Yes, Youcan Service Hybrid Vehicles
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YES, YOU CAN SERVICE HYBRID Honda Civic Hybrid VEHICLES BY TOM NASH When a hybrid vehicle rolls into your shop, will you send it back to the dealer for service or repairs and miss the chance to establish a new customer? Or will you learn to adapt to—and even Toyota Prius embrace—the new technology? or the last couple of years The apparent hesitancy of some knowing about or understanding the or so, hybrid vehicles shops to service these new vehicles is high-voltage electrical system of have been quietly and based on several factors. First is the these vehicles, never having had the efficiently rolling along safety issue—the fear that a high- opportunity to be around one. This American highways and voltage electrical motor, drive and fear will be overcome by exposure, down city streets. Few in storage system lurk beneath the education and training, as these vehi- numbers at first—now gaining in hood, just waiting to electrocute the cles become more commonplace. popularity—these vehicles present a technician who foolishly disturbs the The answer to the safety issue, as will Fbig question for independent repair Deadly Orange Harness Serpent of be explained, is to simply “shut it off.” shops: Should you try to service these Death. Another reason techs don’t seem vehicles or fix them when they break, I’ve been in touch with technicians anxious to jump headlong into hybrid laden as they are with “different” who say they won’t service these vehi- vehicle service and repair is the myth technology, or take the safe way out cles because of the danger in the that the entire vehicle is constructed and direct those drivers to “take it high-voltage systems they carry. This from advanced, exotic materials and back to the dealer”? fear no doubt stems from their not components that are operated by 40 July 2002 Honda Insight complex systems that only a NASA these vehicles as being powered by like the dependency of the U.S. on for- scientist could understand. Nothing conventional internal combustion en- eign oil, force the ingenuity of automak- could be further from the truth. Most gines that burn gasoline—and just ers to provide us with more fuel-effi- of the vehicles’ components are con- happen to have an electric motor, as cient propulsion systems. ventional parts, and much of the re- well, to assist propulsion. Much progress has been touted in pair can be done to these vehicles by the automotive press on fuel cells— treating them as you would any other Why Do We Need Hybrids? those magic boxes that turn hydrogen vehicle. Environmental concerns, such as green- atoms into electrical energy to drive While you’ll probably want to stay house gases from exhaust emissions and the vehicle, leaving only water vapor away from major work on the hybrid the high use of petroleum-based fuels, as a waste product. However, fuel cells electrical system until you’ve received mandate that we find ways to keep the are far from being perfected and are adequate training, other systems, environment clean. To do so, automak- very expensive to build. Experts say such as the suspension and wheels, ers must find ways to make vehicles op- the cost of building fuel cells will go brakes, lighting and body electrical, erate on less fuel, more efficient fuels down with mass production. The are all serviceable. It’s best to think of and cleaner fuels. Economics factors, “Catch-22” is that mass production of July 2002 41 YES, YOU CAN SERVICE HYBRID VEHICLES This view of the Honda Civic similar manner: The gasoline engine Hybrid’s powertrain shows supplies the main power, with the elec- the electric Integrated Motor tric motor providing additional boost. Assist (IMA) system nestled Regenerated electricity from braking is between the gasoline engine and the CVT transmission. routed back to the vehicle’s high-voltage battery pack. Honda calls its hybrid sys- tem “IMA,” for Integrated Motor As- sist, while Toyota has dubbed its method the Toyota Hybrid System (THS). The transmissions on these vehicles vary. Honda uses a five-speed manual box or optional CVT on its Insight and Civic Hybrid; Toyota fit the Prius with a unique electronically controlled plane- tary gear-type automatic. Safety Precautions Before servicing a hybrid vehicle, there are some safety precautions you need to be aware of. First, all three vehicles fuel cells won’t begin until the cost of have an “idle stop” mode that shuts the building them goes down. So, until fu- gasoline engine off when the vehicle el cells are perfected and become Co. Honda Motor courtesy Photo rolls to a stop—such as at a traffic light. practical and