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GS450h questions

Discussion in 'Lexus Hybrids and EVs' started by EyesofThunder, Jan 27, 2020.

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  1. EyesofThunder

    EyesofThunder New Member

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    Other Hybrid
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    I picked up a 08 GS450h in December and I am unsure on the traction battery, I have seen POA80 1x, and POA7F 4x now. The POA7F has come at completely random times, but usually >10 min from a cold start. The POA80 came the first time I tried to drive around the subdivision on electric (I do not have an EV mode). I'm seeing 26 to 29 mpg mixed mostly highway so far, better than EPA, but I think the EPA estimates aren't very accurate for a GSh. I do see the car trying to charge the battery almost always, it DOES get into the green now and then, at least on a good decent, but doesn't go more than 2-3 blocks if I baby it to stay on electric (again, no EV mode). I have seen it swing from 60-65% SOC to very low pretty quickly when I try to push it on electric.

    Looking at the Lexus history, the first 56k miles of its life it saw Lexus regularly. No battery services or issues.
    From 56k to 104k only time it saw the dealer was a recall, right at 104k just before I bought it.

    I am trying to determine if I should consider picking up a Prolong charger/discharger and replace cells as needed or look at a Greenbean battery replacement and not worry about batteries anymore with their lifetime warranty.

    I am into electronics, and look forward to messing with the battery, but I also have some shoulder issues (2 surgeries) and not sure if I am up to the heavy battery removal of a 40 cell GS battery. And how long I can keep the car off the road when I commute 50 miles each way M-F.

    Any experiences with repairing a pack, replacing a pack (can't find a core pack for a GS) or using a grid charger?

    I'm looking for as much info as I can find on how these GS's work. What IS normal charging? How far can a 07-11 GSh go on electric? What is typically mpg?

    Thanks!
     
    Priuslover09 likes this.
  2. Younes18

    Younes18 New Member

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    Congrats on getting the GS450H. It’s an awesome car and fun to drive especially with a fully functional battery pack. I bought one few years back with a bad battery and I've been messing with it since then. I used resources from here and YouTube to get it fixed multiple times. My battery was in really bad shape the car wouldn’t even start or it shuts of after few miles. Here are few things that might help you with fixing yours;

    1. MPG isn’t a great indicator of battery health on the Gs450h because the hybrid system on these cars is pretty much an acceleration booster. Your car might get much quicker once your battery is fixed but you won’t get more gas mileage than what you got now.
    2. Use Dr Prius android app to get an idea about the health of the individual cells. I couldn’t find a better or easier tool for this car. The app recognizes the car and number of cells automatically and help you identify the bad cells.
    3. The battery is extremely heavy. You’ll need 2-3 adults to get out of the car and help you with bolts and nuts especially with your shoulder situation.
    4. Complete battery for this car is much more expensive than a Prius or a Camry battery. And don’t even think about a new battery from the dealer. So I think a DIY solution is worth it especially if you’re able to identify the bad cells. You might even have good cells but corrosion on connections and bus bars. You should at least try to fix it once before you drop thousands on a replacement.
    5. If battery indicator goes to green a lot or runs out quickly it’s definitely a battery issue. No EV mode and it’s not designed to drive on electric only so I think it’s normal for the gasoline engine to kick after few blocks of cruising on electric.

    You don’t have tons of miles on your battery and I don’t think it’s in a bad shape. Good luck fixing it.
     
    Priuslover09 likes this.
  3. Priuslover09

    Priuslover09 Member

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    It’s the hybrid battery it needs to be replaced
     
  4. EyesofThunder

    EyesofThunder New Member

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    Today I went to tire shop to get wheels balanced and when I got there was around 60-65% SOC and when I picked it up it was around 10%, guessing they left something in without the engine able to charge. I went from 1 bar to 7 in a block when I left. Around 75% SOC.

    I’ve been data logging with Dr Prius and I get anomalies on cell 1 and 2, but only every once in a while. It goes from 21 or so mohms internal resistance to 135 to 230. Only for a very short time, like a couple of seconds.

    I can’t nail down any other specific cells that have anything wrong.

    I want to pull the pack but I can’t really afford a lot of downtime. That’s the frustrating part. I want to mess with it.

    Really enjoy the car so far
     
  5. EyesofThunder

    EyesofThunder New Member

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    Finally was able to get the Dr Prius app to run the battery test. 26.7% life remaining.

    Guessing that explains a lot.
     

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  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Time to replace the HV battery then?
     
  7. EyesofThunder

    EyesofThunder New Member

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    Aye. Hopefully in a week or so I’ll have the $ to do it.
     
  8. EyesofThunder

    EyesofThunder New Member

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    Battery replaced. Generally speaking no change but I can drive more than a 1/4 mile without completely depleting the HV battery.

    Still a bit odd that engine fully up to temp and battery at 60% SOC the engine will stay running. AC off.

    But battery seems healthy now, no signs of imbalance, logs show +/- 0.1v most of the time.
     
  9. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Battery replaced with brand new or remanufactured?
     
  10. Lwerewolf

    Lwerewolf Junior Member

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    Park the car after the engine warms up fully and see if it shuts off after 5-10-15sec - it's the idle speed calibration (ISC). Also called MAF calibration, s3+ mode, etc. It just needs to "idle" without any sort of load or anything that might affect readings - I've managed to get it to shut down while literally crawling in traffic, but speeds that register on the speedo = 1k rpm idle. It will also run if you let it sit in S-mode and if it needs to raise the water temperature for cabin heat.

    As for the expense - 40 6-cell modules vs 28 6-cell modules, so shouldn't be much more expensive. I refurbed mine for ~1750eur equivalent over here, gen4 ch-r modules off of crashed 2017 cars, 50eur per module, discount for getting 40. On that note - the 4th gen gs hybrid also uses 6-cell modules... yay - no need to worry like on an RX or LS. These do seem to eat batteries more than the other toyota hybrids, but the refurb isn't so difficult.

    I do have the prolong deluxe kit - the relevant thread in the forum has all the info, mine didn't differ. In short - it works, but it's not a miracle. Read up :)

    MPG - otto-cycle motor (the same 2GR-FSE that's in the IS350 and GS350), the next gen has an atkinson cycle configuration (2GR-FXE/2GR-FXS) and is waaaaaaaaaay better in this regard. It is slower, but that seems to be due to the changed rear diff - the US and JDM spec 3rd gen gs450h have a 3.769 diff, whereas all 4th gens + the EU 3rd gens use a 3.266... and the acceleration ratings didn't change in the EU ;)

    EU diff:


    EU gs430 diff (3.6-something, not quite 3.769):


    Diffs can be easily swapped.