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engine on permanent 'high rev'

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Imee, Jul 29, 2014.

  1. Imee

    Imee New Member

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    2007 prius 1.5. Engine seems to be always on a high rev 99l/100kms. On idle, energy monitor reads 99lt/100kms and as soon as i accelerate, it drops to an average of 10lt/100kms and as soon as i slow down or come to a halt, the engine goes back to 99lt/100kms (sounds like the 'choke' is on full. I sometimes use ev mode to shut engine at a stop.
    further to that, the hybrid battery seems to be erratic. if ever it reaches full (green), i'd drive the vehicle very slowly and switch to ev mode but that lasts for most 3-4 minutes until the hybrid battery drops right to purple.
    On take off (gently accelerating), energy monitor rushes to 25-35lt/100kms and drops rapidly to 9-15lt/100kms.
    when hybrid is very low, engine seems to be straining and forced to run.
    the above is mainly on short runs (stop and go)
     
    #1 Imee, Jul 29, 2014
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome to priuschat! you probably need a new hybrid battery, how many miles on her?
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 29, 2014
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  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Thats all the symptoms of a failing hybrid battery that and the battery fan in the back seat is on.
     
    #3 edthefox5, Jul 29, 2014
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  4. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I agree with the above. The symptoms you describe seems to indicate a failing traction battery.

    Any lights on the dash yet? Red Triangle? CEL, etc.? How many miles on her? Have you hooked up a Prius aware code scanner to the ODB port yet? If so, are there any codes present?

    Ron (dorunron)
     
    #4 dorunron, Jul 30, 2014
  5. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...we're talking Durban, South Africa, right? Welcome! I think the battery too.
     
    #5 wjtracy, Jul 30, 2014
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  6. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    It is of course completely normal for any car that is stationary but idling to have an instantaneous fuel consumption of zero MPG (or infinite L/100km).

    So you're trying to shorten the life of your battery as much as possible while at the same time reduce your fuel economy? If not then don't do the above.

    I'd recommend the following.

    1. Check that the rear battery cooling vents and fan are unobstructed. (There's some threads with "how to" info here if you search on it).

    2. Consider letting the engine warm for a short period (40 to 60 seconds) after cold starts. This helps prevent the HV charge dropping too quickly in the first few minutes and definitely helps "nurse" a tired battery.

    3. Limit your use of (button activated) EV mode as much as possible.
     
    #6 uart, Jul 31, 2014
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