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Hard shifting?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Ali T, Feb 16, 2015.

  1. Ali T

    Ali T New Member

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    I got a brand new 2014 prius c(one) about two weeks ago now and it feels like it "hard shifts" when coasting from 43mph-40mph. The dealership says its normal, they said that it is just the engine switching. Does anyone else feel this?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what exactly are you feeling? is it when you let off the gas and the ice shuts down and regen kicks in?
    why not take another for a test drive at the dealer? honestly, i don't feel anything, but i'm pretty numb.
     
  3. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    I had the same issue early in the life of my Prius "v." It went away after the first 2,000 to 3,000 miles.
     
  4. Ali T

    Ali T New Member

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    Thanks! I hope it goes away, it just freaks me out
     
  5. wlee

    wlee Junior Member

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    Picked up my car two weeks ago - at 600 miles now and haven't noticed any hard shifts including highway driving at steady speeds of 40-65 mph - dealer made it a point to emphasize the smoothness with ecvt. Just to be clear, when you say hard shifts, I interpret it as jerkiness such as shifting on a manual car.
     
  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    That is the right speed range for the ICE to be starting or stopping. It isn't always seamless, the original Ford Fusion Hybrid did it smoother. Sometimes I feel it, sometimes I don't, and with time I just don't notice it as much.
     
  7. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    It won't. There are some small but detectable "bumps" under various conditions as the gas engine starts and stops.

    You said "coasting" around 40 MPH. That is one condition where the engine might turn off and run only on battery until you push on the gas, encounter a hill or the battery runs low. When the engine turns off it is sometimes noticeable; more so if you are stopped at the time.
     
  8. robertmaria

    robertmaria Member

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    i sometimes feel a connect/disconnect at those speeds as the electric clutch for the gas engine hooks up or coasts. there are no gears to shift. also i think i can feel how the transaxle tries to connect the other right side while the one side is permanently a part of the wheel turning. itz very primitive. i am surprised the cluches never overheat. (or do they??).
     
  9. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    The clutches are machines with frictional surfaces.

    A quick "crisp" shift is more efficient and generates less frictional heat than a long "smooth" sliding lockup.

    Human beings impart their own and misdirected opinion that a quick "crisp" shift damage a clutch more than a smooth one. Car designers know this and create smooth lockups at the expense of mechanical function and efficiency.

    I had a girlfriend once who cannot effectively understand that a long drawn out stop is more damaging than a quick smooth shorter distance one.
     
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  10. Matt H

    Matt H Active Member

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    There are no clutches in any of the Prius cars.
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Well, no intentionally operated clutches.

    There is a torque damper, which is technically a clutch and which a previous poster pictured to prove a semantic point. But it isn't the type of clutch most of us normally think about.
     
  12. Matt H

    Matt H Active Member

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    Torque damper is not a clutch. Not even "technically." A torque damper is a shock absorber.

    In order to be a clutch, it must engage and disengage transmitted power. The torque damper in the Toyota HSD never uncouples. There is no mechanism for it to uncouple.
     
  13. robertmaria

    robertmaria Member

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    it uses an electric magnet to CLUTCH
     
  14. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    As best I can remember from the prior discussion, this damper will uncouple enough to slip. Strong springs normally hold a friction element together (engaged), but it can momentarily disengage to provide mechanical protection. Both major parties to that particular dispute (I wasn't part of it) ended up agreeing that it was a clutch.

    PS: some links
    Does Gas Engine ever directly drive wheels | Page 2 | PriusChat
    PSD Functioning | Page 2 | PriusChat
    PSD Functioning | Page 2 | PriusChat
     
    #14 fuzzy1, Feb 25, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2015
  15. In your car, switch to the ECO screen (the one with the green arc and eco score). Do you feel the hard shift when the "EV" icon displays or goes away?