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Storing the Prius for 45 Days

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Siward, Oct 23, 2019.

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  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, see my previous comment regarding coolant. Basically: if you drain two liters of coolant you will not need to clamp any hoses. Clamping hose is ineffective anyway: you clamp hoses, pull them off, and then the coolant pours out of the cooler, lol.

    It's a sand pounder that third gen owners would need to do this BS, usually DIY, since it's so labour intensive, and the dealerships are completely clueless. But there it is.

    What I dropped was the rear gasket. I would recommend to at least be ready, able to remove the engine under panel if needed. Anything dropped may go right through, be laying atop the under panel. Or hang up on it's way down. I'm not sure which is worse.

    That rear gasket has no clips (the one at the front of the EGR does, go figure). The rear gasket is very easy to miss: you remove the nuts at rear connection, then back out the studs, and the gasket is free to fall. Just need to be on your toes, to catch it.
     
    #21 Mendel Leisk, Dec 9, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2019
  2. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    I have been investigating possible causes for rough starts on this forum for a while now. My findings are:
    1) Clogged EGR - which most people claim as the cause
    2) Head Gasket - Gasket masters (youtube) has a short video claiming it is cylinder 1
    3) Spark plugs or ignition wires - Maybe? as I have to replace my spark plugs soon.

    My symptoms are:
    1) Only happens on car startup. Never after the car is driven.
    2) Rough shaking (if it happens) only lasts a few seconds after startup. It eventually goes away.
    3) More likely happens on cold/wet days or after short trips or if the car is undriven for a period of time (e.g. 49 days)
    4) Never happens after restarting the car after long trips when the engine is warm

    My auto knowledge is limited, but isn't the EGR there only to help warm the engine up faster? I can live with some knocking noises on startup as long as it doesn't damage the engine.
     
    #22 Siward, Dec 9, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2019
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    You could start by checking the condition of the EGR pipe, between the EGR valve and intake manifold. @NutzAboutBolts has a specific video for that. It's relatively easy.

    Same story for the intake manifold.
     
    #23 Mendel Leisk, Dec 9, 2019
  4. George W

    George W Active Member

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    If you don't have anyone to start the car occasionally, I would disconnect the orange safety plug, so that someone doesn't try to start it occasionally.
     
    #24 George W, Dec 9, 2019
  5. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    It is very likely that my engine will knock/shake if I start the car for short trips or (even worse) with just idling.

    Thus, I didn't start and idle the car. I thought it would make things worse.
     
    #25 Siward, Dec 9, 2019
    bisco likes this.
  6. George W

    George W Active Member

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    I was thinking more along the lines of anti-theft protection
     
    #26 George W, Dec 9, 2019
  7. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    No need for anti-theft. The Prius is one of the least statistically stolen vehicles in North America with the exception of the state of California.

    It is one of the reasons I bought a Prius. My previous Corolla (with immobilizer) was stolen from a parking lot.
     
    #27 Siward, Dec 10, 2019
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I don't I could steal my car... :oops:
     
    #28 Mendel Leisk, Dec 10, 2019
  9. George W

    George W Active Member

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    Since the HV pack is electrically the same as a string of Christmas tree lights, disconnecting the safety plug would interrupt the circuit and maybe slow down any discharge.
     
    #29 George W, Dec 10, 2019
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  10. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    I left the car at full bars on the dash display. It was still full bars when I started the car up 49 days later. Stored inside a garage away from the cold.

    I don't think the discharge is the problem. It would better to keep the battery at the correct state of charge (SOC) range and to store it at a good temperature.

    Batteries die by over-discharging or over-charging. This is why the Prius engine kicks in when the charge is low.
    Battery life is lost by repeated charge/discharge cycles. You can't do anything about regular usage.
    Battery life is extended using temperature management. This is why Prius battery has a fan.
    Then there's the battery memory effect where if the same charge is kept for a long time, the battery may no longer charge. Lithium batteries are better than Nickel-metal in this regard. You may argue that the slow discharge actually helps in this case.
     
    #30 Siward, Dec 11, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2019
  11. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    Yeah, that's what we see on the lot too. High Voltage battery charge is never a concern. It's always the 12v that's dead. But it's that way with about every vehicle on the lot. All the computers in cars these days.

    Did you use a battery tender for that 12v?
     
    #31 dubit, Dec 11, 2019
  12. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    No battery tender as I have a really long 12V battery warranty. 5 yr replacement, 9 year pro-rated. If it dies, I would have gotten a new battery for free.
     
    #32 Siward, Dec 12, 2019
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Ah, the "free lunch".
     
    #33 Mendel Leisk, Dec 12, 2019
    Michael Wood, kc5dlo and bisco like this.
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