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Any suggestions? Module replacement, round two

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by freeindeed, Jul 14, 2022.

  1. freeindeed

    freeindeed Junior Member

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    6-1/2 weeks ago I installed a reconditioned traction battery in my 2007 Prius. I had replaced blades 5 and 18 with good used blades from a reputable seller and conditioned the blades in parallel using two “The Equalizer” from Nexpowerenergy and an iCharger X6. I charged to 9.6 VDC, discharged to 7.2 VDC, charged to 9.6 VDC, discharged to 6.3 VDC, charged to 9.6 VDC, discharged to 5.4 VDC and charged to 9.6 VDC. All charged used 10 A to 8.2 VDC then 1A to 9.6 VDC. All blades measured +- 0.02 VDC in discharged state and +- 0.01 VDC in fully charged state.

    The car ran well for 6-1/2 weeks then displayed the !red triangle and gave error codes P3000P0A80, P3020, P3021 and P0A9C. It’s hot in Fresno, CA and temp sensors on Dr. Prius app read 142, 162 and 146 F.

    Any advice appreciated. I plan to order a couple more modules, test individual voltages to see which modules to replace next and repeat reconditioning and balancing.

    Thanks
     

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  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    “The Equalizer” from Nexpowerenergy is designed for Lithium batteries, which are balanced from below (at lowest functional voltage) where NiMH are balanced from above at highest possible voltage at a ~1/4 amp.

    Also charging to 9.6v is way too high... You probably overcooked the modules that are now running hot.

    As always, the first round of module replacement tends to get the pack to last the longest and future rounds of module replacement get a shorter rebuild time. If you can afford to get a lithium pack before they sell out in less than a week definitely do so: https://projectlithium.com/?ref=9qLPw

    Otherwise pull the pack and we'll walk you through load testing, self discharge testing, etc. Also if you can find a thermal camera you can find which modules are over-heating soon as you pull the pack out.
     
  3. DavidQ

    DavidQ Junior Member

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    Hi There, I need to order some battery modules, do you have recommendation of good sellers? Thanks.
     
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Professor Joe always has the best modules! He teaches hybrid & electric cars at his local college and regularly spends $20K for the latest in lab grade battery testing equipment. He's on his 3rd system now. His modules are $35 and they almost always end up being the strongest module in the pack. So make sure to not use two of them in same block: https://2ndlifebattery.com/contact-us/
     
    bisco likes this.
  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Where does he sell his old systems at?
     
  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Pretty sure he's perpetually looking for a buyer... Most people don't want to invest that much... Give him a call or text or email... He'd love to hear from you.
     
  7. Daniel CW

    Daniel CW Junior Member

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    Is it possible to cycle two modules connected in series? A single bus bar on one side, and the positive and negative leads from the charger on the corresponding ends on the other side of the two modules? Would this work?
     
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yes... That's how the pros often do it with tens of thousands in equipment.
     
  9. Daniel CW

    Daniel CW Junior Member

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    Thanks for the response.
     
  10. freeindeed

    freeindeed Junior Member

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    UPDATE: Initially after pulling pack, voltages ranged from 7.74-7.78 except # 20 which was 6.50 and was replaced with a module from Professor Joe. After discharge using two Equalizers to 5.4 VDC then equalizing for hours, voltages ranged from 5.994 - 6.044. After charging to 8.4 VDC, voltages were 8.07 except one 8.06. What do you recommend? Will lithium packs be available again?
     
  11. freeindeed

    freeindeed Junior Member

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    @PriusCamper I can't find thread with your recommended load testing and discharge testing. Is above UPDATE sufficient?
    Thanks
     
  12. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Sounds like your pack is almost perfect. I'd recommend you test it in the car.
     
  13. freeindeed

    freeindeed Junior Member

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    UPDATE 2: While waiting on help to better program my iCharger X6 using two "The Equalizer" to discharge all 28 modules in parallel, I have started a discharge to 3.0 VDC at 9.1A.
     
  14. DavidQ

    DavidQ Junior Member

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    I also did a discharge curve voltage vs elapsed time. some modules discharge faster than others. When pair two modules, it may be good idea to have sum of two voltage from the paired vs. elapsed time similar for all pair. It needs a computer program for this calculation.
    prius-battery-curve.PNG
     
    #14 DavidQ, Jul 24, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2022