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Hybrid Vehicle Service


Cutaway of Toyota Prius showing (1) engine, (2) hybrid Synergy inverter, and (3) high voltage battery pack.
The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrids have been around since 2001; the Honda Accord, Ford Escape and Lexus RX 400h hybrids since 2005; the Honda Civic, Toyota Highlander, Mercury Mariner, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids since 2006; and the Lexus GS 450h, Saturn VUE Green Line, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima hybrids since model year 2007. On sale this fall for the 2008 model year are the Saturn Aura Green Line, Lexus LS600h, Mazda Tribute, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Dodge Durango hybrids, and there are more than a dozen new hybrid models coming for model year 2009.
There are currently about 1.1 million hybrid vehicles on the road, and some experts say that within five years 20 to 25% of all new car and light truck sales will have hybrid powertrains, especially if gasoline prices remain high.
In 2008, 13.2 million passenger cars and light trucks were sold in the U.S. Of those, 315,688 were hybrid vehicles from Toyota, Honda, Ford, General Motors, and Nissan. Vehicle sales will likely be down in 2009, but the percentage of hybrids should increase. Much depends on what happens with the price of gasoline.
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Why Hybrids Are So Popular
Hybrids are proving to be quite popular with motorists because of the improved fuel economy they deliver.
By reducing the on time of the engine and using battery power as much as possible for low speed stop-and-go city driving, hybrid vehicles can achieve impressive fuel economy numbers. The 2007 Toyota Prius has EPA fuel economy ratings of 60 mpg city, and 51 mpg highway. The hybrid versions of the Chevy and GMC sport utility vehicles get 25 to 30% better fuel economy than their conventional counterparts.
Hybrid Differences
A hybrid vehicle is essentially the same as any other vehicle except for the extra high-voltage hybrid hardware. On a full hybrid such as the Toyota Prius or Ford Escape, this includes a unique continuously variable transmission, two electric motors, an integrated starter/alternator in the flywheel, various electronic control modules, and a high-voltage battery pack in the rear of the car. On partial hybrids, such as the Saturn VUE Green Line, that do not have a full-electric mode, the only significant difference is the belt-driven starter/alternator that is used for start-stop driving and to recharge the hybrid battery in the back.
Camry hubrid high voltage battery in the trunk The main difference between all hybrids and other vehicles is that high-voltage hybrid battery, which is usually mounted in the rear of the vehicle. The voltage output of a hybrid battery depends on the vehicle. On a Honda Insight, the hybrid battery is 144 volts. On a first generation 2001-2003 Toyota Prius, the hybrid battery is rated at 276 volts, and 201 volts on a second generation Prius (2004 and up). On a Ford Escape, the hybrid battery is 300 volts.
Warning: This kind of voltage can be deadly and must be treated with respect. If you think a shock from a spark plug wire is bad, a shock from one of these batteries can kill you in a split-second! The hybrid batteries that are used in current generation vehicles are nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and consist of many individual cells wired together in series. To protect the vehicle's occupants and service technicians from the high-voltage hazard, the hybrid power circuit is heavily insulated and is usually color-coded orange. So if you see a heavy orange cable snaking under a vehicle or in the engine compartment, it is carrying the hybrid high-voltage current. The circuit may or may not be hot even when the engine is off, so treat all orange cabling with caution.
Hybrids still have an ordinary 12-volt battery for powering the ignition system, fuel pump, lights and other electrical accessories on the vehicle. But in the case of the Toyota Prius, the 12-volt battery uses an oddball post configuration that is smaller than standard posts, and the battery is located in the trunk.
Hybrid Service Precautions
No special precautions are required when replacing most maintenance or repair parts on the non-hybrid components in the vehicle.
But if any repair work involves hybrid electrical or powertrain components, the hybrid battery must be disconnected prior to touching anything that might carry high voltage to prevent shock hazards.
high voltage hybrid cables High voltage cables in hybrid vehicles are usually color-coded to warn you of their potential danger. On most, the high voltage cables are color-coded ORANGE. On the Saturn, with its 36-volt system, the cables are color-coded BLUE. Avoid contact with these cables unless the high voltage battery in the back of the vehicle has first been disconnected.

