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uh-oh...! HV fan not working? lil help...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by bshef, Jun 19, 2013.

  1. bshef

    bshef Active Member

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    Driving home tonight...noticed SOC was PINK...2 to 1 bars. Yikes!
    First thought was the HV FAN...!

    I JUST did the HV fan maintenance the other day and I'm certain I buttoned everything back up correctly.....There are only 2 connections to the fan that I unhooked and then rehooked back up......
    I'll re-open tomorrow to check for loose connections.
    Is this symptomatic of the fan not working? and ...is there any way I can test the fan?

    I've driven the car for about 200 miles in the 4 days since the maintenance but I rarely keep eye on SOC so I'm not certain what it's been reporting thru that period...Just looked tonight for some reason.
    Maintenance light has been on for awhile before I performed this ....but I'm guessin that's just Oil change needing done.
    Thoughts?
     
    #1 bshef, Jun 19, 2013
  2. Prius_Cub

    Prius_Cub Member

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    If it weren't plugged in/receiving power and not actually spinning, you'd have the PROBLEM message on the MFD along with the car ! symbol and I believe the master warning triangle on the dash. And the maintenance required indicator is just a reminder for your oil change ;-)

    LG-AS695 ? 2
     
    #2 Prius_Cub, Jun 19, 2013
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  3. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    You can check the HV fan by putting your ear to the intake by the rear seat. You should hear a soft whirring and feel a slight breeze, after driving around for a bit. It is a 12V motor, so it can be checked with a 12V source of about 2 amps.

    The SOC can sometimes change by large amounts, as the battery ECU does equalization and capacity testing. If the SOC goes from pink to green and back again in short intervals, then that is a sign of impending battery failure. If the SOC stabilizes after a while, then no worries.
     
    #3 nh7o, Jun 19, 2013
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  4. bshef

    bshef Active Member

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    Thanks Cub...(and nh7o)......that makes sense!
    Seeing PINK......and having a panic about it was just a knee-jerk reaction because I've NEVER seen pink SOC in the 8 years I've been driving it.
    Will post tomorrow morning after drive to work with update!
     
    #4 bshef, Jun 19, 2013
  5. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    What were the driving conditions immediately prior to getting low SOC. Was it cold start? That's the most common cause. The other time it sometimes happens is climbing a very large hill or mountain.

    To test the rear battery fan you need to take a reasonable drive (20 to 30 minutes) on a warm day. Give it few hills and a chance to regen and use the battery a bit in general. Then stop but leave the pruis in ready mode and place it in "P". While it's still in ready, get out and open the rear door and place your ear against the air intake grill. You should at least hear a quite whisper of the fan on low speed.

    Note that when the battery is cold the fan wont run at all. This is normal.
     
    #5 uart, Jun 19, 2013
  6. bshef

    bshef Active Member

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    goodmorning...
    yes....driving conditions were cold start....less than 5 miles.
    I've gotten into this new driving habit for the past year or so now where I'm coasting in nuetral more and also using my B mode to slow down...consequently not giving the motor any chance to recharge other than occassional braking or coasting in D.......
    This driving behavior just adds to the cold start and a Low SOC showing Pink makes more sense...
    Will repost after drive to work this morning (about 13 miles).
     
    #6 bshef, Jun 19, 2013
  7. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Using B mode to slow down is not a good idea. It's ok for long descents down long hills when the HV battery is getting fully charged, but in normal driving will cost you mpg and discharge the HV battery particularly if you are using the aircon.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #7 Britprius, Jun 19, 2013
  8. bshef

    bshef Active Member

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    Thanks john....
    Guess I need to learn little more about how the b mode works to understand why using it often is bad....something wears out from use? I do understand it takes some juice away when engaged.... Not sure just how much.

    On my drive in to work....
    SOC seemed unremarkable. I allowed the ice to cycle off before driving off....SOC had already changed from pink to blue at that point....
    Ice kicked on immediately while driving and I had full blue after less than 1 mile.
    Full green after about 6 miles (+/-).

    All told seems ignorance is bliss..... My default screen display for driving around is the consumption screen.... Not the regeneration screen....

    Maybe obtaining pink SOC is a sign of good utilization?

    Thanks for the discussion.



    SCH-I605 ? 2
     
    #8 bshef, Jun 19, 2013
  9. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    No it wont wear anything out, it's just not as efficient as using "D" mode. You'll regenerate less energy/charge using "B" mode, and more energy/charge using "D" mode (in combination with light application of the brake pedal as needed).
     
    #9 uart, Jun 19, 2013
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  10. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    As Uart stated you do not generate as much energy to put back in the battery in B mode as this wastes energy by spinning the engine at fairly high revs. "Engine braking" possibly adding ware to the engine to a small degree with all the extra revolutions.

    In D mode electricity is generated when slowing down or braking and this is returned to the HV battery giving a higher state of charge, and that charge can be used to help power the car.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #10 Britprius, Jun 19, 2013
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  11. bshef

    bshef Active Member

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    ah.....another bad habit I must be rid of.
    Thanks Fella's
     
    #11 bshef, Jun 19, 2013
  12. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Don't get rid of them all some are fun.;)

    John (Britprius)
     
    #12 Britprius, Jun 19, 2013
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  13. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    You must not look at your mfd much.

    I see pink almost every time I drive and my battery is tip top. Sit in a drive through with the ac on and the lights and radio on and you'll be in the pink by the time you exit. It's normal. Like that since I bought it. What's not normal is not being able to get into 3 bars blue within a mile or 2 after that.

    Don't use B (engine braking) mode unless going down huge mountain and don't want the brakes to overheat.To quote the OM page 146:

    Do not continue normal driving with the transaxle in "B" for a long time. This may cause decreased fuel economy.

    And only reason to coast in neutral is to clean the brakes or to not continue hyper charging if your in the green.
     
    #13 edthefox5, Jun 19, 2013
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