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Cooler temps now, ICE jerks or lurches when starting

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ssdesigner, Oct 29, 2016.

  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Yeah, for a lot of reasons the US 2 is an attractive level. Missed that.
     
  2. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Boozed up teenagers?

    Uh oh, slipped info the gutter again!
     
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  3. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    I think somebody mentioned that in one of the battery threads, but I'm not sure.
    It sure is nice that Toyota gives us an 8 or 10 year hybrid battery warranty.
     
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  4. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    got it.(y)
     
  5. first_superior_prius

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    I don't know where you live in MN, but Minneapolis has an ordinance against idling. I can't post the link due to being "too new" but if you google minnesota idling laws you'll find it


    Also, the engine warms up faster when you drive it. I lived in Minnesota for 8 years and I always started the car up, let it warm up for a few seconds, and then drove. I kept the blower off for the first minute or two until it'd be ready to blow warmer air.

    If you can't stand a minute or two of cold temps while driving your car, you should move out of MN! :)
     
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  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    I'm dead set against idling normally, but it makes no sense to drive with fogged or frosted windshield.
     
  7. Gen 2 Tom

    Gen 2 Tom Active Member

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    One of the Prius things. Scary the first few times you feel it. I doesn't happen all the time the ICE starts when your stopped.
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Did you have previous gen, notice similar? I'm not too sure about this "Prius thing".

    I've noticed one incident in all the time we've owned our 2010, of the shake at start up. This was after the engine had run for a few seconds, the day before. Still: our 3rd gen leads a sheltered life: almost without fail precede cold starts with a couple of hours on the block heater.
     
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  9. ssdesigner

    ssdesigner Active Member

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    From the Minneapolis Anti-Idling Vehicle Ordinance website:

    6. Idling is allowed if needed to operate defrosters, heaters or air conditioners to prevent a safety or health emergency.

    7. Vehicles may idle up to 15 minutes in a one hour period if the outside air temperature is less than zero degrees or higher than 90 degrees.


    I've lived here all my life, and still don't care for the extreme cold. Most of the time you can't see out of the frosted windows until you let it warm up.
     
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  10. Phatlife

    Phatlife Member

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    my generation 3 is 10 years or 150k on battery in NJ

    SM-G935T ?
     
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  11. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    I had it once, in exactly the same circumstances, with the Gen 3, when it had been started for a couple of seconds the day before. I used to get the same with a 1995 Ford Mondeo I used to have, in the same circumstances. Now I always let the engine run through its first warm up cycle, previously with the Prius+ and now the Gen 4, where the ICE cuts out itself, before switching off and have never had the shakes since.
     
    #51 kithmo, Nov 1, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2016
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  12. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    I've experienced the "lurch, jerk, shakes" several times. I just figured it's normal, weird, Prius behavior. :LOL:
    I never know what to expect from that car day to day.
     
  13. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    Well along with the ICE being cold, so is the transaxle, so clutches and dampening are also going to react different to thicker transaxle fluid.

    Only thing I have noticed and the same was the case with the Prius C. When I let off the gas and press the gas at high speeds I will occasionally feel a bit of a jerk. Nothing more than what you would feel in a regular automatic transmission however. Then again I was going idk 90 MPH...
     
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  14. Toppcat

    Toppcat Member

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    Doesn't the prius C uses a CVT!
     
  15. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Yes, much the same e-CVT as the Prius Gen 3.
     
  16. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Clutches & dampening in the Prius, you lost me there, please explain ?
    It would have to be reeeeealy cold to thicken the AWS fluid to the extent to make it cause juddering, it's like water thin.
     
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  17. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    Well on transmission fluid, all I can go by is what I have experienced with automatic transmissions on a cold morning...However, the eCVT is a totally different design.

    That being said there is a clutch between the crankshaft and transaxle...this way you don't feel the car jerk when the engine starts and stops...So with the fluid and engine being cold you're more likely to feel more of a shudder....

    I am also not a transmission guy...

    However if you're interested in the engineering of the eCVT have a look at this video...

     
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  18. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Keep diggin' you're well into a hole now :rolleyes:, if you're not a transmission guy I suggest you stop now :cautious:.
    The shock absorbing clutch plate between the flywheel and the transaxle would behave no differently whether the engine was cold or hot.
    On the last 3 Priuses I've had I have never experienced a judder when the engine starts or stops normally, the only judder I have experienced was, as I said in a previous post, when the engine didn't start normally.
     
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  19. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

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    The vehicle juddering on ICE startup is because it can exert torque on the wheels when MG1 is exerting torque. MG2 has to counterhold this, but it's not perfect, especially if the ICE is cold and therefore running unpredictably.

    The vehicle juddering when lifting off the accelerator and then pressing it again is because the engine's in the process of shutting down, and then it has to start again quickly to respond to your request.
     
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  20. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    Suggest I stop? A wee bit rude if you ask me. Correct me where I am wrong, that's all fine. This is after all a forum, I doubt most people who offer answers, solutions to problems are experts...otherwise we would all be working for Toyota.

    I think the answer lies in the ICE in most all cases, except where a transmission is worn out or has some other issue. My guess would be that if it is cold, probably normal for the most part, could be the ICE misfiring or weak combustion on the first few strokes if it is really cold out... I never noticed anything out of the ordinary in either Prius I have owned. I will admit that my sister's Gen 2 seemed to be a bit more noticeable when the ICE started/stopped but also has 138,000 miles on it....so I would assume wear and tear has an effect on things.

    I had a 2015 Dodge Challenger which I got rid of. Transmission had to replaced on day one...brand new too. The replacement transmission worked ok but cold it shifted very firm and was slow to shift. After the car warmed up to normal temp, the car would shift smoothly. Didn't matter if it was 70 F outside or 20 F, always was sloppy shifting cold. Now, if it were an old old transmission design one could argue about valves and whatnot... correct me if I am wrong but most automatic transmissions just use shift solenoids and various electronics to shift....so what would have been the issue there? Aside it being an inferior design (I really was not all that impressed in the car, looked great...was fast and all but definitely not a car to have as a daily driver and have those sort of problems).