The procedure for isolating the hybrid battery varies depending on the vehicle, but typically involves flipping a switch on the hybrid battery pack or disconnecting a battery cable or fuse. On a first generation Toyota Prius, the hybrid battery is disconnected by opening the trunk, removing the liner from the left front corner, and pulling straight back on a small orange handle to remove the battery connection plug.
Always refer to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended disconnect procedure. Wearing protective rubber gloves that are rated to withstand up to 1,000 volts is also recommended for added protection. Also, do not touch any high-voltage components for at least 10 minutes after disconnecting the battery. This gives the high-voltage capacitors in the hybrid control system time to discharge.
Actually, hybrid vehicles are not as dangerous to work on as they might seem at first. If the key is off and the key is out of the vehicle, the hybrid system is powered down. The battery cannot shock anyone unless they go poking around the high-voltage battery connections with bare hands or uninsulated tools. Even so, there are some hidden dangers with these vehicles.
When the key is in the ignition (or the keyless entry fob is inside the car), and the Power button is pushed on a Toyota Prius, a Ready light on the dash comes on. This means the hybrid powertrain is active and is ready to go, even though the engine is not running and the car is not making any noise that would indicate it is on. So when the Ready light is on, the engine may suddenly start itself without warning if the hybrid battery is low and needs to be recharged. This presents no danger to the driver because the car will not go anywhere unless it is in drive or reverse, but it could be a hazard to someone if they were working under the hood and did not realize the Ready light was on. So always make sure the Ready light is out before doing any routine maintenance or repairs.
Hybrid Battery Life
One question many people who own a hybrid or who are thinking about buying a new or used hybrid have is the durability of the hybrid battery. On a Toyota Prius or Ford Escape, the factory warranty on the hybrid battery and other hybrid powertrain components is eight years or 80,000 miles, or 10 years and 150,000 miles if you live in California. The actual design life of the battery, according to Toyota, is 15 years and more than 200,000 miles.
So far, the hybrid batteries have proven to be extremely reliable and trouble-free, which is a good thing because (1) the hybrid batteries are only available from car dealers, and (2) they are very expensive. The current list price of a replacement hybrid battery for a Toyota Prius is $2,985!
Hybrid batteries generate a lot of heat and require extra cooling. Most hybrids have some type of special venting for the battery pack, which may even include a separate cabin air filter (Ford Escape, for example). On the Prius, there is a cooling fan for the battery inside the right rear trim panel, and two battery temperature sensors in the hybrid battery compartment.
In theory, a hybrid battery should never run down. The control module should start and run the engine to maintain battery charge anytime the battery drops below a certain voltage. But if a vehicle is not driven very often, sits for weeks at a time in a garage, or has a problem that drains the battery or prevents the engine from running to recharge the battery, the hybrid battery can go dead. If this happens, a special jump start procedure or charging procedure may be required to get the vehicle moving.

On a Prius, there is a special jumper connection under the power distribution center cover in the engine compartment. A 12-volt battery charger can be used to boost the regular 12-volt battery enough to start the engine (Toyota recommends using their special 12-volt charger instead of a conventional 12-volt battery charger). Once the engine is running, it should be left running for at least 30 minutes to recharge the hybrid battery. No attempt should be made to recharge or jump start the high-voltage hybrid battery directly.

Diagnosing a Hybrid


Hybrid vehicles have the same onboard diagnostics as every other vehicle built since 1996. You can access fault codes, freeze-frame data, sensor inputs and various self-tests with a scan tool, provided the scan tool is up-to-date with the latest software for the year/make and model of vehicle you are trying to diagnose. So you do not have to take a hybrid back to the new car dealer if the vehicle is out of warranty.
NOTE: The MasterTech scan tool is currently the best aftermarket scan tool for working on Honda and Toyota hybrids. The software in other professional grade scan tools are catching up, but some currently do not show certain hybrid data, or display incorrect data. The best scan tool for a hybrid will always be the factory scan tool. But factory scan tools are every expensive to buy.
If a problem occurs with something that is not part of the hybrid system, diagnostics is essentially the same as on any other vehicle. You troubleshoot the fault, do your diagnostic tests to rule out various possibilities, and hopefully zero in on the faulty component that needs to be replaced. Whether you have a P0300 random misfire code or an O2 sensor code, the diagnostics would be essentially the same as on any other gasoline engine.

 

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