motor running no indicators on screen

Perhaps it was because you were in neutral. It's best to keep to either "D" or "P" so that the car can use the engine to generate electricity when needed (and unlike a car with a regular transmission it can't do that in "N")

 

Had the same thing happen to me a few years ago. Also a cold (for us about 50F) morning. I felt the motor come on at a red light but nothing showed on the screen. To the best of my knowledge it hasn't happened again so I chalked it up to a software anomaly.

 

It is because you had the car in neutral...

 

There is no screen indication of a running motor, only power flow. The MFD shows energy flowing from the ICE to the battery, the ICE to the wheels, the battery to the motors, etc. It will not show that the ICE is simply running, as it would in N.

Tom

 

You indicated earlier that the engine was cold. It wants to maintain a minimum engine and catalyst temperature, and normally won't shut down until those are warm. N may screw up the process.

A ScanGauge will let you monitor engine temperature.

 

The battery will not charge in N. This is important, so let me say it again: if you shift into N, the battery will not charge. The engine will continue to run if it is on, but the battery cannot charge.

As stated above, the Prius will run the engine to keep it warm. Normally this will also result in some charging, since it might as well do some work while it is running.

Tom

 

also.. while in N... since you have a genII the psd doesn't get lubricated...

there were probably hundreds of times your ICE was running and you didn't know... i tell people to never use N because the potential for wear and tear is greater than the few gallons of fuel saved over a long period of time.

 

Prius is not like a conventional drive car in which the automatic transmission is constantly fighting the brakes. If you are not moving the Prius shuts off its drive. Shifting into Park lets you take your foot off the brake pedal, if you find that tiring, but makes absolutely no difference in fuel consumption or mechanical wear. And others pointed out shifting to Neutral is a distinctly bad idea.

 

Glad you admitted to "finally", since it was what I told you in the first reply. LOL

Anyway the PSD is the "Power Split Device", and it's essentially what the Prius uses instead of a regular transmission. There's a good animation of it here : Toyota Prius - Power Split Device

Regarding the use of "D" when stopped. As long as your foot is firmly enough placed on the brake then it will not fight, it will completely stop providing electrical traction power until you lift your foot. You can see this on the energy monitor, if your foot is on lightly on the brake (or if you're using the park brake instead) then you'll see the yellow arrows showing power being applied. Push the brake a little harder and you'll see all arrows stop.

Only if you're stopped for a longer time and don't want to hold your foot on the brake then use "P". If you do use "P" then I recommend also applying the park brake as well.

 

additional note about N... as stated above, it will not charge.. that means the engine may be spinning by force of the electric motor. it's a lot of power being used to make it free spin. if the battery is low on energy and you stick it in N while the engine is spinning, it will continue to spin without fuel and kill your battery. nobody wants their car towed in to a toyota dealership...

 

Uh, no. In N, the electric motor is completely electrically disengaged. If the ICE is spinning in this mode, it is doing so by burning fuel, not by using an electric motor.

Of course, it is using some electric energy to operate the ignition and ECUs, but that is much smaller than the power needed to drive an electric motor.

 

There are two situations where you might still want to use neutral:

1) Dragging your Prius, such as through a car wash or onto a truck.

2) To clean the brakes. Most Prius brakes die from rust, not use. Regenerative braking does such a good job the friction brakes don't get a chance to clean off the dirt and rust. If yours start to do this, you can clean them by forcing friction braking. To do this you switch to N and then apply the brakes. In N regeneration is impossible, so your Prius will switch to friction braking. I usually brake from 40 mph to about 20 and repeat two or three times, after which my brakes stop grabbing and making noise.

Tom

 

B mode doesn't help. B mode uses regenerative braking just like D mode, but activates engine braking to dissipate some regenerated electricity instead of putting it all into the battery.

Normal braking hardly touches the friction brakes, unless you drive aggressively. In damp parts of the world, like where I live, rust builds up on the brake rotors and causes noisy and uneven braking. You will notice it at low speeds when braking to a stop. Someplace under about seven mph the friction brakes will engage. If they are rusty, you will hear it and perhaps they will grab. In my area I notice this about once a month in the winter, but sometimes more often if the conditions are wet.

When my brakes get noisy or start to grab, I do this on an empty section of road:

1) Accelerate up to around 40 mph.

2) Shift to N and brake to about 20 mph.

3) Shift back to D.

4) Repeat until the brakes are smooth (usually about three repetitions).

Brake firmly, but not a panic stop. You want to clean the brakes, not scour them.

Tom

 

2009 gen II priusA couple of corrections are needed here....putting car in neutral keeps the gasoline engine in its current state running or not running ... if the engine is running and car speed is under 40mph...with no accelerator pedel depressed the engine is running on gasoline at 1182rpm's..(warming up)... When mg1 is spinning the ice it is always at 992 rpm's and not consumming any gasoline.....this electric spining always happens when the car is travelling at 41mph and above with no accelerator depression. (depressing pedel starts gas flow combustion).... the transalxe oil pump is pumping oil only when engine is spinning.The engine will never stop spinning above 41 mph for the reason of oiling the power split device (planetary gear set).... after full engine warm up at speeds below 40 mph and no accelerator pedel the engine will shut off and cease lubrication and begin first level regenitive braking without any brake pedel applied what so ever....If you do not want first level regen slowing you down switch to neutral for pure coast.....This is ok to be in neutral no less lubrication as the engine has already stopped turnning the transaxle oil pump when your speed dropped below 40mph....Brake peddle activated regen engages mg1 electrically putting extra load on unlubricated power split device....allthough freshly lubricated (psd) seconds earlier probably no problemo. Extended coasting or extended first stage regen down hills below 40 mph..... transaxle in splash oil lubrication mode probably ok or not?????
Vary rarely at complete stop mg1 will be spinning ice at 992 rpm with no gasoline consumed, general consenses to burn off extra battery charge ...Iin winter months this happens more often.... possibly trying to warm up battery pack..I wish this would never happen...