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Need help rebuilding/balance charging a battery pack

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Gino Veltri, Feb 11, 2021.

  1. Gino Veltri

    Gino Veltri Member

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    Hey nerds, long time lurker, 1st time posting.
    So this forum has helped me do everything from replace my shocks/struts, and learning the chicken dance, to using my MFD as a monitor for my Mac. Now i need help rebuilding a battery pack as ive acquired yet another 2005 Prius for a few hundred dollars and the only thing wrong with it was a bad 12 volt and a battery pack in which i was told module 7 "was bad", no other clarification than that. I have 1 1/2 battery packs i am trying to rebuild into one working battery pack. As i was taking this one apart i couldnt help but notice all individual cells were reading around the same 7.8 to 6.9. So how do i test the cells to tell which are truly bad? I can post the individual voltages if that helps? Thanks in advance for all yer help!
     
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  2. chronon

    chronon Active Member

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    geeze looks like no one took kindly to that pronouncement ..
    i have a schematic for my profile pic so .. that prob. puts me as able to put in 2 cents here ..


    1st off u need to inform the audience about what codes you r receiving from the car ..

    OBD reader ? --- u need one .. preferably a really nerdy wi-fi or blue-tooth phobe thing u plug into the :OBD 2 reader under your steering column (within 18" of the wheel) ...
    then u need to have an app like dr. prius or Torque (pro) .. to interface with the phobe ..

    alternatively u can have a cable connection .. preferably a techstream varient ... this would most expeditiously provide the information we require ! TS will get codes where no others will .. like when the break master scylinider accumulator goes sounth .. TS providess those codes ...
    {EOF}
     
  3. C Wagner

    C Wagner Member

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    Did you see the Wiki section at the top of the priuschat screen? Check there for the Wiki I wrote on How To/ "Maintenance" under repairing the HV battery. Here's the link: Prius High Voltage Battery Reconditioning | PriusChat
     
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  4. chronon

    chronon Active Member

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    if u had an android fone and one of many fine apps to assist, u too could look at your block voltages without having to probe a dobe with your DMM.
     
  5. sorka

    sorka Active Member

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    I used an IMAX B6 hobby charger (actually 4 of them) to cycle every cell to measure capacity. Replaced 7 of them from ones bought on ebay from a seller that could bin me out 7 modules of similar capacity. I then tested those to verify the seller sold me what he said he was.

    So far that pack is still running fine after several years and 20K or so miles. We just sold that Prius. It was my moms before she passed away.

    To really do it right though, you'd also need to do a load test and measure the IR while under load, but I've learned that modules that have similar capacity tend to have similar IR as well but it's not guaranteed. You could end up with a high capacity module that has high internal resistance which would still throw a code.
     
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  6. JohnPrius3005

    JohnPrius3005 Active Member

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    Anyone know of a device available that will give me a direct reading of the mAh capacity of a module, without the need to do timing of discharge and the math of time and load during discharge? Thanx.
     
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  7. sorka

    sorka Active Member

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    There's no such thing.
     
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  8. JohnPrius3005

    JohnPrius3005 Active Member

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    Copy that. Saves me time wasted looking for one. Thanks.
     
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  9. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    Well, perhaps not directly. Most hobby RC chargers will keep "measure" capacity during a discharge cycle and display that result.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  10. JohnPrius3005

    JohnPrius3005 Active Member

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    Great. Thank you.
     
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