Performing a DBCAM (battery calibration) using a ThinkCar OBD scanner, with screenshots (for PHEV up to 2022)

[Lafta]

Hey mate,
it seems with the Thinkdiag tool, there are different ways to get to the same result - BMU / BMS is accessible through 'System selection' and also 'Maintenance Function'.
If my writeup is complete, here is what I did:

Session one

• with battery at around 50%SOC, put car in READY mode (ign on)
• let the Thinkdiag scan the VIN to decode what car it is
• System selection BMU
  • read various values by using 'read data stream'
  • execute Cell Voltage Smoothing. Although this function executed, it did not show immediate result.
  • Thinkdiag also offered the menu item capacity measurement, but the drive battery was quite full so I just looked at other service function first

I charged the car over night and used it for around 40kms (it displayed 52km of range on departure which pleases the eye) on electricity but watched cell and pack voltage to not bring it down too far. Returned with pack voltage still above 300V. 40kms is above the range my car normally offers me (30-35kms) and I used 6kWh for that trip - my pack has a SOH of around 8.4kWh so although I depleted the pack more that normally, the pack was still within its safety margins

Session two

• I connected the car to the charger (charging point at my garage, not the supplied charging lead)
• fired up Thinkdiag - if I remember correctly, I did not have to switch the car on - it wont switch to READY anyway with the charging lead connected.
• let the Thinkdiag scan the VIN to decode what car it is
• Maintenance Function BMS
  • it offers the menu items 'control info reset' and 'bat capa estimated info reset' which I did not use this time - I doubt that executing these functions is a necessity for DBCAM and it is also not mentioned in the service procedure for DBCAM. At this moment, I dont recommend to execute these functions if all you want to do is a DBCAM
  • however, as I executed the functions last time when I did DBCAM which resulted in a battery age reset. So, to correct that, I executed
  • manual writing, where I could enter the battery age im months and the km.
    I think the km is a misinterpretation by Thinkdiag as it sets the value 'total current charged and discharged since manufacturing' in Ah - at least the value read out by PHEVWatchdog was set to what I entered. But as that value was very close to the actual Ah throughput (charge and discharge) which was at 85000Ah last month, I left it with the value I entered (around 84000).
  • with charging lead connected, I was able to start the capacity measurement. Various fans and pumps started running for maybe two hours, then the car started charging. I was able to lock it with the remote control and let it charge overnight. On my mobile, I did not terminate the Thinkdiag app, I just walked out of bluetooth range.
  • Next morning, I think I had to reopen the app, do the process of VIN scan etc, go to Maintenance Function BMS, Function Capacity Measurement to find the status 'done' or 'finished', cant remember exactly.
  • removed the Thikdiag and plugged in my other OBD-II-dongle, ran PHEVWatchdog and found the yellow badge for DBCAM and 28.6Ah SOH

I am already looking forward to installing the LEV46 cells to the pack but also think about something different... am tempted to have a separate 300V battery in the trunk connected in parallel but as I also have a spare traction pack shell I may research what kind of recent cells do fit in there an run them using a can bridge... We will see.

Do you have a copy of the service procedure for the DBCAM? I know I have seen it earlier somwhere, but I can`t find it now.

 

[Daixiwen]

The revised procedure can be found here: MSB-17EXL54-501

 

[sjonkomel]

Hey all, just wanted to let you know that based on this post I have purchased the ThinkDiag scanner and performed a DBCAM following the procedure.
Although I didn't perform the reset or cell smoothing, but the DBCAM straight away.

My car is a 2014 Outlander with 131800 Km on the ODO. Battery condition before the DBCAM was 24.6 aH, after DBCAM 26.5. This basically returned it to the state it had at 119k Km. So pretty pleased with the result.
I opted to not reset the BMU because of the obscurity around the battery age and mileage.

I had a DBCAM done once before by the shop in June 2023, where it went from 25.8 to 27.7.

 

[joni_titi]

Hi guys, just wanted to thanks Daixiwen for the comprehensive guide. I followed your guide and I've been able to get back 3.2 Ah on my battery, went from 24.6 Ah to 27.8 Ah, that gave me back around 6 km of range. My car is a 2019 Canadian Outlander PHEV with 98 000 km.

I havent write back the battery age is it a must ?

I'll try the cell smoothing to see if I cant squeze out a little bit more range.

 

[Daixiwen]

I performed a second DBCAM, this time writing the battery age, but I didn't notice any difference so I don't know if it's really necessary to do.

 

[AmorPhev]

Hello everyone! Just want to say thank you for your immense input to this topic. seems line this car here is next in line and am happy to document it as we go.

Before purchase of the equipment and start my first DBCAM battery procedure, was wondering if there's any difference in achievable results between performing the procedure using:

1. ThinkCar OBD scanner + app
2. Mini VCI J2534 + MUT III + driver
3. Taking it to the dealer

planning on doing this soon and would like to know which method would yield the best results

 

[AmorPhev]

When the charge phase is complete, the charge light on the dashboard should turn off. “Execution Status” should show “Complete” and “Error Status” should show “No Error”. The new battery capacity will be in “Battery Current Capacity”, and the DBCAM is now complete!

View attachment 1361

is it mandatory to use a home type charger (slow charger), or can i perform the same steps and use 20Ah on street charger to recharge the battery once the procedure is complete?

 

[LowOnCash]

While I have not researched this tool depth - the majority of service tools are designed mostly for inexperienced so-called lithium techs at the dealers, who don't have a clue what they are doing. if you don't believe it try taking your PHEV to a dealer with a problem.

Bottom line these are just lithium cells typical of thousands of other packs. What are you trying to accomplish?

Mike

 

[LowOnCash]

What is the problem your trying to seek out? I've been using Car Scanner for years all you need is an OBD scanner.

Thanks Mike

 

[AmorPhev]

While I have not researched it depth - the majority of service tools are designed mostly for inexperienced so-called lithium techs at the dealers who don't have a clue what they are doing. Bottom line these are just lithium cells typical of thousands of other packs.

What are you trying to accomplish

Mike

Hi Mike,

I’m looking to increase the capacity (Ah) of the battery pack. From the evidence I’ve found online, it appears that in a 9-10 year old vehicle, the capacity may be limited by software rather than just natural ageing or degradation. Specifically, I believe the maximum charge has been reduced by about 40-50%, which restricts the range.

My goal is to unlock a larger capacity by attempting DBCAM procedure, allowing for more electricity into battery. The precise question I have is: can I use on street charger to complete the charging part of the procedure?


Does anyone know what type of charger or how many Ah /kWh is allowed to use during first recharge procedure right after DBCAM procedure is completed?

 

[AmorPhev]

Trying to minimize occurrence of the error (attached)