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Gen1 work in progress update

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by sandy11246, Apr 18, 2018.

  1. sandy11246

    sandy11246 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2017
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    Location:
    kansas
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Update on my '02 quest for 500K (Present 223,421). Appears original bugs worked out since purchase in September '17 purchase. No issues in two plus months. Purchased a battery maintainer for 12V battery. After a few weeks of monitoring and applying 1.25 amps overnight charges, 12V appears to be maintaining good constant voltages. My target voltage @ forward fuse boxes is 12.40. Most checks reveal 12.48 or higher. My opinion is a battery maintainer is excellent investment for increasing and maintaining 12V battery life. There are quick adapter to allow very quick connection and release. If you choose to go this route, remember it is recommended to keep charging amperage below 3 amps. (my thoughts on this - lower in better)
    Also placed air dams in front grill for cold weather. Worked GREAT. Temps ranger between 180*-189* with OAT in the 20's and 30's. Have a very warm day yesterday (88* OAT). Checked ICE temps (189* - 201*) with dams installed. HV Battery temps in the mid 90's, MG1(123-140), MG2 (118-124). With these #'s I won't be concerned until OAT's exceed 95*. Driving was a combo of freeway and residential. The dams cover the lowest wide opening and the two small ones just below the hood latch. Single center one I left open. If anyone needs pics, just ask. HV battery SOC stays fairly steady between 56% - 59%. (not sure how that relates but will figure that out)
    High and low HV cell voltage within .21V or less. Still learning on this vehicle.
    Any Gen1 owners out there wish to add information, please pass info on.
    Must have equipment: Tech Stream, DVOM, PruisChat, and hand tools.
    Mileage: Depends on driver. 34.5 to 45.3. Its improving as maintenance and technique improves. Most (85%) is short trips in town.
    Below are the codes we have worked through:
    P0420. P3191
    P1128. P3101
    P3190. Most or all with Triangle
    Low 12V battery output (That has been handled with Battery Maintainer)
    Inverter Coolant Pump (Changed)
    Changed ICE oil & Filter; Trans Fluid (Toyota T-IV); Induction Air Filter; AC Air Filter.
    Could have missed some things, so if curious check, my earlier post.
    hope this helps some folks. This is a research experiment for me, and I'm loving it. Great vehicle. It need a little cosmetic work, but that will come later. Wife LOVES IT!!!!!
     
    WHCSC likes this.
  2. dabard051

    dabard051 Tinkerer-in-Charge

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
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    Location:
    Rochester, NY USA
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    FWIW: if you think the 12v is original, I strongly recommend that you replace it with a size 51R AGM (glass-mat) battery, and not worry about the maintainer. You will need to replace the battery terminals (both ground and +12) to fit "modern" terminal diameters, but that's a straightforward task. It's worth the extra $ not to have a worry about your +12v going flat unexpectedly (a possibility once weather warms up). Advance Auto parts offers a no-charge battery capacity measurement; be prepared to show them the specs on the original Toyota battery so they (and you) can make an intelligent comparison with their measurements. Congrats on the rebuild!
     
  3. sandy11246

    sandy11246 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2017
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    Location:
    kansas
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Thanks for the come-back. I monitor the 12V closely and if I even blinks, a 51R going in. So far all appears great. Don't think it is original as vehicle is 15 years old. As it is a test bed and for now it is primarily driven locally (city), if it shuts down we can get it. Trying to gather all the data I can on this vehicle. Will look into a capacity check on it. I think as long as we can keep it up and the HV battery stay up it should go for quite a while. Thanks very much for the input, it is appreciated. Peace
     
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
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    It has nothing to do with being modern or not. Typical US (and other places) adopted the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard for 12 V battery posts, where as Japan adopted their own Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) for 12 V battery posts.

    As Japanese cars have become more prevalent in the US it quite possible to find drop in batteries with everything correct with the need to purchase further conversion kits.

    Of more importance it to find a battery with 45 Ah or more.

    But each to their own.
     
  5. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Location:
    Tucson AZ
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
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    When my battery was iffy, (and when I drove to west texas to bring the car home,) I carried a fully charged car battery and a set of jumper cables.
     
  6. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Tucson AZ
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
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