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12V Battery near-dead after charging HV battery :-(

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by iluvmacs, Oct 17, 2014.

  1. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    No it is NOT OK if he was measuring that current drain from the 12 V battery itself.

    The current required for EVERYTHING that you quote should be provided by the charger and NOT by the battery.

    And I don't like the wording of a couple of sentences in there; they should say that the battery voltage is "allowed" to drop to the point specified, not that it is "lowered" to that point.
     
    #41 Easy Rider 2, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2014
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  2. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    To quote Carl Sagan, "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

    In other words, not finding a problem doesn't mean there's no problem. The OP explains in detail that there is a problem.
     
  3. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    The DC-DC charges the 12 volt battery and the 12 volt battery provides current to all the 12 volt systems in the car. As such, all the 12 volt in the car goes through the terminals of the battery and the OP is measuring total amperage correctly. The charger doesn't run the fans and SMRs directly but via the 12 volt battery. The big spike in the amperage reading is module communication and the SMRs closing, then settling to the amperage the fans and AMRs need to stay closed.

    I think we would all appreciate it if the OP kept us up to speed in the future with what happens. I'll bet the dealer will put a battery in there for him (if it is under warranty) and it'll be great, no new charger required.
     
    #43 CARspec, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2014
  4. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    Fractured logic because the battery itself does not control what comes and goes from it.

    IF the current measured really is coming directly OUT of the battery during a charging cycle, then the battery is not the problem.......although it may be damaged along the way by excessive discharging.

    IF the battery is replaced but the underlying condition is not fixed, then it will be in trouble again within a short time.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i agree with car spec, sounds like a bad 12 volt.
     
  6. iluvmacs

    iluvmacs Member

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    Indeed, my measurement is simply what is flowing in or out of the 12V battery. It can't possibly measure current anywhere but in that wire (which is the only wire!). If I'm measuring +5A, it's taking 5A out of the battery, period. That means that over the course of a 3-hour L1 charge, my 12V battery is dropping nearly 15Ah. I can't imagine anyone coming up with an argument for that being "by design", especially if I were charging my PiP several times in one day. Plus we have measurements from Rozi clearly showing that his 12V battery is being charged while the HV battery is being charged (negative amperage). I advise anyone trying to follow my video or these messages to pay special attention to the sign of the current flow to understand the if it's going in versus out of the battery.

    It looks to me like the 12V charging system activates briefly, which is my jump to -8A (and a typical charging voltage of 13.5V!). Something makes it shut down, and so its only option is to continue charging the HV pack (using the 12V power available from the battery -- hence my 4-5A draw and a typical discharging voltage of 11.75V) or abort charging completely (but for all we know the charger ECU doesn't even know that the 12V power supply is having a problem). I also don't believe anything about "cold battery charging" because the weather during this entire fiasco has been 50-75°F.
     
  7. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Were you able to see when the Traction Pack Charge shuts off for a few seconds ( every 15 minutes or so ) ?
    When the charge shuts down the pack cooling fan shuts off and the charge rate drops to 0 kw.
    Than after a few seconds the charge ramps back up to it's previous level and continues normally.

    I noticed in the video that you are using an L2
    Mine charges at approximately 1.9 kw when plugged into an L2 and takes about 90 minutes to charge the pack from empty..
    Do you get the same parasitic draw numbers as shown in the video when using the OEM L1 plug?
     
    #47 vvillovv, Oct 22, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2014
  8. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    The on board charger provides voltage to run all these systems via the converter when the SMRs are closed. The current you are reading is coming from the plug via the converter. The battery isn't putting out this amperage on its own, but being supplied by the converter once the SMRs close.

    If the converter was failing to supply current you'd have codes like "P0A08-264 DC/DC Converter Status Circuit" and the system would never charge the 12 volt, the car would never start and you wouldn't see the car charge at 13.5 then drop to 11.75 - you'd see a constant drop in voltage until everything had shut down.

    You can test your no-charging the 12 volt theory by monitoring the battery voltage over the course of the entire charge. If the voltage doesn't drop below 11.5, you know the converter is supplying voltage at 11.5 volts in "low temperature" mode.

