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News on battery rubber vent smell

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Battery driven, May 29, 2015.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes. he hasn't chimed in on this thread, so he either hasn't seen it, or knows nothing about the vent tube problem. also, grumpy cabby is on top of the uk warranty.
     
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  2. Battery driven

    Battery driven Junior Member

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    Did already yesterday.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    10-4. he's probably camping.
     
  4. Battery driven

    Battery driven Junior Member

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    No probs. He will reply once he is back.

    After 4 hours of running ozone cleaner the smell is still present. Replaced ozone cleaner with dehumidifier and will run it for
    extra hour. Most of the fabric still contains the smell and it is stronger at the rear of the car. Probably it was a good idea to not dismantle the hybrid battery as we still have warranty left on it and should be repaired by Toyota.
    They will definitely do anything to avoid free repairs.
     
    #64 Battery driven, Jun 5, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 9, 2015
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  5. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Hi Battery driven. There is sm
    Man that sounds nasty.

    BTW. What does it smell like? From memory some here have reported that it smells a bit like horse pee (urine), while others have described it as a bit like composting hay. I've never encounter it though.
     
  6. Battery driven

    Battery driven Junior Member

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    Yes, it smells just like that. Although in hot weather it starts to irritate sinuses.
     
  7. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Also, the HV battery warranty can be extended to the end of the 10th year by having a "hybrid health check" (HHC) done once a year by a Toyota approved service centre. These can be free if done in conjunction with a fixed price service, or on its own for £39.

    I second this. The Bosch S4 055 you have will work, so unless you feel particularly driven to return this and replace with an OEM, I would not waste any more time on this.

    It was asked a while back if you have any water in either your battery compartment or tyre well, or both and do not recollect that you answered that question. I only ask as you are running a dehumidifier, which would indicate you think the smell could be from dampness. If you could confirm whether there is water in either of those places, then we can point you to threads which detail from where that water is possibly coming.

    Hope that helps.

    [EDIT]: If you can indicate where in the UK you are (say county), you may be able to get a recommendation of a good service centre from a UK based member. Cheers.
     
    #67 dolj, Jun 5, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2015
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. It would be good for you to remove the folding hatch floor and the black plastic tray over the spare tire and look around, to make sure there is no standing water or some other nastiness that might explain the problem. Also take a good look under the seats, pulling up the rear seat cushion as well. For example, what if someone spilled several ounces of milk in the hatch area or under a seat.

    2. Regarding the 12V battery voltage, since you are using a traditional flooded cell battery, the fully-charged voltage would be 12.6V to 12.7V. It certainly is helpful that you have it on a charger right now. If you don't smell anything interesting coming from the battery as it is charging, then I think we can rule that out.

    3. Yes, it would not hurt to have your dealer inspect the traction battery, although it is not clear to me that a "bad smell" is a warranted condition. I don't think you'll find mention of that in your maintenance and warranty booklet.
     
  9. GMAccord

    GMAccord Junior Member

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    Patrick... I did a small experiment and thought to share it here. This is too small a sample but the results were interesting.

    I have access to 3 Gen 2 prius. I found that all 3 has the same strong smell. Interestingly the owners of the car could not find any "bad" smell in any car. Maybe the odor is so specific that not all folks are equally affected by it and that is what's making it so difficult to troubleshoot or people having strong opinions. For me, It's strongest at the vent in the back seat. Maybe folks who are having this issue can repeat this experiment.

    I should add I like the car and am a big fan of prius!

    Remember the broccoli discussion over the years:
    The Broccoli Problem: Why Some People Taste Things More Bitter
     
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  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Interesting thought any merit?
     
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    That's a strong indication that the traction battery is at fault if you can smell the problem at the vent.

    Your profile indicates you own a 2009, so do you experience the same smell issue with your own Prius?
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    why is it so difficult to believe hobbits write up on the smelly battery tubes?
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe vent gas reacts with the rubber vent tubes. :whistle:
     
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  14. Battery driven

    Battery driven Junior Member

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    We haven't done any hybrid checks since we bought the vehicle. How is this affecting us?

    Will keep current 12V battery for now. I've tightly mounted the vent hose of the 12v battery and closed the second hole. The smell returned and it got stronger during the warm weather.
    Haven't seen any water or rust either in battery or spare tyre compartment. I was running dehumidifier only in hope to help remove the smell as dehumidifier has also built in ozone thingy. We haven't noticed any dampness to be present.

    We're based in West London.

    I agree that my nose is sensitive to smell. However the car odor has been confirmed by my partner and friends.

    image.jpg
     
    #74 Battery driven, Jun 6, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 9, 2015
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Looks like you exercised due diligence. It is reasonable the traction battery is the source of the odor since you've examined the hatch area and determined the 12V battery is not at fault. Hopefully you won't be wasting your time & money by having the dealer check the car out.
     
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  16. Battery driven

    Battery driven Junior Member

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    Battery was on charge about 8 hours, I think. No smell was present in the small storage room where it was on charge. Had to put it back so could use the car this morning. No spillages anywhere.

    That might be a tricky one regarding the smell solving on warranty. In the past we never complained about the bad service and just paid whatever had to be done, but this time we think we've been messed about. We understand everyone can make a genuine mistake, like the mechanic who was trying to find the problem with suspension and then myself with a help of this kind forum users came to conclusion what is the issue. It could been worse if we would done previous repairs with Toyota. Not sure yet how we are going to deal with this, however we lost faith in the local Toyota centre.

    We hope that they acknowledge the issue with steering for which the appointment was made for.
    Not sure if they will check the battery smell at the same time or they'll want extra money. Need to talk with customer relations on Monday.

    I suspect this and would prefer it over the corroded battery.
     
    #76 Battery driven, Jun 6, 2015
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  17. Battery driven

    Battery driven Junior Member

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    Had a Toyota inspection. And they're pretty much saying nothing is wrong with the vehicle. I was also given printed report. Next month we'll be driving through Europe about 3000miles trip. I told them if something fails it's their responsibility as its recorded in database. For them the free play in the steering is normal and their reply; all Priuses having it at our mileage and isn't intermediate shaft related. I was so stressed that I haven't pushed the smell and the other issue with suspected faulty engine mount (after spraying the bushes the suspension is much quieter and I can hear a minor clicking sound when accelerating, when it get worse will knew which one is faulty) . I also forgot to ask them if water pump has been inspected or ever replaced...Regarding the hybrid battery, It's probably really best if I cobble something with silicone tubing. Back to square one.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    FWIW, 3rd gen free play spec is 30mm.

    Capture.JPG
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mendel, you know everything.:notworthy:
     
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Patrick knows everything, I just like looking for stuff.

    Wait a sec, I think you just called me a know-it-all. :ROFLMAO:
     
    #80 Mendel Leisk, Jun 9, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 23, 2015
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