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2004 Gen2, Any issues??

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SteveWlf, Feb 22, 2013.

  1. SteveWlf

    SteveWlf Old-on-Hold

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2012
    262
    33
    0
    Location:
    Montesano, WA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I came across a 2004 Gen2 with moderately high mileage (232,0000) for a reasonable price. I don't have an issue with the mileage since I drive a Gen1 with 280,000 and no problems or issues. I have a spare Gen2 HV battery, engine and tranny.. This car presently running without any driveablility issues, needs a minor body work, dings and dents.
    So, the main reservation I have is the fact that it is the first model year of the Gen2 and wonder, from a technical standpoint, is there anything I should make myself aware of?? It seems I have read someplace that there was a change to the Can Bus or some of the info and control systems between the early Gen2 and later Gen2.
    The reason I ask this is because I would be planning to do a plug-in conversion and don't want to get something that will cause complications in this. (this happened with my Gen1 even though it is a great car, it is not a good candidate for plug-in conversion.)

    I would appreciate some thoughts or opinions.

    Steve
     
  2. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    989
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Well, there is no problems with an 04 but, you've probably read my thoughts on plug in conversion. I agree that a Gen I is not a good candidate for plug in conversion but, in reality, a Gen II is not a good candidate either.

    What is the real difference between a Gen I and a Gen II (virtually nothing mechanically or electrically just aero mods, updated batteries and an updated inverter)?

    Just in case you haven't read it, I'm reposting my thoughts here:

    There are other numerous reasons why the Prius shouldn't be converted unless you're going to gut the HSD and add an electric drive system that can handle the requirements. The stock Prius electrical system cannot handle the requirements on its own. It needs the gas engine and the gas engine needs the electrical system. They have a symbiotic relationship.

    Here's why:

    1) It is designed as a gasoline (primary) car with electric assist. It is for this reason that the electric motors do not have enough power to safely propel the car. With electric mode only, the car is really underpowered and not safe to drive on the streets
    2) The Prius has advanced, high-tech monitoring systems (called ECU's) that all work together to make this engineering marvel work. Adding more battery capacity requires modifying what one ECU sees which causes multiple problems with other ECU's.


    The old adage that "every time you fix a problem you have to solve another" has major application here. A typical scenario may go like this:

    Problem/Fix: The battery runs out or low in "EV" mode, I need a bigger battery (thousands of dollars)
    New problem: Adding a bigger battery requires spoofing or/reprogramming the Battery ECU
    Fix: Then I will reprogram/spoof the ECU so I can use the bigger battery (hundreds of dollars)
    New problem: Now that I have this bigger battery and the ECU spoofed, the ICE still wants to come on when I accelerate normally
    Fix: I can use OutOfGas mode to stop the ICE from coming on (cheap)
    New problem: The stock electric motors/inverter setup are not strong enough to power the car in most situations and... if I want to use the ICE, I have to pull over, turn the car off and then back on to allow the ICE to be used (then you have the above problem of the ICE coming on too much)
    Fix: I need to install a larger electric motor (thousands of dollars)
    New problem: The inverter cannot power the new motor
    Fix: I need a new motor controller/inverter (thousands of dollars)
    New problem: I've spent so much money on converting my Prius that there is no return on investment and I can't sell it b/c noone wants a car that's had this many mods
    Fix: I need to take every mod off and return the car to its original state (thousands of dollars)

    (It reminds me of a story I heard in grade school where a king had mice in his castle and wanted to get rid of them. So... he brought in cats then, he had too many cats so... he brought in dogs. This continued until he brought in elephants. Having too many elephants, the only thing he could think of to get rid of the elephants was mice. He brought back the mice, the elephants left and he lived happily ever after)

    As you can see, there are other numerous reasons why the Prius shouldn't be converted unless you're going to gut the HSD and add an electric drive system that can handle the requirements. The stock Prius electrical system cannot handle the requirements on its own. It needs the gas engine and the gas engine needs the electrical system. They have a symbiotic relationship.


    Thanks for reading.