economically sound, hy- about 10,000 currently on the road. The vehicle will then initially move un- brids are our best transitional solution. Next to arrive, in mid-2000, was the der power from the electric motor 2001 Toyota Prius. A small four-door when the accelerator is depressed, Existing Hybrid Vehicles sedan, the Prius looks more like a typi- much like an electric golf cart. Shortly Currently, three hybrid vehicles are cal small Asian car. Nearly 30,000 copies thereafter, the gasoline engine will available to U.S. drivers—the Honda have been sold in the U.S. restart and power the vehicle under Insight and Civic, and the Toyota The latest addition to the U.S. hy- normal driving conditions. Prius. The 2000 Honda Insight was brid fleet is Honda’s popular Civic A problem could occur in the shop the first hybrid to hit the domestic with a hybrid system under the bon- if a hybrid vehicle is brought to a stop scene, showing up in late 1999. Its net. It’s expected to sell extremely and the ignition key is left in the On sleek, low-slung design is highly recog- well, not just because it’s a “green” ve- position. A technician about to ser- nizable. Built with lots of aluminum hicle, but mostly because it’s a Honda vice the vehicle might think the en- components, the techno two-seater Civic that gets 50 mpg. gine is shut off and therefore safe to weighs less than a ton. There are All three hybrid vehicles operate in a work on. Touching the accelerator Left: The Auto Stop indicator for Honda hybrid vehicles is located on the tachometer face (Civic shown here). When blinking, it indicates that the hybrid drive system is in idle mode and ready to restart when the accelerator is de- pressed. Right: The Toyota Prius shows a Ready indicator on the display panel, above the shift indicator, when the ve- hicle is in the idle stop mode. Always turn the ignition off before servicing the vehicle. 42 July 2002 YES, YOU CAN SERVICE HYBRID VEHICLES The Honda Insight and Civic high-voltage systems can be turned off by removing the small cover (A) on the IPU and the locking cover (B), flipping the switch to Off and replacing the locking cover to avoid accidentally turning the system back on. Wait at least five minutes for the capacitors to discharge before attempting any work. may cause the motor to restart. a high-voltage harness can allow current cle’s high-voltage system before working On the Honda hybrids, an Auto to migrate out. Each hybrid’s high-volt- around the engine, motor battery pack Stop lamp on the lower left tachome- age system can easily be turned off to or high-voltage harness. ter face will blink, indicating the vehi- ensure safe working conditions. Honda has placed a shut-off switch cle is in the idle stop mode. This is Note: Always shut off a hybrid vehi- on its hybrids’ Intelligent Power Unit your warning to turn the ignition off before servicing the vehicle. The Prius shows a Ready indicator on the display panel, above the shift indicator, when the vehicle is in the idle stop mode. The Ready light should be off before any service is performed on the vehicle, so, again, turn the ignition off. Even better, re- move the key from the switch. The most serious safety concern when working on hybrid vehicles is, of course, the high-voltage electrical system, which includes the motor, battery pack, controls and harness. For safety, all high-voltage terminals are sealed or isolated, and the har- ness is colored bright orange. Do not handle these harnesses with- out wearing high-voltage-approved in- sulated gloves that are in excellent con- dition. Even a tiny pinhole in these gloves can draw current through them, Nash Tom Photo: seeking a ground. The high-voltage system service plug on the Toyota Prius is located in the Never probe these bright orange har- trunk. To remove it, pull the orange handle down and toward you, then pull nesses through the insulation as you the plug straight out. After removing the plug, wait at least five minutes for might 12-volt wires. Again, a tiny hole in the inverter condenser to discharge before attempting any work. 44 July 2002 YES, YOU CAN SERVICE HYBRID VEHICLES (IPU), which contains the battery pack Proper Tire Pressures The Insight and Civic Hybrid use a and controls. This unit is located in the & Fluids special Honda 0W-20 SJ engine oil rear deck area of the Insight, mounted Using the correct tires and maintain- and filter. You can use Standard Hon- horizontally, and is covered by carpet- ing the proper inflation pressures are da Manual Transmission Fluid in the ing. The Civic’s IPU is mounted verti- critical for optimum operation of the five-speed manual gearbox, but the cally, behind the rear passenger seat.