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Is ICE running

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by harshfie, Oct 25, 2007.

  1. harshfie

    harshfie Junior Member

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    Sorry, folks, if this is already answered elsewhere, but I searched and did not find...

    How can you tell if the ICE is really running?

    I find that after my Prius is well warmed up, I can pretty much rely on the main screen to tell me this. If there are orange lines coming from the ICE icon, then the engine is running. If not, the ICE must be off. When my pri is in warmup mode, however, those orange lines lie to me.

    I live on a mountain, and my first 4 minutes are all downhill when I leave home. As I pull out of the driveway, and gravity starts to kick in, I remove my foot from the "gas" peddle and the orange lines immediately go out as if the ICE were off. But I watch the MPG, and find that it is displaying a number less than 99 MPG, so I know the ICE must really be on. As gravity pulls me even faster, my MPG display eventually clamps at 99 MPG, so I really can't tell if the ICE is on. Of course, I can use the brake to slow down to confirm the ICE status: 99 MPG implies ICE off, less than 99 MPG implies ICE on.

    There must be a better way. Any ideas?

    Thanks......
     
    #1 harshfie, Oct 25, 2007
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    There are times where it can be hard to tell. I can feel/hear the slight rumble of low rpms most of the time now. But I have CAN-View now and sometimes still need to glance at the ICE rpm readout on that to know for certain.

    One little trick to get the ICE to shut off more readily by itself though is to make sure you get into what we call S4 (stage 4). Once you're fully warmed up (ICE temp over 150) you have to come to a complete stop for about 5-6 seconds...the ICE will shut down and you'll be in stage 4. Then any time you take your foot off the gas, as long as you're going less than 41mph, the ICE will quickly shut off. Realize that any time you're over 41mph the ICE will be forced to spin..that's the way the car is programmed.
     
    #2 efusco, Oct 25, 2007
  3. paulccullen

    paulccullen New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harsh (pri touring '07) @ Oct 25 2007, 09:59 AM) [snapback]530299[/snapback]</div>
    I noticed this too, when I first got my Prius. Even tho' the MFD showed no ICE activity, I could feel it running, especially just after startup. When I got a CAN-view I could actually see the ICE activity (A Scangauge would probably show it as well).

    I don't know if there is a way to see actual ICE activity without an add-on tool. Maybe one of the diagnostic screens has ICE rpm. See this thread for more info.
     
    #3 paulccullen, Oct 25, 2007
  4. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    Before you are in stage 4 you can get a no arrows blank screen with the ice still on, I think this is stage 2 above 34 mph, but with ev switch and scan gauge I don't see that anymore since I force ice off when I can, so I don't remember the exact situation.
     
    #4 douglas001001, Oct 25, 2007
  5. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    One simple rule to remember is the MFD lies.
     
    #5 Presto, Oct 25, 2007
  6. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    GET A SCAN GAUGE!! :lol: :lol:

    Seriously, until I got mine, there were times I thought it was off, because the MFD showed not arrows, but with the scan gauge I can see the RPM's.
    :)
     
    #6 Rangerdavid, Oct 25, 2007
  7. jk450

    jk450 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harsh (pri touring '07) @ Oct 25 2007, 12:59 PM) [snapback]530299[/snapback]</div>
    The screen is eye candy for the driver, and often simplifies operation (after all, it only shows one electric motor). Having said that...

    During warmup, those orange lines show that the ICE is CHARGING the HV battery through MG1. They are not meant to show that it is running. Once that initial, brief charging cycle is completed (a nice test of the system, even if the SOC didn't need an adjustment), the engine may continue to run for a bit if engine coolant temperature is not hot enough.

    Sometimes the coolant temp is already up to snuff at that point, and the engine shuts off immediately after the initial charging cycle.
     
    #7 jk450, Oct 25, 2007
  8. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Are you willing to do a modicum of wiring? My injection light is
    a pretty reliable way to tell if you're burning gas or not. Lemme
    know if you need doc on where to wire it in.
    .
    _H*
     
    #8 hobbit, Oct 26, 2007
  9. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Does the consumption screen tell you if the engine is running and burning fuel? You know the instant consumption bar, if the engine is running then you are using petrol although if the HSD is dumping energy from an overcharged (in HSD terms) battery it wont show fuel consumption. This seems to be the case with the AU model with L/100km display.
     
    #9 patsparks, Oct 26, 2007
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