Prius V battery coolant?

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by Paul11M111, Nov 24, 2020.

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  1. Paul11M111

    Paul11M111 New Member

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    so I was pulling the jack out of my Prius and found in the spare tire well a bunch of liquid. It’s viscous and a medium brown, about like heavier weight motor oil would look. No smell to it.

    Does the battery use any kind of liquid coolant? It’s the only think I could think of since there is no sunroof and the door and window seals look tight with no discoloration or signs of leaks. No warning lights are on and performance seems the same as it always has. The only think that seems off is that I do hear a gurgle when I shut the car off.

    It’s 165k miles. I’d take a photo but it doesn’t show all that much in there.
     
    #1 Paul11M111, Nov 24, 2020
  2. lrisius

    lrisius Member

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    There's no coolant for the battery. No idea what it is- my guess is some kind of spill that collected in the tire well. Could there have been a spill you aren't aware of? Are you the original owner? Other drivers? How long since you have looked in the tire well? These are some of the things I would be pondering.
    Good luck!
     
    #2 lrisius, Nov 26, 2020
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  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Battery is air-cooled; you found something else. Your description doesn't match any substance naturally included in that part of the car.
     
    #3 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Nov 26, 2020
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  4. Paul11M111

    Paul11M111 New Member

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    Awesome! That makes sense.

    I have had the car since February and I hadn’t ever looked in the spare area before. Yeah, I guess someone emptied a quart of oil before I got it and the dealer didn’t look/care. So weird!

    Thanks for the reply!

     
    #4 Paul11M111, Nov 26, 2020
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  5. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    what was it??????
     
    #5 Tim Jones, Nov 26, 2020
  6. Paul11M111

    Paul11M111 New Member

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    Honestly, I don’t know! My very best guess is that it’s unused motor oil. I’ll be sopping it up later today.
     
    #6 Paul11M111, Nov 26, 2020
  7. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Congealed rodent urine?
     
    #7 Air_Boss, Nov 26, 2020
  8. Paul11M111

    Paul11M111 New Member

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    Lack of droppings suggested otherwise. Unless it was one really big one.. and that’s just frightening.
     
    #8 Paul11M111, Nov 26, 2020
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  9. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    This was a totally unexpected path....gross

    Never saw that coming...
     
    #9 TMR-JWAP, Nov 26, 2020
  10. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    They frequently dine on Toyota’s soy based wiring sheathing and insulation.
     
    #10 Air_Boss, Nov 27, 2020
  11. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    @Paul11M111 It might just be a coincident that the oil wasn't cleaned up. But with a used at 165k - since I've had trunk leaks that were near impossible to find, even by the pro's, I recommend to keep your eye on it especially after heavy driving rain and/ or after heavy snow melt. I even have waxed paper liner in one of my spare tire wells and have the repainted spare also wrapped in waxed paper, so if it gets wet even once, I'll notice next time I look.
     
    #11 vvillovv, Nov 28, 2020
  12. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I use 78% nitrogen to cool my battery.
     
    #12 rjparker, Nov 28, 2020
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  13. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    I don't have the big cover on my Traction Battery.......................
     
    #13 Tim Jones, Nov 28, 2020
  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I mix mine with some oxygen and CO₂. I've heard some people add pet hair.
     
    #14 ChapmanF, Nov 28, 2020
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  15. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Reminds me of CPU overclockers back around the turn of the century hitting an amazing 4Ghz on the old single cores. How cool are your batteries?
     
    #15 vvillovv, Nov 28, 2020
  16. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Depends on the temperature and pressure of the nitrogen. I run mine at about 1 atm (absolute). Sometimes less if I'm traveling in the mountains.
     
    #16 ChapmanF, Nov 28, 2020
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Just keep the dihydrogen monoxide content low;).

    I hear electronics like lower numbers there(y).
     
    #17 Raytheeagle, Nov 28, 2020
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  18. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Doesn't most everything
     
    #18 vvillovv, Nov 28, 2020
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  19. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    With CAI and a Boost kit...
     
    #19 Air_Boss, Nov 30, 2020
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  20. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Standard Day...
     
    #20 Air_Boss, Nov 30, 2020
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