind. Putting a small amonut of grease in the hole is OK IF you can be sure it is the front of the hole and your sure you won't rotate the heater in the hole. Better to grease the heater, and re-grease the heater if you happen to grease the engine block instead on your install attempt. Grease in the hole creates a greater potential for an air lock which is VERY difficult to work against, actually had to use a pry tool once to push the heater into the hole.

Wayne

[Dan.]

{Double post}

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