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New owner of '05 with only 200 miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by 2005, Sep 14, 2016.

  1. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The car won't throw a code unless it's more than 1.2 volts off per block. I don't think his car is balanced, just not throwing a code yet
     
  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I think you're oversimplifying it. There is more to throwing codes than just that one parameter.

    He should just run with it for now, especially given what he has reported from observing the battery's voltages while driving.

    Don't panic Mr Mainwaring! – An oft quoted line from the great UK classic Dad's Army comes to mind.

    YouTube - Don't Panic
     
  3. 2005

    2005 New Member

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    Does such a charger get mounted permanently in the car? Were would it connect to? Right to the terminals on the HV battery under the service cover?

    I did a quick search and I see chargers listed in or just under $400. That's a lot for a car I may or may not be keeping.

    If it proves to be a car that I can drive without a lot of issues or having to pay special attention to the battery state of charge it may stay but I've not yet figured out which one of my current cars it could replace.

    Before all this I was pretty happy with the cars and trucks I had, getting these vehicles suddenly has me reconsidering what sits in my driveway. I like the mileage of the Prius and its a pretty roomy car for what it is, but its not a good highway car for long trips when compared to my Lincoln Town Car. The F150 is likely a keeper, but the Escalade seems like maybe it could displace the Town Car and my old truck, but I don't part with cars easily. It apparently runs in the family as I currently own 19 cars some tagged, others in storage or just parked in the yard and used seasonally.
    The Prius, if it proves not to need a battery doesn't have a very high blue book value but the low miles should help it fetch more than the $5K listed as a max retail value on the car but if that's all it can bring, I might was well drive it till the wheels fall off or park it back in a garage for another 10 or more years and let see what its worth then. I did that with my 1986 F150 at 14k, its been stored in the garage since 1987. The tank was emptied and dried out, the fuel line disconnected from the pump so I can start it from time to time on a remote tank to keep the motor healthy. I run it about an hour every year. The battery is on a shelf, drained of its acid. The tires are on it but its on stands with the tires covered with tire covers. At the time I liked the truck but found one I liked better so I kept it and put it away for future use. Meanwhile I bought an almost identical truck and have been using that one from time to time without any concern about putting miles on it.
     
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    There is no need to monitor the HV SOC in normal life, if that doesn't interest you. Just drive the thing, enjoy and be done with it.
     
  5. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Now this story is starting to sound strange o_O You have a collections of cars too? You have an 86 F150 with 14K miles??
     
  6. 2005

    2005 New Member

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    I guess I'm just used to dealing with normal lead acid batteries where I can load test and prove their true state of charge.
    I can say one thing though, so far other than the suspect battery level reading on the display, the car hasn't done anything wrong in 365 miles.
    It likely won't see many long runs like it did today, I only took it out today so it could get some run time to charge the battery.
    Its better suited for local grocery runs and maybe a ride down to the boat every so often.
     
    #86 2005, Sep 18, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2016
  7. 09Prius2

    09Prius2 Member

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    The fuel range can fluctuate quite a bit because the tank has a rubber bladder to contain evaporative gas. In a hot climate like FL, I can get over 13 gallons into a tank rated at 11.9. In cold climates where the rubber bladder contracts, maximums as low as 8 gallons have been reported. So you could have anywhere between 320-520+ miles in a tank, just depending on how many gallons the tank accepted to begin with.

    I have run out both the gas and battery to completely dead, then refueled and observed it take 5 miles of freeway driving to get the battery back into safe range. After 10 highway miles the battery was completely full from a rock bottom start.

    From everything you have posted, it appears your Prius is operating correctly. Its not a plug in electric expected to maintain a full charge. Its a gas electric hybrid that benefits from regenerative braking to recharge a battery for a very short period of time, to be used from the next acceleration. It doesn't need to hold a full charge for long periods of time to have a large benefit towards overall mileage, and a used prius typically loses its charge over time. It doesn't take much charge from the traction battery to restart that little 1.5 liter engine.
     
  8. EZDog

    EZDog New Member

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    I am pretty sure this car would bring a lot more than your reported book value on the open market.
    I know that I paid a lot more than that for mine and there was a line of buyers chomping for it too.
    The book values are not that relevant to Unicorn cars like this one,don't sell yourself short.

    Having said this I also Love mine and at the same time am not really sure what to do with it in equal measure?
    I think it drives amazingly well and I am shocked every ride how much nicer it is in every way than I expect but I also need each of my vehicles to be a little more utility oriented so they can serve for work on some level as well as a mode of transport for me.
    I am still working on mods unique to this need and am not sure I can get things where I want them but I am also pretty confident that what we each have here will hold value pretty reliably on uniqueness if nothing else.

    Only time will tell I suppose.
     
  9. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    No, the charger sits on the work bench until needed, but you connect a harness permanently, which yes, connects to the terminals on the HV battery under the service cover.
     
