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Troubleshooting help please! Step on gas....hesitation response????

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mountaintodd, Jun 18, 2019.

  1. mountaintodd

    mountaintodd Junior Member

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    PriusChat to the Rescue please!!

    my wife and I have a 2013 Prius II with about 110k miles on it.

    I just got a call from my wife saying that she experienced "a delayed/hesitation response" a couple of times when trying to accelerate! She also said that she noticed an abnormal louder sucking sound coming from the HV battery vent on the side of the rear passenger side seat! I told her to check and make sure that the vent was clear, and she said it looks clear.

    Anybody know what's going on here? Why the hesitation during acceleration? Why the abnormal, louder sucking sound coming from the HV battery vent? Are these two things related?

    We have plans to go out of town tomorrow with the Prius, so I'm a little nervous about this. Thanks for everyone's time and help!
     
    #1 mountaintodd, Jun 18, 2019
  2. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    This is normal if the battery is in a low State of Charge. You are more likely to encounter this condition during the warmer months since A/C compressor usage is likely to drain the HV battery very rapidly. The battery is also running hotter and the fans are being kicked on to cool it.

    I have experienced the same condition for a while and the issue has been extremely prevalent for me over the last year. My theory is that I am seeing less battery capacity (and quicker drain) due to normal HV Battery deterioration. At 192k miles, I am not surprised. But 110K does seem a bit early unless you are in a warm weather state or if you do a lot of mountain driving.
     
    #2 The Critic, Jun 18, 2019
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  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    If the battery is too warm, the computer will ramp up the speed of the battery cooling fan, causing audible airflow noise. It will also reduce the battery's contribution to acceleration- that's a very significant amount of acceleration.

    It might really be too warm, or it might be a sensor fault where it just thinks things are too warm.
     
    #3 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jun 18, 2019
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  4. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I am assuming that the OP’s fan is clean. Mine is. I have simply noticed that my battery runs hotter compared to before. I do not know if this is normal for an older battery or if I have other issues. Perhaps @2k1Toaster can advise.
     
    #4 The Critic, Jun 18, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2019
    Raytheeagle and mountaintodd like this.
  5. mountaintodd

    mountaintodd Junior Member

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    Thanks for the info. and help! That makes me feel a little better for sure. I was hoping that it wasn't anything that was going to leave us stranded, or forced to have to bring it over to the stealership! I enjoy doing the work myself when I can. PriusChat is always a huge help with that as well!

    For problem related notable specifics; we do live in the mountains, and it hasn't been hot outside, upper 70's. My wife's driving pattern wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary either. Although, maybe my wife was just sitting in the car with the A/C on blasting for too long, and drained the HV battery low, which "this time" caused the hesitation. Weird! Thanks again!
     
    #5 mountaintodd, Jun 18, 2019
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    have you cleaned the cooling fan?
     
    #6 bisco, Jun 18, 2019
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