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Need help! In a predicament in Dallas, TX.

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Sanjay Goel, Feb 13, 2018.

  1. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    Can anyone help to get some attention to this thread from folks who have done this on their vehicles - so they may be able to answer my question above regarding how to get the cooling fans out of the vehicle.
     
  2. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Depending on the tool......tools made out of non-conducting materials is helpful.
    Or where that is not possible, only the working point of a metal tool is exposed; the rest is insulated.
     
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  3. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    I don't think you fully appreciate the situation you are getting into.

    Not a lot of people have that model of vehicle.
    I suspect that only a tiny, TINY number of them have seriously considered working on their own HV battery......much less actually DONE it.
    This is a Prius forum. It won't attract those people.....probably.
    So you are left pretty much on your own.

    When most people encounter a label that says something like:"No user serviceable components inside. DANGER of injury or death......." they pay attention to that and don't mess with it.
     
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  4. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    I'm sorry for your predicaments. I wished I was at your location, but sorry, I'm in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Its quiet an easy job. I have handled highlanders, and rx400, etc.

    Both share the same kind of battery pack.

    Here are some steps that might help you:
    1. Have the 12V battery negative terminal disconnected, then remove the set ice plug that's by the rear seat behind the driver.

    2. Commence removal of the rear seats, using 14mm socket and wrench, and all the plastic stuff surrounding the all the driver, middle, and passenger side battery banks.

    3. Disconnect all the wire connectors attached to the battery pack ECU, and the relay block(contactor's or something?).

    ¶¶You can remove the blower fan connector as shown in your pictures, by pressing the clip on the connector, and pulling the connector from its hooks.

    Not that hard to unclip em from the blower fan connector.¶¶¶¶

    Attention:
    a. Pls ensure you wait for 1.5minutes or so, to allow the HV capacitors to discharged before touching the orange cables.

    b. Ensure you have class 0 gloves, just in case.

    4. You have an orange small safety clip on the side of the battery.
    Use the service plug sharp edge, to unscrew this tiny orange coloured safety clip that's on the pack top housing.

    Do not pry it with a screw driver. That would damage the clip.

    5. There's a small plate covering the pack housing, on top of it, where the contactors feeds voltage to the inverter(orange cable in that location). It has about 3 10mm bolts on it.

    Remove those bolts, and you've access to the contactor's and the orange cabling.

    Use 10mm size socket to remove the 10mm nuts on the orange cables, and you're done.

    6. After you're done removing all the wire harnesses connected to the battery ECU, contactor's, etc, you are now safe removing the pack from the car.

    The bolts holding the pack down, are 12mm bolts, and some 10mm bolts also.

    Please remember, that after you're done unscrewing all the bolts holding the pack to the rear of the car, you got to seek for an assistance to help you out with the pack, if that's what you wanna do.

    You have any further questions, I'm willing to help.

    IMG_20171030_123129.jpg IMG_20171031_103810.jpg IMG-20170725-WA0005.jpg IMG_20171104_103419.jpg IMG_20180131_125300.jpg IMG_20180131_125300.jpg
    IMG_20171030_123129.jpg

    Fig1: HV battery pack showing the contactor's
    Fig2: Pack on work table(including Camry, and Prius), showing the blower fan
    Fig3: Pack showing the middle bank removed
    Fig4: Inlets for pack cooling
    Fig5: How the whole batter pack looks like before removal




    Dxta
     

    Attached Files:

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  5. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    Thanks guys for scaring me enough and I was eventually able to make contact with Matt of Texas Hybrid Batteries. He has agreed to stop by and help sometime next week for less than half of what the green tec auto folks were asking.
     
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  6. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    I don't think anyone scared you. Maybe you were just so scared of the job.
     
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  7. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    @Dxta - you are right. I think it was both ways though. Some folks here actively suggested that I don't take on such a work without any experience. I was looking into the class 0 electrical gloves that you mentioned in your previous post and they cost about $50-60 price range here. In the end I felt more comfortable getting someone who has a LOT of experience in these things to help out with my situation :)

    Not blaming anyone here.... and thanks everyone for your inputs.

    Hare Krishna!
     
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  8. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    That is called survival instinct, only experts who know exactly what they're doing B4 hand don't get that feeling. After one touches a pack enough with a multimeter one begins to think they are safe ( 0 volts) everywhere one looks.
    All it takes is one surprise ! :rolleyes:
    I take it SLOW when it comes to messin around packs. I wouldn't do it at all if I could afford to pay someone else to do it.
    Hybrid system mechanics at Dealers that sell hybrids have to have hybrid certification(s) that include owning all the manditory safety equipment like the gloves and the insulated tools, and high voltage warning signs/cones.
     
    #28 vvillovv, Feb 16, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2018
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  9. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    Hello everyone. Finally Matt from Texas Hybrid Batteries was able to come out yesterday afternoon and finished up the work for me.

