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Error Code P0A90-604

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by der_Denis, Nov 20, 2017.

  1. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Hello Prius fellows,

    I'm seeking your expertise ...

    I just made my own PHEV-addon (with Tesla-style 18650 cells, and the same style packs) for a Prius 2004 (second gen).
    When i drive Prius without my battery connected (via a contactor) i don't get any error codes, the car runs fine.
    When i turn my battery on (lithium battery gets connected to the nickel battery, they are coupled in parallel) the car after having driven for about 5 to 10 kilometers gets an error code: P0A90-604.
    I checked that code on the Internet and it says:

    DTC Detection Condition: MG2 power balance malfunction (small power balance)
    Trouble Area: - Battery current sensor - or - Hybrid vehicle motor

    My lithium battery is connected to the main relays of the prius battery (and is on the battery side, so when the car is off, i still get high voltage on the harness that comes out of the nickel battery and goes into the lithium battery)

    My suspicion is that since the lithium battery is connected before the current sensor on the nickel battery, what happens is, that the generator (MG2) say outputs 100A, but the nickel battery (according the the current sensor) only receives a small fraction of that, while the majority of the amps gets utilized in the lithium battery (6kWh).

    What do you think, if i put my lithium battery connectors behind the current sensor (or in other words connect the lithium's positive and negative poles directly to the corresponding poles of the nickel battery), should this help resolving the 604 error ?

    Thank you very much in advance!
    Kind regards,
    Denis
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    denis, have you done anything else, besides hooking up the extra battery?

    how does the car run, despite the error code, any problems?
     
  3. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    I agree with your assessment. All power into and out of each battery should go through the current sensor.

    I do have a question for you. What are you trying to achieve with this add on battery?
     
  4. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    A pseudo Hymotion A123 system? Dennis is lacking the plug-in part, for now.

    Hymotion was the first company to make a retro-fit plug-in conversion kit for Gen2 Prius. Unfortunately not enough Gen2 Prius owners bought their kits.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    why would they, they hardly ever worked.:p
     
  6. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    nothing else besides the battery. (but the battery itself has also a bms, a charger and a switching box full of relays)
    The car works just as fine as long i do not activate my battery, but even then, when my battery is turned on, the error message comes on only after 5 to 10 km of driven distance.
     
  7. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Thanks, I thought so too. I will reconnect my battery during this weekend and see what happens.
    My goal with the extra battery is to drive electric to and from work (25 km each way, 50 in total). Theoretically i should get 50 km or so in electric mode (6kWh).
     
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  8. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Most of the retro kits have / or had a dc-dc converter. Mine doesn't. With out a converter it is cheaper and more safe.
    I also have the plug-in part, i charge it using an Elcon Chrger 2.5kW :)
     
  9. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

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    To me this sounds like the problem if you don't yet have your lithium batteries wired this way. The car detects the power coming and going from the Prius' HV battery and also going to the electric motors. When the power going to the motors isn't the same (or close enough) as the power coming from the battery, it throws a code. When your batteries are in parallel, if they'll be charged and discharged without passing that power through the Prius' sensors, the computer will throw a code.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    pretty cool, please post some pics and details of your set up, if you have time.
     
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  11. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Very cool! Wish you the best.

    This level of tinkering is beyond me, but other electrical know-how people will appreciate/understand more.
     
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  12. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    I have more questions. Your experiment is interesting.

    What chemistry are the Lion cells? How many parallel and series? What voltage do you charge to? Does the Nimh pack get charged with the lithium pack?
     
  13. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Correct, it will be connected this way in a couple of days :) Thanks for the reply, i was having similar thoughts (y)
     
  14. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Thanks! I will post pics and detailed video of the kit.
     
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  15. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Thanks!
     
  16. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    I've got 58s21p. The cells are Samsung INR18650-13L, chemistry NMC. The pack get charged up to 243,6 Volt.
    It is still in development, theoretically it should be good for 50-60 km of pure electric distance.
     
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  17. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    still in development ... :)
     

    Attached Files:

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  18. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Mixing up two different battery chemistries, feeding the same motor generators!? Don't you think it'd cause more problems, like what you're experiencing now?
     
  19. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    I wished this could be done for a gen2
     
  20. der_Denis

    der_Denis Junior Member

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    Nope. As long as the voltages of the packs do match, and the packs themselves are kept actively balanced, you can mix as many chemistries as you want (of course within the reason).
    Luckily for as (garage tinkers), the prius ECUs and softwares do not trace the chemistry of the batteries as long as thermal, potential (aka voltage), resistance and other parameters are kept within the predefined range in the prius' operational algorithms.

    I was also having an idea of building myself a hydrogen fuel cell and couple it to the prius battery. Yes, i know, it is ridiculously useless and unnecessary, but so cool! :LOL:
     
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