Airflap is not working

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Fadi1, Oct 22, 2020.

  1. Fadi1

    Fadi1 Junior Member

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    As per the technician they informed me that the airflap is not working in my 2017 prius, can you please tell me what it is used for? And whether maybe it is disabled? And when connect the car to obd how to check it?

    Thanks

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  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Do you know more about - which air-flap?
     
  3. Fadi1

    Fadi1 Junior Member

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    As he said, it is in the front of the car, he told me it is used to save the engine from when the weather is cold and can be open to cool the engine when whether is hot or something like this

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  4. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    That's called the grille shutter.
     
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  5. Fadi1

    Fadi1 Junior Member

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    He told me airflap, I'm not sure, how to check if the grille shutter is working? Airflap is something else?

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  6. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Senior Member

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    I would take it to another technician who knows to call the grille shutter by its correct name.

    You can check to see if anything is lodged into the slats that make up the shutter. There could be debris in it that is jamming it.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Book Cover Judge

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    OP's in Jordan, maybe a translation thing.
     
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  8. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I don't have a GRILLE SHUTTER here in Australia. Maybe someone could photograph where it is for him.
     
  9. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    That's surprising...
    [​IMG]
     
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  10. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Our thermometers start at 0° C, not 0° F. Seriously - there are some cold spots here - but not cold enough to worry about a Grille Shutter. More likely this type of grille:
    upload_2020-10-23_13-57-30.png Particularly here in the semi-tropics.
     
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  11. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    Not unlike the Southern California desert climate that I live in...
     
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  12. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    maybe they don't have them in hot climates
     
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  13. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    I don't remember where I got this info for the Gen IV, but... here ya go:

    Edit: I'm pretty sure it came from the Weber Automotive Youtube channel.
     

    Attached Files:

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  14. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Senior Member

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    I do not know. Maybe you do and you are just unaware that you have one until it breaks and the dealership tells you that you do in fact have one.

    It would however be located in front of the radiator. In warmer/hotter months it will be wide open to allow maximum air to pass through and in colder months it would start out closed to allow the engine to come up to temperature faster.

    If something big enough strikes through to it, it can damage or jam it open/close and throw a code. Personally, I have not had any incidents with it, but some people have.
     
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  15. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Go to 12:40
     
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  16. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Fairly sure it was mentioned early on that the AUSSIE models don't have the shutters - because we don't (generally) get as cold as you. We've some other differences - the Exhaust Heat recirculation system is missing on ours too.
     
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  17. Fadi1

    Fadi1 Junior Member

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    Thanks for the video so to control it open or close I need to connect to the car, and enable/disable it, it is not automatically?

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  18. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    As I said - I don't have one, but from what I've read, it's totally automatic - unless a rock, bolt, stick, bird etc gets stuck and stops it moving - or something else untoward.
     
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  19. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    If it came with your car, it operates automatically.
     
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  20. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    The grille shutter is so flimsy it looks like it wont withstand any type of impact. And the fact it sits so low to the ground doesn't help either. Mine went out last winter hitting some type of ice chuck and since been out of function with an illuminated check engine light.
     
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