    Something new that I learned - which, something experienced folks in this forum should have had the knowledge - not sure why nobody shared that. First thing Matt did was to check the voltage the HV battery terminals. I asked how much it was? His answer - zero - he was just checking to make sure of that. Apparently as soon as you take out the "orange Hybrid battery disconnect" that is on the left bottom side of the 2nd row seats, then there should be no more current at the HV terminals.

    Had I known this, or if someone here had enlightened me about this, I surely would have tried completing the task myself instead of waiting almost 2 weeks with the vehicle lying opened up in my garage for surgery :)

    Have 3 black clips, 3 bolts and 1 small 3" dia circular plastic cover left over from the surgery - due to the long gap between starting the work and finishing it, couldn't remember where they were from.

    I have some questions on how to do the 3 times charge discharge cycle - and what options are there. Would this be a good place to ask those questions? Can someone recommend a better forum / thread to ask my questions?

    Hare Krishna!
     
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You could've asked Matt questions before having him go out to you, he's very helpful
     
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  11. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I know @Raytheeagle has used the Prolong system and helped others. Did Matt help get the Prolong harness installed?
     
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  12. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    I could have... unfortunately, we don't know what we don't know.... this point wouldn't have occured to me even in dream.

    I don't really mind the money spent. Got to meet Matt as well. If this vehicle lasts me long enough that I decide to bear the cost of replacing the HV battery, I am pretty sure I am going to get it done by Matt.
     
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  13. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    Exactly... he is the one who did it.... I assisted as well as I could without getting in the way... lol
     
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  14. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I am not sure if the Toyota Hybrids forum would have been more helpful. I think you likely got more assistance here.

    Toyota Hybrids | PriusChat
     
  15. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    most of the customizing engineer types ( hobit, doc willie, 4prongpaul, evan, danny, mikeD ) no longer post
    very often here. Hell not many post in regards to techstream/TIS either.
    Thank god ericbecky still is offers up his expertise sometimes.

    If we'd have know about your concern of having 0 volts after removing the "service plug"
    we could have directed you to one of these videos for example



    there are others that more closely represent your car to can easily be found if you know what to look for.

    I hate using this phrase, Oh well, " that being said" there is nothing ( in my mind anyways ) that can
    compete with experience when doing anything on the car you own, Espeically hybrids since they will conform to
    the drivers behavior, in some respects. Some hybrid systems adjust more than others to driver behavior.

    I have no personal experience with traction pack balancing. I have D cell pack experience, but that is
    no way applicable to the procedures you will need to learn.
    I hope someone reading this can offer good suggestions for how to setup the prolong that has given them excellent results.
    I have a GC01 charger/discharger system developed my mikeD specifically for the insight, but also has functions for civic
    prius and if I'm not mistaken stick/module based charge/discharge with monitoring.

    I remember MikeD explaining to me the difference between the D cell type packs and the prius modules
    and even thought I have a few prius NiMh modules I don't know if they are second or third gen mods or how they
    behave in a pack ( other than what MikeD told me about )
    I wish I had some personal experience I could share regarding traction pack re-balancing. Maybe someone can pick up form here and post what works well for them. Or maybe recall some MikeD experiences they've had as well.... :)

    But remember, not all packs behave the same, so your learning and observation experiences that you post here will help others that have done it before either confirm their beliefs or scratch their heads and also help others in the future if they stumble upon this thread 3 years from now.
    As my ole man used to say

    Greetings and Salutations
     
    #35 vvillovv, Feb 28, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2018
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  16. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    By "things similar" you aren't speaking of the ShamWow! are you? Because I am pretty sure they work. A guy on TV said so.
     
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I had @jeff652 indtall the harness into our 2010 last year;).

    I wrote a list of questions to ask him as I knew I would forget when I was there and chatting:whistle:.

    I’ve done the reconditioning process several tones and share the equipment with another member here:).

    What questions do you have:)?
     
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  18. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    :ROFLMAO:
    How do you connect one of those things to your battery ?
    I must have missed the episode where they explain that. o_O
     
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  19. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    I should have double checked the Subject before posting again

    Gotta remember this is a highlander thread

    Highlander lithium traction pack with 3 stacks of modules/fans connected in series
    with junction block(s) and associated hight voltage contactors , hall effect sensor(s) etc

    an not a prius pack thread,.

    Just imagine if you were one of us wondering how the three fans are taken out ?
     
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  20. Sanjay Goel

    Sanjay Goel Member

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    Thanks for the offer of help Raytheeagle :)

    My main question is regarding being able to break up the 3 cycles of charge/discharge from being done consecutively without break to being spread out over several weekends. Thing is that I spend most of my weekends in prison here in TX reducing time available for doing a full 3 cycle reconditioning.

    The other key point is that why is it necessary to begin reconditioning with a charge cycle? Because that would make it more difficult for me to do the 1st cycle.

    If I break up and do set1, 2 and 3 spread over several weekends - does it take away from the effectiveness of reconditioning?

    These are what come to mind for now... will shoot more as I think more about this...
     
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