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ICE warm, constantly running

Discussion in 'Prius c Technical Discussion' started by tilopud_rye, Sep 29, 2016.

  1. tilopud_rye

    tilopud_rye New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2016
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    Location:
    Los angeles
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    One
    I live in Los Angeles. I drive a 2014 Prius C I bought used almost a year ago from a rental company. Mileage now is 50k

    My ICE is very warm- you can feel the heat on the hood a couple hours after I stopped driving. While I'm driving the ICE is on most of the time. In the Energy screen the orange ICE path is going both to the wheels and the electric motor most times it is on.

    Starting yesterday I noticed a drop in MPG. About 10-15 miles. Usually the car starts at 99 mpg in electric mode, then fades down to high 40s when ICE kicks in. As of yesterday it has been starting at very low mpgs (less than 10) and climbing up as I drive, but in short distances no more than 42mpg. Instead of starting on electric motor the car now starts on ICE.

    Today I had to drive a greater distance for a meeting. The Energy display showed the ICE almost continually sending energy to the Hybrid Battery- even when the battery was mostly full. Anytime the ICE was running it was also sending energy to the Hybrid Battery. There were a couple moments when the electric motor was running and still the ICE was sending to motor/battery.

    When I got home the hood of the car was very warm where the ICE is. The inside of the hood was very warm as well with the heat coming from the ICE.

    I have kept up with fluids and maintenance. Tire pressure is good.
    I just installed a Kenwood KSC-SW11 powered subwoofer five days ago. The car had been running normally since then until yesterday when all this came up. After the problem came up I removed the power connections for the sub, but the car is still performing the same. I hope it is a coincidence.

    Has anyone else experienced this?
     
  2. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    2007 Prius
    Maybe the 12V is a little on the low side prior to the install of the amp?
    Have you been listening to the radio in ACC or IG-ON mode? If so, this could explain the engine having to run longer/more frequently than "normal."

    Just drive the car. You are being paranoid about the engine feeling warmer than normal, w/o providing objective numbers. Remember, one mans "warm," is another man's "normal," or "hot."

    This is what you will need to provide to rule out paranoia:
    * weather condition at location of engine hood temperature measurement (ie. 90F, 5% humidity, 15MPH breeze, sunny/overcast/etc)
    * location of engine hood temp measurement (under a tree in shade, in an underground parking garage, under direct sunlight, ...)
    * record engine hood temperature
    * day and time of temperature reading
    * device used to measure temperature for each reading

    More importantly, you do realize there is a heat wave going on this whole week?
    Are you using the AC to stay cool as you drive?
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome! isn't it 100+ degrees out there? do you keep track of average tank mpg's? maybe you drained the 12v, and need to put a charger on it, the car won't charge it properly from allow state.
     
  4. tilopud_rye

    tilopud_rye New Member

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    Location:
    Los angeles
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    One
    Battery is measuring 12.8v. The only thermometer I have is for oral use. This was last night around 8pm that I held my hand on the exterior of the closed hood. felt the heat right up on the left side of the hood where the ICE is. Right side of the hood was cool. I drove 50 miles, stopped for 20 minutes, then drove another 12 miles when I felt how warm it was. Opened hood and felt hot air all around ICE- can't estimate temperature but it was enough to share heat with the stand bar. Yesterday was around 90 degrees during daytime. Yes had air conditioning on. Drove in slow traffic and a large portion of the 50 miles on the street. However, during that 50 mile trip I did get 50mpg.

    This morning the car seemed to run fine- I tested it again late last night around midnight, filled it up and got 47mpg for that short trip. It still started at 0mpg at the start and the 'current mpg' was a slow climb up rather than a descent from 99.9 .

    Today on the way back from work (around 93 degrees) the hybrid battery was halfway entire time. The Energy Monitor screen still showed orange going from engine to battery most of the time, but the battery indicator didn't increase or decrease that ride. Less than 10 miles.

    Went out two hours after getting home and still only the ICE was warm. Not burning hot to hand, and to be honest I don't normally go up and touch to see how it feels after a drive. But it seemed warmer than what I would have expected for sitting there after a short drive.
    I filled the coolant about two months ago. I just looked at the coolant and it is actually a bit above the fill line. I opened the radiator fill (cap with "do not open if hot" - that part wasn't hot). The coolant was still all the way up to the cap. Could it be a radiator issue?

    I may just be extra cautious after installing the powered sub. First thought was maybe I didn't ground properly- I connected to a metal bolt by passenger seat. Verified 0 ohms from that bolt to the grounding bolt to battery terminal's connection to ground. I disconnected the sub from battery and ground last night, but after today it doesn't seem to be the cause of the issue.

    Wondering if I should instead have my ground for powered sub going to the bolt that goes to the clamp which holds the 12v battery in place.
     
  5. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

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    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Just as a reality check here - you know that the Prius C is not a Chevy Volt, right? After you've charged up a Chevy Volt by plugging it into the wall for several hours it will run for 50 miles on pure electric power without ever starting the engine, so when you get to your destination the engine will be cold (although the inverter and motor will probably be warm).

    But the Prius C starts the engine right off the get-go in order to warm it up, because that's where the electricity that goes into the battery comes from. And even if you're able to drive for several miles in "EV" mode using just electricity with the engine shut down (down a long, gentle downhill slope, for example) if the engine cools off too much then it will come on again to keep it warm and ready for use. So when you get to your destination you should expect the engine to be just as warm as it would be in any other car.
     
  6. tilopud_rye

    tilopud_rye New Member

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    Location:
    Los angeles
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    One
    Heh... full story: I had two destinations, so the 20 minute stop wasn't just me waiting for my car to charge up if that's what you're getting at.The reason for my concern was the engine being hotter than any other car. High climate and new stereo installation had me thinking all over the place.

    Anyways it looks to be the fan for the traction battery. In Energy Monitor it showed a brief instant of the ICE and hybrid battery going to the traction battery. They were both working to help cool down the traction. After removing the panel I saw the fan was completely caked with lint. I had vacuumed through the panel before thinking that was enough, but it seems the previous owner never did.
     
  7. LasVegasaurusRex

    LasVegasaurusRex Active Member

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    Location:
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    Other Non-Hybrid
    in hot Las Vegas summer, which is even worse than LA, I average anywhere from 2-4 mpg deficit on the mpg counter in my Camry. The HV batteries are air-cooled so the car has to work extra hard to keep them from overheating.