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Battery not charging to full and slow charge

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by Talha Maqsood, Jun 25, 2018.

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  1. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    I bought Toyota Aqua 2015/05 (Prius C Japan model) in May 2018 with 76000 KM on ODO meter. Its battery is not charging to full as per battery icon shown on display screen. it charges to 80% (saying as per bars shown on battery icon) and then stops charging. The car averages between 24-25 KM/L on highway and 12-14 KM/L in city after I changed the air filter, Oil filter and Engine oil (0W20 Honda genuine engine OIL as 0W20 not available in Toyota Pakistan). but charging problem of battery is same not charging to full and charging is very slow as compared to my previous AQUA.I had Toyota Aqua 2014/03 which i sold in March 2018, that car was giving me average of 26 KM/L both on highway and in city with maximum average of 30 KM/L without any cautious drive.
    i am driving this 2015 AQUA very carefully still only manages to get 25 KM/L max avg.

    Please Suggest,
    1) is there anything wrong with battery charger??
    2) is batteries needs replacement OR cells replacement??
    3) or any thing else wrong with vehicle ??
     
    #1 Talha Maqsood, Jun 25, 2018
  2. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Battery charge to 80% is as designed.

    Check your tire pressures, check that your air vent in the back seat is not clogged. Could be different tires....

    All of that said... 24-25 KM/L = 56.45 mpg - 58.80 mpg... That's amazing depending on conditions and speed.

    Though the 12-14 is disconcerting. I'd just verify the vent isn't blocked as that can be a primary cause of the bad gas mileage.
     
    #2 ztanos, Jun 25, 2018
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  3. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    Sorry I forgot to mention it earlier that vent fan is not clogged, its clean,
    And as you said 80% is as design, but my previous aqua was charging to full, and in less time than this new aqua
     
    #3 Talha Maqsood, Jun 26, 2018
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    same driving conditions and route?
     
    #4 bisco, Jun 26, 2018
  5. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Long descent? That's the only way I've ever seen the battery go to full.
     
    #5 ztanos, Jun 27, 2018
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  6. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    on highway average is good, in city average is 12-14 on same route as previous car

    No descent, on same route as my previous car
     
    #6 Talha Maqsood, Jun 27, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 28, 2018
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you can scan for trouble codes. if there aren't any, it will be difficult to diagnose any possible battery issues.
    you may have to open the case and look for corrosion.

    as far as km/l, you will have to start investigating other potential areas that don't throw dash lights.
    start by jacking the car and make sure all the wheels spin freely.

    test the 12v health.
    check your tyres pressures and what kind of tyres are you running?
    check the oil level and air and cabin filters.
    you may have to look at the plugs and injectors, not sure if there is an egr?
     
    #7 bisco, Jun 27, 2018
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    In normal driving our 2010 hybrid battery display never goes to full. Only time I'll see that is at the bottom of a long steep hill.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, Jun 27, 2018
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  9. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    1. As mentioned above, the top bar on the hybrid battery indicator rarely illuminates. I've only seen once or twice on my 2010 and 2017 Prii.
    2. The actual range of hybrid battery charge is from ~40% to ~80%. For example, if the indicator reaches the top bar, the battery is only ~80% charged. This is by design.

    Let the car take care of itself.
     
    #9 RRxing, Jun 27, 2018
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  10. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    Are you a DIY ?
     
    #10 Andyprius1, Jun 27, 2018
  11. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    Thansk for your details reply.
    I will scan, waiting for my scan cable to arrive.
    All wheels are moving freely, as it is also clear from the average on Highway which is good.
    Tyre pressure is according to AQUA manual 38PSI front, 33 PSI back, Tyre make: Bridgestone
    Oil level has already been checked, Air filer replaced, Cabin filter cleaned.
    ONLY remaining thing is to check 12V battery and HV batteries.

    I know its for safety of batteries never drain too much and do not overcharge, but actually my previous car was going to full bars frequently, and that car was giving average of 20-24 KM/L in city and 24-26 KM/L on highway. this is the reason i am confused about performance of my current car.

    Apparently, or you can say trying to be
     
    #11 Talha Maqsood, Jun 28, 2018
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  12. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Tires can spin more freely at highway speeds due to the inertia. Since the mass is moving faster, it requires less effort to break loose a slight rub, potentially... ???
    Would definitely be worth a quick check, jack all 4 corners, throw the car in neutral and spin. See if any of them catch or are "more" difficult to turn.

    What kind of Bridgestone, if you've got racing tires on the car (I would hope they didn't put racing tires on your car, but I was using worst case scenario), your mileage will take a hit of around 20%... still not the drop that you're seeing, but it could be a component.
    Non-LRR tires have been shown to drop members mileage from ~23.38 to ~17.01 km/L. But YMMV.
     
    #12 ztanos, Jun 28, 2018
  13. mohsin

    mohsin Member

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    Whats the ambient temperature in the place where you are driving.
    Do you use AC.
    What sort of traffic you encounter enroute.
    What was the milage of your previous car.
    Did you have auction sheet of your current car, did you verify it.
     
    #13 mohsin, Jun 28, 2018
  14. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    Then reboot the 12V Bat.
     
    #14 Andyprius1, Jun 28, 2018
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  15. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    Okay thanks, i will check the tires movement by jacking up the car.
    No, not racing tires its normal passenger car tires. but i think so these tires are Non-LRR, not mentioned on tires but by quick visit on bridgestone website i can relate these tires are Non-LRR.

    1) ambient temperature range 42-49 Degree Celsius, and yes i use AC with temp range form 22-26 depning upon the time of day.
    2) very minimum traffic but speed limits are 30KM/h and 60KM/h
    3) Overall Mileage of my previous car was 24.5 KM/L
    4) yes i verified the auction sheet by myself
     
    #15 Talha Maqsood, Jun 28, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 28, 2018
  16. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    Thanks to all responses, specially @ztanos thanks.
    I checked the car tires all are free, Tires need replacement may be this is one of the reason of less fuel economy at low speed. Secondly where i live i have two speed limits 30 and 60 KM/h. After replacing engine OIL, Air filter & OIL filter, cleaning of battery compartment FAN and cabin air filter My car is maintaining combined (highway+city) average of 22.5 KM/L.
    I checked for error codes, connecting to Toyota Tech-stream, there are no error codes. ALL clean.
     
    #16 Talha Maqsood, Jul 5, 2018
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  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    22.5 km/liter converts to 4.4 liter/100km, and 52.9 mpg (US). Really good numbers.
     
    #17 Mendel Leisk, Jul 6, 2018
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  18. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    Nice progressive thread.
     
    #18 Andyprius1, Jul 6, 2018
  19. Salman Mehmood

    Salman Mehmood New Member

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    Check your batterry health Salman Mehmood 03043615849
     
    #19 Salman Mehmood, Nov 6, 2019
  20. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    Already checked its in good condition
     
    #20 Talha Maqsood, Nov 7, 2019
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