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Prius C owners: clean the fan of hybrid battery ASAP

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Harry Le, Apr 9, 2020.

  1. Harry Le

    Harry Le New Member

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    Hello!
    Just checked the hybrid battery fan of my car (2017 Prius C 35,000 miles). Very surprise. So dirty. I used brush teeth to remove dirt from sieve and now it was cleaned.
    I am not professional to maintenance the car but this is what I can do to prevent the issue of battery.
    Just want to share with you guy.
     
    #1 Harry Le, Apr 9, 2020
    rjdriver, dubit, iceman13 and 2 others like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thank you!

    any idea where all the dirt came from?
     
    #2 bisco, Apr 9, 2020
  3. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Yeah, I guess my question is did you buy it used, or do you regularly transport dogs/animals?
    I think checking and cleaning the hybrid battery fan is always a good maintenance idea.
    Just somewhat surprised that a Prius with only 35,000 miles on it, and less than 3 years service would be in that bad a shape without extenuating circumstance.
     
    #3 The Electric Me, Apr 9, 2020
  4. Harry Le

    Harry Le New Member

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    I think like in the house, when we change the air filter, we can see dirt. Same thing in the car, dirt can came from the air ( outside and inside).
     
    #4 Harry Le, Apr 9, 2020
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yeah, cali air is bad. i'm still on the 8 year old engine air filter
     
    #5 bisco, Apr 9, 2020
  6. Harry Le

    Harry Le New Member

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    No, this car I bought the new car and no animal/dog in my car.
     
    #6 Harry Le, Apr 9, 2020
  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    You're last name wouldn't happen to be Talbot and you wouldn't black out during full moons?

    I believe you that your fan must of been dirty.
    But it is a little strange that it would be in such evidently dire need of cleaning with relatively low miles and few years.

    Whatever the case, it's always a good idea to check your fan, and clean.

    Edit:
    I see now...California Air....
    Makes me glad I'm in the Pacific Northwest.
     
    #7 The Electric Me, Apr 9, 2020
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  8. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Ive heard of a surprisingly high amount of Prius C battery failures due to the fans getting clogged with dust and dirt. Even a good friend of mine had his C battery go bad. It’s a shame because most people don’t, and probably won’t know to clean it before it’s too late!
     
    #8 Aaron Vitolins, Apr 9, 2020
  9. iceman13

    iceman13 Member

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    Could it be that the fan intake is mounted so low compared to other models? . I check it regularly, it’s always clean because I always use the A/C and don’t carry people or items in the back seat.
     
    #9 iceman13, Apr 9, 2020
  10. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    See that’s what I thought too.

    unfortunately the gen4 is now low mounted just like the C.
     
    #10 Aaron Vitolins, Apr 9, 2020
  11. Harry Le

    Harry Le New Member

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    Totally agree. I think the the fan were mounted too low. Just has a little bit higher than the floor mat. I don’t like this design.
     
    #11 Harry Le, Apr 9, 2020
  12. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    Remember there is also a little filter that you can clean too

     
    #12 dig4dirt, Apr 9, 2020
    Harry Le and Aaron Vitolins like this.
  13. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    The C's battery is half the size of the regular Prius' battery so it gets worked a little harder than all the others. Which probably doesn't help.. But to help it out there is also a vent directly under your drivers seat that will blow cold air directly at that fan intake when you run the Air Conditioner. Just keep that fan clean and you'll be fine.

    Though to be honest, that's something they could have included in the owners manual. It's not like it takes 10 minutes to do anyways. :)
     
    #13 dubit, Apr 9, 2020
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  14. iceman13

    iceman13 Member

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    Wow, really? Tomorrow I’m looking for that vent, good to know.
     
    #14 iceman13, Apr 11, 2020
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