Help for peugeot Ion 2012 that doesn't work.

[Franco Vecchi]

Hi everyone, I brought home with the tow truck an ION which starts but gives an error as soon as I put a gear in it. Furthermore, charging seems to start, but after a short while it goes into standby.
I tried with OBDzero and the traction battery is at around 40% and the cells are all within 10mV. I charged the service battery and managed to move the car for a few metres, then it suddenly stopped.
The 12V battery is recharged (in READY I measure a voltage higher than 14.2V). CANBUS communication with bluetooth adapter is very difficult, it constantly disconnects and I can't make any test in a stable state. I also use the same OBD adapter with the Nissan Leaf where it works very well and is always stable, so I assume there are problems on the CANBUS of the ION.
After several attempts I managed to find the P1A52 error, (using CarScannerPro) which should concern the first cell.
With such cumbersome communication with the app I was unable to see and monitor under load the voltage of the first cell if it drops.

First of all I would like to have stable communication, what do you recommend I check in this regard?
if useful, i have a usb oscilloscope.

Thank you

 

[MickeyS70]

CANBUS communication with bluetooth adapter is very difficult, it constantly disconnects and I can't make any test in a stable state. I also use the same OBD adapter with the Nissan Leaf where it works very well and is always stable, so I assume there are problems on the CANBUS of the ION.

The triplets are very selective when it comes to OBD dongle/app combinations, the fact that it works well on your Leaf doesn’t mean it will do the same on an Ion.

Hobdrive (paid version) seems to be the only app that works reliably with even ‘low cost’ Bluetooth dongles on Android.

If you have a (spare) laptop, you may also look into Diagbox/MUT3.
https://myimiev.com/threads/overvie...ters-their-functionality-and-the-future.5719/

Whatever you choose, it’s essential to be able to establish reliable CAN communication.

After several attempts I managed to find the P1A52 error, (using CarScannerPro) which should concern the first cell.

This could be caused either a weak cell or more likely a faulty channel on the CMU01 board, either way it will most likely require to remove the HV battery to fix it…

 

[Franco Vecchi]

The triplets are very selective when it comes to OBD dongle/app combinations, the fact that it works well on your Leaf doesn’t mean it will do the same on an Ion.

Hobdrive (paid version) seems to be the only app that works reliably with even ‘low cost’ Bluetooth dongles on Android.

If you have a (spare) laptop, you may also look into Diagbox/MUT3.
https://myimiev.com/threads/overvie...ters-their-functionality-and-the-future.5719/

Whatever you choose, it’s essential to be able to establish reliable CAN communication.

This could be caused either a weak cell or more likely a faulty channel on the CMU01 board, either way it will most likely require to remove the HV battery to fix it…

Thankyou, for the moment i prefer to use an app on smartphone, but I'm not able to buy Hobdrive (payment problem, maybe for war? ) so i tried other app.
Which OBD adapter can you recommend?

 

[MickeyS70]

Which OBD adapter can you recommend?

My personal preference OBDLink LX, hands down, it’s not cheap, but has been proven to work with all ‘triplet’ approved apps (Android).

Courtesy of @Rational there is a set of short videos on how to set it up, see post 9 below:

https://myimiev.com/threads/smartphone-tablet-apps-for-i-miev-c-zero-and-ion.4936/

 

[Franco Vecchi]

thank you @MickeyS70 and @Rational !
a few hours ago, with a mechanic friend of mine, with his professional tool, we verified this situation:

The car works, and goes into "ready". Only if the battery current exceeds 4 A does the P1A52 error appear. Whether by run in D or in R, turn on Heather or AC system.
If the battery current is less than 4A, everything works fine.

An error relating to current absorption is also reported about cell 1, as warning, not DTC
What could it be? Is it necessary to open the battery pack?
Battery is at SOC about 35% and all cells are all within 10mV. About 3,8V.

 

[MickeyS70]

The car works, and goes into "ready". Only if the battery current exceeds 4 A does the P1A52 error appear. Whether by run in D or in R, turn on Heather or AC system.
If the battery current is less than 4A, everything works fine.

An error relating to current absorption is also reported about cell 1, as warning, not DTC
What could it be? Is it necessary to open the battery pack?

P1A52 is set if one of the 8 cells of CMU01 reports a cell voltage of less than 2.3V

All cells are connected in series, therefore the current is the same through all 88. A weak cell will drop its voltage under load, although 4A is nothing (foot to the floor will result in about 150A).

It would be interesting to compare the reported voltage of cell1 with the rest a) when the car is ready and b) when P1A52 appears..

Unfortunately yes, you’re looking at removing the battery pack next..

 

[Franco Vecchi]

P1A52 is set if one of the 8 cells of CMU01 reports a cell voltage of less than 2.3V

All cells are connected in series, therefore the current is the same through all 88. A weak cell will drop its voltage under load, although 4A is nothing (foot to the floor will result in about 150A).

It would be interesting to compare the reported voltage of cell1 with the rest a) when the car is ready and b) when P1A52 appears..

Unfortunately yes, you’re looking at removing the battery pack next..

I did as you say: continuously look at the cell voltage both before and at the moment the error is triggered, unfortunately the diagnostic tool does not report any significant changes (only few mV). The sampling time is probably too high . But it seems strange to me that a cell can have such a high voltage difference (from 3.8 to 2.3V) with only 4A and be perfectly balanced at rest. When I started the car fisrt time, the SOC was just over 40% and now it is around 35, so some Ah was taken from the battery without any cell dropping more than the others.
Couldn't it be a BMS problem or a "loose bolt" in the busbar? or could it be a defect in the current sensor?

 

[MickeyS70]

I did as you say: continuously look at the cell voltage both before and at the moment the error is triggered, unfortunately the diagnostic tool does not report any significant changes (only few mV). The sampling time is probably too high . But it seems strange to me that a cell can have such a high voltage difference (from 3.8 to 2.3V) with only 4A and be perfectly balanced at rest.

yes, such a big voltage drop is unlikely been caused by a faulty cell

Couldn't it be a BMS problem or a "loose bolt" in the busbar? or could it be a defect in the current sensor?

Assuming the reported DTC is correct and ruling out a weak cell, what's left is most likely a faulty channel on CMU01.

Why it only happens @ currents above 4A is strange, but it could be explained that the A/D converter on the LTC chip is not working correctly below a certain voltage, in this case even a drop of a a few mV could cause a fault. The error will then stop the current and the voltage recovers immediately, hence you see no difference??

The good new is that this could be 'fixed' (at least temporarily) by using a CAN bridge that will correct the faulty readings without having to remove the HV battery.

see below
https://myimiev.com/threads/cmu-can-‘spoofing’.5505/

 

[Franco Vecchi]

Thankyou, just ordered arduino kit for can bridge. I will try to spoof the error , and then see what happens and decide what to do....