    Please keep us updated on what your dealer says. I've been wrong on diagnosis many time before and learned each time (and am learning more as I make mistakes), so I'm especially interested in seeing how this gets repaired and learning more about what happens.
     
  9. iluvmacs

    iluvmacs Member

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    I have not monitored it at that point, no.
    It does the same thing on L1 (the current is slightly different, but it's essentially the same thing).
     
  10. iluvmacs

    iluvmacs Member

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    I totally agree that the on board charger should be providing the power to run the systems via the converter. But it is simply impossible that the current I am measuring is coming from there. I am measuring the battery current, not the current from the converter system. This is determined simply by what wire I'm measuring, which in this case is the only wire that connects to the 12V battery positive terminal. If I knew which wire was the 12V connection to the converter system, I'd measure that too, because that would really help figure out more of what's going on.

    I'm curious what you think about the measurements from other people showing 13.5V all the time, and a constant negative amperage (charging current) into the battery? It's clearly different from mine. And as I said, I don't see any reason it would be in "low temperature mode", and even then, I think you're misinterpreting how the system works.

    Unfortunately I won't have any updates on what a dealer says until next week, when my service appointment is. I wish it were sooner. :(
     
  11. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    My guts tells me it follows the repair manual too closely to be an issue with 12 volt charging. Here's a photo of the spec sheet I keep referencing.

    All of the voltages listed fit with what you and others are saying, so I suspect something else causing your no start (and lack of codes). The system is so closely monitored it doesn't fit.
     
  12. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    AND...if there is something draining the 12 V system, which apparently there is, the 12.6 volt battery will supply more current than the converter to run those things; net current will come OUT of the battery and none will go back in. If that lasts long enough, the battery will settle at 11.5 too, at which point it will be substantially discharged. THAT is the whole point.

    P.S. Where do you get this "cold charging" 11.5 volts thing ?
    Applying 11.5 volts to a 12.6 V battery can't hardly be described as "charging" because it won't......unless the battery is REALLY low to start with.
     
    #52 Easy Rider 2, Oct 22, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2014
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  13. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    You're correct in saying it isn't charging if it is holding 11.5 volts - it is discharging. I was very wrong there. The converter does supply current at 11.5 volts when plugged in (as per the linked specification sheet) when cold, and this fits with what the OP is experiencing, hence me doubting he has any failure other than a 12 volt battery.

    The converter won't let the battery get below 11.5 volts though, and a healthy 12 volt battery has enough voltage and capacity at 11.5 to arm the SMRs and wake the computers. If it didn't, every PiP every winter would fail to start.
     
  14. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    This whole thing makes no sense to me at all.
    It would have to be EXTREMELY cold, like -40F to worry about charging the 12 V battery too fast.
    There is no reason that the system could not first TEST the system voltage and use that as a starting point.......instead of arbitrarily picking 11.5.
    There is no practical reason to purposely DIS-charge the battery when the converter is running. NONE.

    If that IS a real design feature of the charging system, then it is kicking in at WAY too high a temperature.
     
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  15. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    Anecdote:

    When I worked at the dealer we would occasionally get on the horn with tech assistance (TAS) to report weird issues, production problems, etc. They are in CA, I'm in MN. The following conversation ensued every time I had an issue that pertained to a cold start:

    Me: "It only acts up when the car is cold"
    TAS: "Are we talking cold engine or like 50 degrees out?"
    Me: "Negative 20"
    TAS: "whoa."

    To TAS 50 degrees was cold. I can absolutely see Toyota doing what we think is silly in this case.
     
  16. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    Toyota has a testing facility in northern Manitoba.
     
  17. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I keep watching this thread, waiting for iluvmacs to tell us that he replaced the 12V battery and now everything works.
     
  18. DaneH5

    DaneH5 Member

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    Any update yet?
     
  19. iluvmacs

    iluvmacs Member

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    I did hook up a different 12V battery, and it was still discharging it. Won't know anything more until the dealer looks at it next week.
     
  20. DaneH5

    DaneH5 Member

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    Anyone have a wiring diagram for the vehicle?