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Newbie - checking hybrid battery and other items via OBDII

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by wanderso, Jul 15, 2018.

  1. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    Hello - brand new to owning a hybrid. Go easy on me. :) I'm an IT guy by trade, some auto repair experience. Just purchased a 2006 Prius, 82k miles, one owner car, clean title, have the CarFax, excellent shape, Portland, Oregon area, all repairs done at a local Toyota dealership. I have 5 days to keep the car (Honda new car dealer return option; prior owner purchased a brand new Honda Clarity). The Honda dealer did an inspection on the vehicle before sale, but did not test the hybrid battery. Good local mechanics with Toyota Hybrid knowledge are booked up at present.

    I'm wanting to see if I will be out the $$ for a battery soon as that factors into my 5 day "keep or return" decision. I know it is a 13 year old car and expect a hybrid and starting battery purchase is on the horizon, but would like to put that off for a couple of years if there are any indications that I have some life left in the battery. I knew the replacement need coming into this Hybrid world. :) The starting battery in the trunk appears to be original as far as I can tell.

    In any case, I'm hoping for some quick advice for the best option for me to purchase overnight via Amazon for what I need to check out additional detail on:

    *Current health of the hybrid battery
    *Any other trouble codes that may not have triggered a check engine light
    *Other items that you recommend I should check in this 5 day window that I have.

    I see various OBD connectors (Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.) as well as a Techstream OBD2 to USB cable and software on Amazon as well. The USB cable Techstream includes the software for Windows. Techstream is powerful and something to explore in the future, but apart from gathering important data for this 5 day decision, I of course don't plan on reprogramming anything on the ECU.

    For the most immediate need (5 day window) I'm fine with a recommendation for a OBD connector that folks have found will work with one of any of the following:

    iOS device (iPhone, iPad)
    Mac laptop (MacOS Sierra or newer)
    Windows (I have a laptop with Win 7 Professional 64 bit and another with Windows 10 Home)

    I already own a cheesy OBD2 scanner (2 row LCD screen) that simply shows P- trouble codes but of course it won't give me battery info. I also own a Davis Instruments 8226 Car Chip Pro, but it's of little value for what I'm trying to do here.

    From the techs on this forum, I also need insight into software that will help me see the Hybrid battery life information. (iOS, MacOS or Windows 7 / 10). I see different iOS apps (EngineLink, OBD Auto Doctor, etc.), but am unsure what they support specific to Prius-unique items (Hybrid battery, etc.)

    For longer term if you recommend something different from above, I'd love to have any recommendation for a decent OBDII Bluetooth or Wifi adapter that I can connect to my iPhone or iPad for use when traveling or performing other on-road tests.

    Thanks for your time!
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    torque pro is supposed to be a good one for prius. i don't have it, but i think it is a phone app.
    also, 'hybrid assistant' is supposed to be able to read battery health. don't know what platform that comes on. someone in another gen2 thread today showed his battery data on it.
    sorry i don't have more expertise, but i'm sure others will be along with better advice.
    all the best!(y)
     
  3. #1 Toyota salesman

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    Dr Prius will do a battery state test
    Plenty of free apps...
    Look at the newb FAQ posts here, use the search...you'll see all the common issues to look out for


    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  4. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    Thanks for this added info. I see that OEM traction / hybrid batteries continue to fall in price ($1650 for a "carry out" from a Toyota dealer). The auxiliary 12v) battery was replaced at the dealer about 7 years ago.

    The other areas of concern on these years appears to be the inverter water pump and engine water pump. I see on Carfax that the dealer replaced a "water pump" in 2011, prior to the inverter pump recall but I don't know which pump was done. I have a message in to the dealer about getting the full service history. Past experiences on other used cars is that they are reluctant to release them, even with asking for the prior owner's name and address to be redacted.

    I do hear the inverter pump from time to time; haven't opened the hood to watch the flow; next on the list.




    iPhone ?
     
  5. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    I got the detailed service history from the dealer today . Several interesting items in summary below.

    5/08 car would not start. Failed aux battery replaced 12888 miles

    5/11 engine water pump leaking. Replaced engine water pump. Also replaced HV electric water pump. 2 weeks later the coolant control valve failed (stuck) and replaced new coolant. 29898 miles. 30k service also done.

    6/11 - 1/16 No other repairs done at the dealer. Just regular items (tires, oil, etc. )

    2/16 the full 60 k service performed. (Plugs, PCV, brake flush, tranny flush, radiator flush, new coolant, aux battery tested, etc. 59k miles

    2/17 new front brakes. 67k miles

    11/17 new tires. 75k miles.

    4/18. Customer said warning light for ABS went off and rubber burning smell. Dealer could not find any issues. 79k miles.

    Interestingly, the Honda dealer's "basic" inspection in 7/18 revealed that one of the rear brake shoes was installed on the wrong side. The mechanic moved it to the proper side.

    Lots of other fluid and etc. service done per all the recommended intervals.

    6/18 Customer traded in the car in June 2018 on a Honda Clarity plug in Hybrid. 81k miles at the time of trade in.

    As far as I can tell, that means the Aux battery is 10 years old, and the 2 water pumps + coolant valve are 7 years old. The Aux battery is definitely Toyota OEM from what I see.

    For reliability, I expect that I should at least replace the Aux battery. Any need to be proactive on the water pump(s) and valves? I will be testing the hybrid battery on Tuesday.





    iPhone ?
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    might be a good idea to proactive the inverter pump after 50k, they are prone to failure.
     
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  7. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    Ok - bluetooth adapter on order, so I'm looking forward to the results of tests and others. In between the time, a surprise cancellation with a local inspection service afforded me an opportunity to get an added option from an ASE mechanic whose company used 2nd Gen Prius sedans for many years until recently (moved to Tesla). The Hybrid battery test came out fine across all the cells; awaiting the more detailed report on that. Several other items check out. The 4/18 trip to the dealer that generated a trouble code is included in the attached report, among others. Take a look if you'd like on the inspection results. There are some more unusual items in the report that typically aren't included in inspections that I've had in the past (FLIR infrared tests, thickness of paint, etc.) along with the normal inspection areas.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    The Tonwon Pro Bluetooth adapter arrived. I installed it and also tested via Dr. Prius, including the extra $12 to be able to do the 'full battery test' and the 'life expectancy test'. Attached are the results. Voltage Diff varied between 0.09 and 0.12 on samples taken at different times. It's warm out (upper 80's when taking it). After doing the method to fully charge the high voltage battery quickly, the battery temp rose quite a bit, from a resting temp of about 99.4 on the middle sensor to 121.73. (the app then noted a 'high temp' warning). I was unable to have the life expectancy test complete. It does a countdown from around 800 seconds to zero and 2 tests only got it to around 600 seconds remaining and the Bluetooth connection was lost. Thus, the 'life expectancy' is unknown. I'm unsure how accurate that is anyway. The full battery test stated that internal resistance = normal; load testing upper voltage = upper voltage balance; load testing bottom voltage = bottom voltage balance.

    It did state that there was a POA08-264 code. That failure was in April 3, 2018 with the prior owner. They smelled a rubber burning smell at the time. The dealer performed various diagnostics, but interestingly they focused their effort on checking various connectors and stated "no repairs needed at this time." As an aside, I also confirmed that the hybrid water pump and valve appear to be working as expected. This experience I believe was enough to cause the owner to consider selling the car as they traded it in on a Honda Clarity 2 months later.

    I do think that the aux battery should be replaced due to age. It tested out yesterday at 12.3 volts at 330 CCA. I expect that I should also check the hybrid battery fan for any obstructions.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    I also purchased Engine Link based on other conversations on Priuschat. It would not work with the TonWon Pro Bluetooth adapter. I contacted the Engine Link iOS app developer and received an answer back in less than an hour. After sending on UUID's and other Bluetooth connection characteristics to the Engine Link developer from the device using another app called LightBlue, I received a tiny configuration file back. This corrected the connection issues and I was then able to use Engine Link with the Tonwon Bluetooth adapter. This PriusChat link was helpful in teaching me how to select the proper Prius-specific PIDs (preference file for connecting to OBD2) and I was able to capture hybrid battery voltages and many other data points. The graphs aren't as nice as Dr. Prius above, but the actual data points are far more complete using engine link and the log files I expect should prove useful. Engine Link for iPhone | Page 8 | PriusChat
     
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  10. R-P

    R-P Active Member

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    And did you end up buying it?

    (Landed here when searching for hybrid assistant or dr prius app. Latter works fine, former won't show any data, just zero's, will post separate thread on how to read the data).
     
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  11. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Good question. Every story deserves an end.
     
  12. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    It seems a lot of old Prius are traded when the owner thinks the HV battery will soon fail. Dealers should be required to give a 30 day warranty on any car they sell and include the HV battery. JMO
     
  13. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Traded or sold on Craigslist. When one comes up where the battery is bad and it priced as such they don’t last long. A junk yard close to me had a 2005 with a bad battery for 1000 dollars. It sold in less than 3 hours. Guy said they got call from several states away about it.
     
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  14. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    My niece's husband in Pa. says he knows a guy that buy up old Prius needing battery work. He said he changed a couple of cells and gets them running again. I didn't get into it with him about the way people here feel about "wack a mole".
    The guy I talked to is an ASE certified mechanic and has 16 certifications but he doesn't really know much about a Prius.
    I can see where car electronics, modules and batteries is going to be the new area of expertise in the future.
     
  15. wanderso

    wanderso Junior Member

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    Sorry for the late reply. Yes, I did purchase the ‘06. Prius. I also replaced the 12 volt auxiliary battery for Good measure that was 10 years old, and updated the stereo head unit to a Pioneer with Apple CarPlay. MPG is slightly lower than anticipated, but pretty consistent at 42-43 mpg.


    2006 Prius Base
     
    #15 wanderso, Oct 26, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2018
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