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Traction battery fan

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by dang10010, Jul 10, 2009.

  1. dang10010

    dang10010 New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2009
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    Location:
    alton
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    When I drive my 01 (that has a new battery) down a straight road going highway speeds I notice that the battery is almost always recharging even though it looks to be fully charged. It does occastionally use the battery and feed back power through the electric engine for a few seconds then back to recharging for like 15-20 secs. The car almost never alows just the engine to power the car and thats all. Even on the hottest days I have never heard a fan kick on from back there. How can I check to see if the fan is working? If it were a hot summer day and had been sitting in the sun wouldn't I hear it kick on then? Would an error light kick on if it weren't (not that I would trust that even if a light didn't kick on). Maybe I a just being paranoid but I love my car. Thanks.
     
    #1 dang10010, Jul 10, 2009
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Sad to say but the regular display does not show quantity. I have a Graham scanner and whether a modest 1 A. or 50 A. charge, the display just show an arrow.

    If you are interested in a more accurate charge readout, you'll need a clamp-on amp meter or a Graham scanner (no longer in production.) I would not be terribly worried about it.

    If you have a tall hill, say 500 ft or more, that you can race up and down at say 55-65 mph, say 3-4 times, you'll charge-discharge heat the engine and that should trigger the fan. Just pull over to a parking area and listen for it. However, you are also stressing the battery just to find out if the fan will run. IMHO, it is not something one should do frequently.

    I suspect you are in good condition but it helps to have some metrics. The ideal device is a Graham scanner but only 200 or so were made. The only alternative is to add instrumentation and though this can be done, it does require turning a wrench or so.

    Do you feel comfortable adding something to your car? If so, we can walk you through the steps.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #2 bwilson4web, Jul 11, 2009
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