Mysteriously Entering Hybrid Stage4 ?

For those who know about the Gen 2's five stages of hybrid operation, we know that if you get the car up to operating temperature and then stop with the ICE running, then it will cut out after about 5 seconds and then enter "golf cart mode" hybrid stage 4.

Ok the above always works, it definitely gets you into stage4, but it doesn't seem to be the only way to do it. Sometimes when I'm driving and I definitely haven't even stopped I suddenly find that I'm in hybrid stage 4 anyway. It usually happened that I release the accelerator pedal at some speed below 34 MPH and expect to see the ICE still running but it stops. After that I find it's in full "golfcart mode" stage 4, ICE cut's out at any speed when I release the gas pedal.

Ok I'm not complaining. This is a good thing, I love being in stage 4, I wish it would be in stage 4 all the time. I just find it so mysterious, even after learning about the "idle for 5 seconds thing" which greatly helped me understand part of the mystery, it still surprises me sometimes by entering the stage 4 in some as yet unknown way. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

I haven't measured the water temperature but I'm absolutely certain that it's not in stage 2. I'm in a fairly warm climate and this situation always happens after I've been driving for longer than it takes me to reach stage 3. Also, after it happens and I keep driving then I usually test it a few more times (after more driving) to be sure it's really in stage 4. If it was stage 2 then it wouldn't persist like this. In the climate here I'm usually into stage 3 by about three minutes tops.

I'm practically certain that the car is at full operating temperature when it happens and I'm 100% certain that I haven't stopped. So it hasn't entered stage 4 in the normal way but somehow it's in stage 4 just the same.

BTW. This doesn't happen all the time. It's just an occasional thing and I have no idea why. I wish I knew what it was that had caused so I could do it all the time.

 

- No it's definitely not in stage 2. I've already explained that.

- No it's definitely not in stage 3 because the behavior in stage 3 is quite different (ICE wont cut out if you begin your glide below 34 MPH in stage 3).

Ok so no one believes me so I guess no one else has ever had this happen?

For more info on the stages please refer to this : http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/five-stages.txt

 

Yeah if you stop from more than 35 MPH in stage 3 then the ICE will be off, so it wont progress into stage 4. Stabbing at the go pedal will get it to idle and after 5 to 6 seconds enter stage 4.

All I'm saying is that sometimes (not very often mind you) I seem to end up in stage 4 without having stopped and gone through the idle thing but I can't find any rhyme or reason to it.

That definitely could be true. Someone (I think it was Mike Dimmick) said that the 5-6 second thing was something to do with a MAF calibration procedure. Basically it can only do this calibration if it's up to operating temperature and stopped with the ICE at idle. So that's why it keeps us stuck in mode 3 with the engine running when we'd rather it wasn't, because it just wants to get the calibration done.

 

It could be that I suppose. It happened today and I don't remember going under 7 mph with the ICE running, but maybe I did. I only really know for sure that I didn't stop.

One other question on this. Sometimes when I've only stopped (car turned fully off and fob removed) for a few minutes, when I return to the car and continue driving I sometimes find I'm unexpectedly in stage 4. So I'm also wondering if it can actaully "remember" stage 4 provided that don't have the car turned off for too long?