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Old 05-23-2014, 11:41 AM   #31 (permalink)
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I have an update. Its bitter with a touch of sweet.

The bad: The battery is back to behaving like it did before I charged the cells.
Last week We took a trip from Michigan to South Carolina. The mountains drained the pack, and the recharges, to drain, recharge drain. It lost its home and now is stuck in a whirlwind of recals. I don't know what I'm going to do about it. If anything.

The Good: I've gotten really good at getting into the lean burn of things. I've figured it out and it feels like I can almost force it to do so. The feeling is similar to learning how to drive a stick, before you know it you can do it with very little thought.

So. Should I save my pennies and purchase a new pack? The car has 170,000+ miles and is an 03 manual.

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Old 05-23-2014, 12:01 PM   #32 (permalink)
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Do you have a grid charger?
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Old 05-23-2014, 12:07 PM   #33 (permalink)
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Do you have a grid charger?
I was going to build one, but then I discovered its more difficult to splice into the fan than an insight. And thats as far as I got. I downloaded the schematic for it... does anyone have a link or advice on how to tap into the battery fan?
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Old 05-23-2014, 12:23 PM   #34 (permalink)
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Throw a wall wart in there, and wire it up to the fan. When you plug in the charger, the wall wart also gets power and the fan turns on. Use diodes if you need to protect anything.
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Old 05-23-2014, 12:59 PM   #35 (permalink)
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Throw a wall wart in there, and wire it up to the fan. When you plug in the charger, the wall wart also gets power and the fan turns on. Use diodes if you need to protect anything.
I like your style
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Old 05-23-2014, 09:07 PM   #36 (permalink)
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Sounds like you got another bad apple or cell in your pack that isnt taking a charge that well. The capacity has to get down to .65 before it generates an ima light or code.

+1 on the grid charging or charging the sticks in parallel again. I have fairly new car and I do the balance thing every 3 months to keep it in excellent health.
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Old 06-09-2014, 11:52 AM   #37 (permalink)
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Good news

Yeah I'm sure I have a bad cell or 2. I need a better discharge system to find which cells have the demons. The grid charger will have to do for the life of this car.

Built and installed my grid charger yesterday. Charged it all night, and unplugged it right before going to work this morning. Time will tell.

Because I took the sticks out this winter, do you think a deep cycle discharge of the whole pack would be necessary? I'm leaning towards no, and just top the battery off every month or as needed.
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:57 AM   #38 (permalink)
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The charger seems too help, but at the same time doesn't. This weekend I hope to go through the process of doing a discharge using the light bulb method.

I have a question for someone more knowledgeable than myself. Back in May when I was driving through the mountains, I was driving on a highway that had a 4% grade for a hill. This was going down hill. I let the car slow itself down by keeping the car in gear. The charge bars were fully lit. Then while still going down the hill, the IMA light came on, the car jerked and was picking up speed, like there was no more resistance of a charge happening.

I haven't felt the car try to charge since. So I ask, how does the car charge? I understand its the electric motor turning into a generator when not in use. But what tells the battery to charge? The BCM? Is there a fuse or relay that could have blown while I was driving through the mountains?
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Old 07-30-2014, 07:16 PM   #39 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by duckwize View Post
I haven't felt the car try to charge since. So I ask, how does the car charge? I understand its the electric motor turning into a generator when not in use. But what tells the battery to charge? The BCM? Is there a fuse or relay that could have blown while I was driving through the mountains?
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Most likely you have an IMA error (not likely a blown fuse or relay) .. most likely the BCM saw something it didn't like ... sent a signal to disable ... which specific IMA error you have ... go back to the OBDII code reader step to get the code pulled.

You can also repeat the disconnect 12V power , wait , and let idle step ... it won't 'fix' anything ... but it can sometimes let you put off a little while having to do a more detailed fix / service of some part of the IMA system... but it is really just a delay... the error will come back , be it a day or a year latter.

As for the actual questions you asked.

The IMA motor does always spin at the same PRM as the ICE ... but it is the activity of the MDM (Motor Drive Module) that determines if it is assist , Regen , nothing, etc ... it does this by altering the electromagnets in the IMA motor... like any Brushless Permanent Magnet Motor works ... when the electromagnets are working a certain way the IMA motor does not convert any significant rotational mechanical energy to electrical energy ... a different setting for the IMA motor electromagnets and you get 10Amps of assist , a different you get 20Amps of Regen , etc ... etc ... The MDM is the car's 'motor controller'.

The MDM is controlled by the MCM (Motor Control Module) , which is a computer that takes into account readings from various vehicle sensors to 'decide' on the amount of Regen or Assist (or none).

The BCM (Battery Control Module) is a computer that monitors sensors on the battery pack .. it communicates with the MCM ... that communication is part of what the MCM uses to 'decide' how much (if any) assist , regen , etc... If the BCM sends a no-regen signal to the MCM than you will get no regen... if it sends a No-Assist signal to the MCM than you will get no assist... etc.

So nothing tells the battery itself to charge ... instead something (MCM) tells the thing (MDM) that controls the IMA motor itself to alter how it controls the electromagnets ... that control of the electromagnets is what causes the IMA motor to convert rotational mechanical energy into electrical energy ... which just so happens to be connected to the battery ... the battery has no choice about taking the charge or not ... it takes what is sent to it.
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Old 08-04-2014, 08:04 AM   #40 (permalink)
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well written! I guess then its just my super weak battery pack. Oh well. Once I do the light bulb thing I'll let you guys know how it went.

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