  10. 2005

    2005 New Member

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    I wouldn't call it a collection but I've got more cars than I should I suppose. The 1986 F150 was my first new truck, so it got babied, when a near identical truck with a few more miles came available really cheap back in 1987 I bought that one and parked mine and put it away for safe keeping in the back garage at the time. I now resides in the rear section of a warehouse I rent along with a few dozen other vehicles. None are collectible cars, just clean old cars and trucks I happened to like and own over the years. My daily driver up to now has been my 2004 Town Car with 58,000 miles on it. I also have a 1998 Ford Ranger with 25,700 miles that I bought new that I keep around just to have a small truck when I need it. I also 'inherited' a Kia Sportage last year when another relative gave up trying to get it fixed with only 24,000 miles on it. After 20 trips to the dealer she gave up and gave it to me when it died in my driveway. It turned out that who ever put in the remote start system had butchered up the ignition switch wiring, it took me all about two hours to find and fix.
    Its been an OK car but its a small inside for a 350 lb / 6ft 4" tall man. (Surprisingly the Prius has lots more room inside).
    I also have a 2001 Dodge conversion van with only 28k on it, but its mileage has been limited mostly due to its horrendous fuel economy. I have four more vans, two older F250's, and two 1996 Dodge vans which were my delivery trucks at work, plus I've got two 95 F150's, one with just over 200K and the other with 41K, both were bought used about 10 years ago.
    A week before inheriting the Prius I bought a 4,000 mile 2004 F250 Powerstroke diesel pickup, and a month before that I bought a clean used GMC Suburban to use to tow my boat. I can't say I'm really fond of either one of these two trucks but they were cheap and had low miles. My neighbors keep telling me my yard looks like a used car lot, especially on weekends when I often have several of my work trucks home here as well.
    At one point I had over 40 cars and trucks but I sold off most of the older vehicles and muscle cars, I got tired of storing things I wasn't ever likely to use. I'm getting close to purging a few from the list right now, I just don't know which one's will go.
     
  11. 2005

    2005 New Member

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    When I came out this morning and hopped in the Prius to run down to the store the battery indicator was showing all its bars lit up in green? After a 5 mile drive the bars teetered between full and one bar down as I drove.
    I have the battery cover and rear of the car all put back together so I can't easily read battery volts but for what ever reason the display seems to have fixed itself.

    I'm now debating on which vehicle I should take with me to FL this winter, I usually take my Town Car but I hate to let the Prius just sit for three or four months. This is where a maintenance charger on these would come in handy. (Most of my other vehicles all have on-board battery maintenance chargers which stay plugged in to maintain the batteries when they're not in use. That way they're always ready to go.

    FL is a 1100 mile ride one way, and I usually put about 500 miles on the car while I'm there, but I also have two other vehicles down there that I can also use. (I have another Ranger pickup, 1 '98 4x4, and a super clean 05 Cadillac Deville with only about 1,400 miles on i)t. I usually drive that around a bit to keep it in working order while I'm there as well. The good thing about FL is that I've got plenty of room in the garage down there, the Prius won't have to spend any time outdoors over the winter up here.

    How well does a Prius handle constant A/C use? Being a black car, I can't imagine there being many days down in FL where I wouldn't need the A/C. I'd also seriously consider getting the windows tinted for down there, Especially the rear window.
     
  12. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Rapid ups/downs are a bad sign. Full green while sitting after a long period is another. Unless you sat for long periods idling with the a/c blasting during that drive, you should have stayed all blue.

    Mileage, use, and temperature all play significant roles in a battery life but time is the biggest. 10+ years is when these batteries start going in large numbers.
     
  13. 2005

    2005 New Member

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    10+ years is one thing but this car sat unused for 12, and the battery was apparently still charged enough to start the car.
    After testing the HV battery for two days with a Fluke meter, I think the issues are with the display not the battery. The car seems to go quite a distance if I force it to run EV only at low speeds, that gives me the impression that the battery isn't in bad shape. The drive to NY yesterday really gave it some charge time since I didn't run the A/C as I did on the trip home from PA.
    Its been roughly 350 miles since it was 'revived' from its long sleep, wouldn't that be enough time to tell if the battery is going to survive or not? Its also getting decent fuel mileage, so my take on that is that the EV portion of the system is working well.
    It doesn't seem to lack any power, and it's not let me down yet.
    Does anyone think its too soon to chance a trip to FL in this thing?
    Were these intended more for local around town driving or for highway use?
    I don't see many of them around here, not like I do in the city.
     
  14. 09Prius2

    09Prius2 Member

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    The battery will drop pretty quick in extreme temperatures. Summer uses AC, thats a strong power draw. Same for cold, the electric heat in addition to the engine warming cycle takes alot of energy for a hybrid.

    For a vehicle like yours with such low mileage, delivering factory specs with no breakdowns, you should be able to drive it anywhere with no issues.
     
  15. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    These statements need qualification. Both statements are true for extreme conditions, that is below 50℉ (10℃) or above 81℉ (27℃). Between these temps the HVAC works well and does not overly impact MPGs.
    Just to clarify, did you mean teetered between bar 7 and bar 8, or teetered between bar 1 and bar 8?
    Depending on what the answer to my question above is, will influence the advice. If it is the first one, then given what you have reported so far, I think it would be a good thing to drive the car some more. The Prius loves to be driven rather than sit unused for months. Having said that, there is one member here who has no issues with his Prius that he leaves stored for the winter and only uses it in summer. The only pre-caution he takes is to leave the 12 V battery on a tender.

    If the answer to the question is the second one, then that is not a good sign. Drive it to FL at you own risk.

    Not at all, Prii love the highway just as much a the city.
     
    #95 dolj, Sep 19, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2016
  16. EZDog

    EZDog New Member

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    Am I reading this wrong or do you suggest that both answers are bad?
    I imagine reading this over a few times that you got the advice jumbled somehow? Otherwise I think I am confused?
     
  17. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Good spot, that should read "I think it would be a good thing to drive the car some more." which I have now corrected.

    Sorry for the confusion.
     
  18. kinglew

    kinglew Member

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    Troll ask for vin to verifying his story. He has not done so
     
    #98 kinglew, Sep 19, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2016
    Tbkilb01 likes this.
  19. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    If all this is true, there is nothing wrong with this car.
     
  20. kinglew

    kinglew Member

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    How do we know if his story is true ??? Won't post pick or vin number.sounds very bogus !!!!
     
    Aaron Vitolins likes this.