I had posted late last fall in another thread I started about the issues I was having between the transmission synchro's and the battery pack. I had gotten the exhaust leak fixed and it has been fine. The car only has ~117,600 miles on it as I was mostly local driving and a telecommuter. I am able to work around the transmission for the most part by double-clutching but it will pop out on deceleration so it is more work to drive. But the holidays, work and just the general lack of enthusiasm right now kept me occupied elsewhere.
The other issue is the battery pack. Back in November 2015, I got a rebuilt pack from HybridRevolt.com and I opted for 9 Ah cells instead of the traditional 6.3(?) Ah cells. I installed a grid charger a year or so later to keep it topped. A year ago it threw the IMA light without the Check Engine. A top off charge and the light stayed out for a few months. It came back during the summer. It became harder and harder to keep it off and the DTC was 77. In late November, I decided to try going with some deep discharge/charge cycles to see if that would improve things. It did appear to make something of a difference and the pack will settle down to around 172 V after being off the charger a few hours. But the IMA light now comes on almost immediately as well as the Check Engine light. The DTC code at last check was now 78. At this point I am thinking at least one cell is completely out of whack.
When my Honda supplied pack died five years ago, I did not have a charger or any real knowledge other than to replace it. During the few weeks it took to get the replacement pack, it deteriorated so much that it tripped the 12 V system into cutting out leaving me to run on 12 V battery. I solved that problem by switching the pack off and running entirely without IMA. That is my biggest fear right now that I could be driving and have the 12 V warning light come on. I will keep topping off the pack to hopefully keep that from happening. I carry a small 10mm socket wrench in case I am forced to pull over and turn the pack off but that fear is with me constantly.
I have been looking for a 2017-2018 Prius c and I may have found one at a local dealer. That will certainly relieve the stress of on me at this point from driving the hobbled Insight but I am wondering what exactly could be wrong with the pack. Any further deep discharges seem pointless. Plus having opted for 9 Ah cells appears to make stick replacement problematic. I am guessing that there are only a few cells that are really ill.
The other issue is the battery pack. Back in November 2015, I got a rebuilt pack from HybridRevolt.com and I opted for 9 Ah cells instead of the traditional 6.3(?) Ah cells. I installed a grid charger a year or so later to keep it topped. A year ago it threw the IMA light without the Check Engine. A top off charge and the light stayed out for a few months. It came back during the summer. It became harder and harder to keep it off and the DTC was 77. In late November, I decided to try going with some deep discharge/charge cycles to see if that would improve things. It did appear to make something of a difference and the pack will settle down to around 172 V after being off the charger a few hours. But the IMA light now comes on almost immediately as well as the Check Engine light. The DTC code at last check was now 78. At this point I am thinking at least one cell is completely out of whack.
When my Honda supplied pack died five years ago, I did not have a charger or any real knowledge other than to replace it. During the few weeks it took to get the replacement pack, it deteriorated so much that it tripped the 12 V system into cutting out leaving me to run on 12 V battery. I solved that problem by switching the pack off and running entirely without IMA. That is my biggest fear right now that I could be driving and have the 12 V warning light come on. I will keep topping off the pack to hopefully keep that from happening. I carry a small 10mm socket wrench in case I am forced to pull over and turn the pack off but that fear is with me constantly.
I have been looking for a 2017-2018 Prius c and I may have found one at a local dealer. That will certainly relieve the stress of on me at this point from driving the hobbled Insight but I am wondering what exactly could be wrong with the pack. Any further deep discharges seem pointless. Plus having opted for 9 Ah cells appears to make stick replacement problematic. I am guessing that there are only a few cells that are really ill.