Hybrid battery error message

[Jayw13702]

Just finished work tonight and this error message popped up......

 

 

A quick search on the Internet brings up a lot of Prius owners with this message and the common fault seems to be the cooling fan.

When I got the car back in May I cleaned it out as I know they can give issues, I will be having another go at it tomorrow but is there anything else worth checking?

 

 

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Herbie]

Taking the error message at face value:

1. Make sure the fan(s) spins freely and is not mechanically seized or bearings on the way out
2. Make sure the fan(s) are being fed the correct voltage
3. Make sure the dust filters, vents and air ducts are clean and clear

[Steve44]

Probably has a fuse for the cooling fan etc, make sure they are still good.

[Jayw13702]

So........

Stripped the rear quarter this morning and got access to the fan. Not a bad job really and a good excuse to clean the boot out.
Pulled the fan motor out and the vanes spin and look clean, ok, that’s positive I thought, maybe power supply then.
Took a multimeter to the 4 pin plug in the hope it would read 0.00 across all 4 terminals, it didn’t [emoji17]
White/green 13.5v
Red 5v
The other two were zero, I figured that one is earth and the other is the high power fan feed as this is a 3 speed motor.

So set up a little test rig and put the fan motor across 12v, nothing, it’s dead.

I’ve tried to strip it but don’t have a small 3 legged puller to pull the fan off the spindle, but I’m guessing the printed circuit board has fritzed itself.

Oh bugger, luckily this happened just as I was pulling into my garage and I had finished work for the Xmas period.

So a new motor it is then, unless you guys can think of anything that I’ve missed in my diagnosis.


Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Britprius]

The fan motor is a variable speed three phase motor controlled by the high voltage ECU. It is a type of stepper motor. It does not have a normal 12 volt supply, and you risk damaging the internal processor if you supply it with 12 volts dc. You need Techstream or other diagnostic system to test run it.

John.

[Jayw13702]

The fan motor is a variable speed three phase motor controlled by the high voltage ECU. It is a type of stepper motor. It does not have a normal 12 volt supply, and you risk damaging the internal processor if you supply it with 12 volts dc. You need Techstream or other diagnostic system to test run it.
John.

Fair comment [emoji1303]

I’ve been having a poke about with the motor, it’s not hard to strip.



The pcb is held on by 3 micro screws


And the fan shaft is held on by a circlip under the sticky label



What concerns me is the bubbling on the pcb

I’m guessing this has been running hot and may have damaged the pcb

I’ve connected it up as is and tested for power at the 4 connecting points on the pcb



Here I was getting 12v, 5v, 0v, 0v from right to left, so again I know the power is there and looking at the pcb I’m more convinced the unit is fried.





Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, Jayw13702 said:

What concerns me is the bubbling on the pcb

I'm a time-served electrician by trade, spent most of my working life as a telephone engineer on BT and I'm a licenced radio ham - and I've never seen a PCB like that in my life!

I'm no expert but I think your diagnosis is correct - that PCB is fubar  

[matt8]

Did applying 12v before you opened it make the PCB bubble possibly?

[ColinBarber]

Looks like a surface coating of some sort to me and doesn't seem an issue.

[Jayw13702]

Finally got to the bottom of this.

Did one more test of the motor and it fired up at top speed, so my theory was happily proven wrong.

Knowing that the motor works I started looking elsewhere and there wasn’t much more to look at really.

I went back over the air trunking again and in the boot it was all clear, I blew a load of air in the pipe so the air would come out by the seat in the car and it was nominal.
Blowing the air dislodged the blockage that I wasn’t aware of.

I do a school run every day, It turns out that one of the little buggers has been rolling paper up and stuffing it in the vent [emoji35] the paper was getting stuck as the pipe flows up the seat to the filter.

So I stripped the pipe from the vent to the first joint and picked out the paper.
Blew a load of air through the vent pipe and there was good air flow.

Come the beginning of next term I will be having a work with the little **** and making sure he doesn’t sit there again.

Thanks for all the help guys, and thanks to everyone who dropped me PMs with info and advice [emoji1303]


Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Farqui]

Well done sorting that one out, hopefully no damage done.

Next term I'd see the little blighter walking!

[Jayw13702]

Well done sorting that one out, hopefully no damage done.

Next term I'd see the little blighter walking!

It’s a council contract that I have, I’ll be having a word with his parents and let them know what he’s been up to. Knowing them I can’t imagine they will be too chuffed with his antics.

And for him he loses his choice of seat, may not seem like much but for a 9 year old it does have an impact [emoji6]


Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Jayw13702]

Just an update on this.

It’s now been 4 weeks and there is a noticeable improvement in both mpg and Battery state of charge. It holds its charge a lot better and I am back to seeing over 50mpg daily on it now.




Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk