my 01 prius is weird but good

[statultra]

ok everyone just some backround on my toyota prius

this was a salvaged prius, the HV battery was low and the vehicle wouldnt start due to the state of charge, i went to toyota dealer asking them about a charger , they told me none existed and i would have to buy a new battery ( when in fact i knew there were chargers floating around the US and Canada ) so i had to create my own charger with a variac, light bulb and other important things. We drove it 1200 miles after this from NJ to FL achieving 38 mpg, 2000 or so miles later, a problem ( or i think it is )

- there are no check engine lights or hybrid warning lights....
- the battery fan runs constantly LOUD full speed
- the battery is hot to touch ( which got me a bit concerned )
- the car gives me 70-80 mpg on the highway, no joke i thought something was wrong with the readings but i managed to squeeze 415 miles half tank, reading 73.8 mpg, and you have to understand im driving the thing hard giving it hard acceleration ( btw this prius is very fast 0-60 is below 10 seconds, if you want proof ill take a video and post it on youtube ) cruising at 40-50 mph the vehicle is giving 70-90 mpg, and get this, im still keeping the speed.

im starting to think theres a major issue, well since i felt the battery casing i got very concerned, my guess is there is corrosion of some sort within the terminals and i need to clean the copper, but then again im not sure.

does anyone know if theres a corellation between battery temps and power output of the vehicle ( 2001 prius )?
does anyone know if the toyota hybrid system shuts off power from battery if battery temps reach a certain amount?

also anyone with electrical inginueity, would the corrosion of contacts cause arcing resulting in heat buildup of the high voltage battery?

[treehggr]

Crazy is right! 70-80 mpg on the highway? Something doesn't sound right. Hopfully all goes well for you, good luck in diagnosing the battery issue.

[statultra]

yea i couldnt believe that my 01 got better mpg than my 05 prius, this thing is a beast ( dangerous one ) thats why im worried

[bwilson4web]

So you are rolling around on two or four donut spares or smaller diameter tires? That would provide indicated or similar performance metrics if not corrected for actual tire size. Being lower to the ground would also reduce drag.

Bob Wilson

[statultra]

im running goodyear allegra stock suspension ride height is not changed. pressures of 38 front 35 rear

the black plastic under the engine is warped a bit, u can see it if you look at the front of the vehicle

im beginning to think this is a battery problem , indications to me are that when battery temperature rises, the output to electric motor increases.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(statultra @ Aug 22 2007, 04:29 PM) [snapback]500555[/snapback]</div>

does anyone know if the toyota hybrid system shuts off power from battery if battery temps reach a certain amount?

also anyone with electrical inginueity, would the corrosion of contacts cause arcing resulting in heat buildup of the high voltage battery?
[/b]

The voltage between contacts would be about 2.4 volts. This is way too low for arcing across contacts. However, corrosion on the contacts could raise the contact resistance causing heating of the contact. However, that would be localized heating.

The battery is not disconnected anytime the "ready" indication is on, but charging and disharging are limited based on battery temperature. I do not know the specifics.

[tochatihu]

I would also be concerned by the HV battery case feeling hot. If you are up for it, please dismount the battery, open the case, and safely inspect the interconnects for corrosion.

If all sensors are performing correctly, charge and discharge of the HV battery are reduced at both temperature extremes.

One possible benign explanation of both the temperature and high fan speed is that the battery ventilation system is physically blocked in some way.

[statultra]

i will first check air intakes for problems, but when the fan is on its sucking air like a vaccum from the side vent so im guessing it works good, and also im pumping air with 69 degree cabin air, considering a just tinted the car interior temps are in the 70 degree range, and battery fan is still running


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tochatihu @ Aug 22 2007, 10:31 PM) [snapback]500758[/snapback]</div>

I would also be concerned by the HV battery case feeling hot. If you are up for it, please dismount the battery, open the case, and safely inspect the interconnects for corrosion.

If all sensors are performing correctly, charge and discharge of the HV battery are reduced at both temperature extremes.

One possible benign explanation of both the temperature and high fan speed is that the battery ventilation system is physically blocked in some way.
[/b]

[patsparks]

The controler under the bonnet must be doing something strange. If the battery had high resistance you would have poor acceleration and the battery wouldn't get hot but the high resistance connector would.
If the controler was putting too much power to the motors and allowing too fast charging that might explain the problem.
Have it sorted, it will kill your battery.

[bwilson4web]

As a general rule, one tends not to look a 'gift horse in the mouth.' However, assuming the vehicle appears to be ordinary, there is a radical thought. Has the transaxle oil leaked out?

There was one report of a New Jersey Prius that had lost all or most of the transaxle oil. The owner claimed they went 20,000 miles and then drained and replaced the oil. The lower half of the differential gears are in the oil bath and the oil provides some viscosity losses. Since this is a 'salvage' vehicle, there may be merit in checking the oil level at the transaxle filler port.

It would be interesting to see the fill-up mileage. It is possible this vehicle is failing in someway that causes excessive battery usage in some modes only to be replaced by higher battery charging loads at other times. If the total mileage measured at the pump remains the same, then it would make sense. Due to guage inaccuracies, the fuel recepts and trip-meter mileage is a better indication.

Bob Wilson