One of my Prius won't start (not started for 3 months) FIXED!! Wrong Spare Key

The hybrid system only partially charges the hv battery when idling. The engineers must of thought no one would waste gas in a Prius by sitting there and idling. You have to drive the car a few miles to get it fully charged and then shut it off.

There is a forced charged hack Dr Prius suggests when running there questionable life expectancy test. I don’t recommend it in part because driving is so much better to lubricate everything, exercise the brakes, avoid tire flat spotting and to get the engine up to temperature.

So idling only partially charges the hv battery and causes engine thermal cycling by never getting to temp. The engine temp will rise to maybe 116f the first charge cycle, rise to perhaps 150f the second cycle, drop 20-30 degrees, rise again and so on. Thermal cycling is not good for a head gasket on an all aluminum engine.

 

Drive the car I do this with cars without tags on them up and down my street all the time never a problem and I pull back in my driveway with a green battery or close to it and shut it off for another 3 weeks

 

Leave it on low now that that's that's no good If anything you'd have to come up with a way to apply the brake and put it in drive and let it sit at about I don't know 2000 RPMs or something and even then but you have to do what you have to do for the particular situation you're in usually I find a side street and run up and down in a few times and pull in the driveway I'm well known where I am so I can get away with this and the only accident I'm going to have is running off the road in the ditch or something or somebody's going to hit me not for any particular reason but you won't be my fault plus I'm way out in the country so it's a completely different situation.

 

Wow things are really that bad in that area of Ohio really I hate to hear that I guess that's why we don't drive out that way since the '80s or so things have gotten so screwed up We just fly straight to California Colorado whatever it is we got to do You don't drive anymore because of risk is too great and get killed out on them roads for nothing you know just be another internet story . But I didn't think if you lived in that part of Ohio things could would really be too bad etc etc but you have to gauge that on a personal level

 

Yeah I do that too and I generally don't trust a turn signal that's coming at me because the quality of the humans that we're dealing with a lot today shoor you better be ready to be crushed And someone standing there shrugging their shoulders wondering what the heck they're doing and then the police show up and don't know what the hell they're doing and finally the rescue crew gets there maybe you'll get to the hospital in a timely manner No no thank you

 

Read my post again.

It will partially charge sitting in Ready. Not fully and you get thermal cycling.

Tom is describing the Dr Prius forced charge method. Not good for your situation.

Drive the car periodically or sell it.

 

It does not matter. The transaxle can drive the car and charge at the same time. Just try it.