A few updates:
My current tank average is awful, because of many short city trips, so I purchased components to build an ebike. I'm guessing it will have a larger impact on my economy than anything I could do to the car.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post545075
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The last few times I've driven my car, I have very occasionally smelled a very faint "electrical" smell, which concerned me. I decided to pull the battery out and inspect the cells for any leaks. When I opened the IMA cover, I found this:
A ball of cotton, some fecal pellets, and what I'm guessing is some urine. I haven't yet found any chewed wires though, thankfully.
Removing the battery wasn't nearly the task I expected it to be. Without looking at any guides, I had it out of the car in about half an hour.
I decided to pull the DC-DC converter too, since I potentially have business with it. It requires removal of the battery to access.
Removing all of the battery cells one by one revealed no obvious leaks. I may check again in a few weeks if the smell persists or grows stronger.
Meanwhile, here's the interior of the DC-DC converter:
Mosfets:
Diodes:
I had only ordered one of each, and I'm thinking replacing one in a parallel circuit probably isn't a good idea. There are a total of 8 mosfets, and 6 diodes. The diodes are $3.53 each and look like they'd be easier to replace than the $10 mosfets, so I might just skip the mosfets for now.
It occurs to me that another piece of "low hanging fruit" would be to get a more efficient 12v battery next time I'm in need of one. I have a Honda branded traditional lead acid, the equivalent of the one the car came with, and I understand newer AGM batteries and lithiums have better charging efficiency.