Just when you start it, what is all the clicking in the back, possibly around the battery? I think it is the battery, but what is it?
Hmm, you're sure it's in back? I haven't noticed that in mine, but now I'll have to listen for it. I would guess that it would be the cooling fan for the battery starting up. There's not much else back there that I would expect would make noise.
clicking... I'm going to hazard a guess and say they are relays. Relays for ALL the electrical magic that is a Prius! Drive on, drive clean.
It is a power relay to connect the battery to the 200 Volt cable from the back to the front (to the power converter) which also has a power relay. This is one of the critical components to avoid flow of electricty in case of an accident. Ralph
That's the retractable machine guns cocking. Gotta have one in the chamber for the things to work right, ya know. Seriously, though, for all you who might read Slashdot, did you see "retractable machine guns" top a poll of most-wanted auto accessory? A common response was "Why would you ever want to retract them?"
Speaking of strange noises, I just discovered today that my coolant resevoir cap whistles. It isn't very loud, but it is at the same frequency as the electric cabin beeps. It got me pretty weirded-out while I was under my bonnet/hood today. At the time the outside air temperature was 98 degrees. Has anyone else noticed this? ~Andrew P.S. I like it. I think it adds character to my car.
