Polling to characterize Prius cold-start knock

Don't all the production PIP's have the updated intake manifold that solved the engine knock problems that the earlier (non-plug-in) Prius had?

 

hi. first post.
i had never heard of this sound until this morning. the plug in (1500 miles) gas engine sounded like my old jeep wrangler's when it started: knocking and barely turning over.
i'll fill out the poll and start reading around, but just so i know, is this something i should take to the dealer to be repaired, or something people just deal with? (guess it happens on other models). tia
j

 

where are you located, and what were the circumstances the previous 24 hours leading up to this?

 

western new york. it actually hadn't been started for the previous 24 hours, and finished charging 12 hours prior to starting. 26 degrees or so. i have to read up on how to better warm the inside of the car up so that when i drive i can be in EV without the engine, which is what i was trying to do when it sounded like that. between that and the bad driving in the snow, it was a bad PiP day yesterday for me.

 

generally, it's been the operation of the engine prior to the poor start. specifically, an incomplete warm up cycle such as moving the car in the driveway and shutting it down.

 

No way to warm up the PIP unless you put some kind of block heater or electric heater in the car. Sorry. In DEC-Jan. just drive and let the ICE work and enjoy the heat. Pick up with hyper-miling in the late spring. In the winter EV will still start when engine has warmed. For those of us Northerners who thought EV would work all the time for our short trips around town, cry for a minute then adjust our thinking. In cold weather with everything off I cannot keep the ICE from engaging when I hit 40. Under 30 OK.

 

that's interesting big dude. how cold is it? i went out today, 30 degrees, ice never came on, speeds uptoabout 50mph.

 

Same here. With the Heater off and Driver Seat Heater on, the ICE does not start until I get on the Highway with 65 mph. The ICE stops when back on 55 mph road, until the EV miles are gone.

 

My 2012 (Jan build) non-PIP suffered from the same knock once. I thought all 2012s had the updated manifold. If so then that didn't solve the issue.

 

Glad you told us about the 40 mph point. That really curbs my interest in the PIP a bit. Toyota still has a lot of thing to address. No way can I get on these roads and drive 30 mph... without getting run over.

 

don't be silly.

 

There's lot of reasons the PIP ICE starts even though not due to drive wheel demand- it's not really a major concern.
On my 2012 Prius Five which I owned for six months (including the "sweet" summer high MPG months) my lifetime MPG was 50.4 MPG. With the 2012 PIP (traveling the same roads to work, etc...) I've had for three months now, which include many days where the temps have been at or below freezing in the mornings- my lifetime fuel usage is at 90MPG (and still rising even as the daily temps fall).
Is it annoying to have the PIP ICE start when 'you' don't need it (but apparently the car does)? Yeah, it's a minor annoyance. Does it negatively affect fuel efficiency? Not really.
Toyota has done an amazing job transforming the Prius to the PIP- don't let a few small annoyances stop you from enjoying the benefits and features the PIP has to offer.

FWIW- I can go over 60mph without the ICE starting in the cold mornings- a lot of it depends how cold it was overnight...