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Battery Vent Question

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by gooberethics, Mar 26, 2015.

  1. gooberethics

    gooberethics Junior Member

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    Hope I'm posting this in the right section!

    I noticed that on my Prius there was a vent near the passenger side rear seat. The salesman who helped me and the owners manual say it's for the hybrid battery to vent.

    My concern is accidentally covering this up (with passengers?)...not so much worried about covering it with my own gear.

    We took our friends to dinner the other night and they sat in the back seat of the Prius. I am not in any way trying to be crude, but they are on the larger side. We also took my husband's family with us to dinner once, and three folks sat in the back comfortably. Should I be worried about passengers blocking the air flow to the battery? Is this the only way in which the battery can vent?

    Also, am I supposed to clean this air vent at any point?
     
    #1 gooberethics, Mar 26, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no worries. even 'larger people' don't cover the vent whilst sitting. the concern is if you stow anything there. other than that, if you regularly carry pets that shed, you may want to observe the pre filter once in a while.
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 26, 2015
  3. gooberethics

    gooberethics Junior Member

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    Thanks!
    How would one clean the pre-filter? Do you just pop off the vent cover?
     
    #3 gooberethics, Mar 26, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, you can observe it through the grille, and if it looks dirty, try vacuuming it. otherwise, you can pop off the grille to access it.
     
    #4 bisco, Mar 26, 2015
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    There's a pre-filter now? My 2010 just had the grilled opening. I tucked a rectangle of vacuum motor filter material in behind it, periodically check/clean it.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Mar 26, 2015
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2015
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, apparently aware of fan issues, they've added a fine plastic grid behind the grille.
     
    #6 bisco, Mar 26, 2015
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  7. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    good to know
     
    #7 mrbigh, Mar 26, 2015
  8. Robert Holt

    Robert Holt Senior Member

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    We thro our coats in the back seat and found that they accidentally blocked the cooling inlet a couple,of times, so we,are now much more careful.
     
    #8 Robert Holt, Mar 26, 2015
  9. Redpoint5

    Redpoint5 Senior Member

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    My 2012 PiP doesn't have a (pre)filter. Perhaps I need to fashion one.

    ...and I reject the word "pre-filter" as a valid English word for the reasons George Carlin point out.

     
    #9 Redpoint5, Mar 27, 2015
    xpcman, CR94 and Mendel Leisk like this.
  10. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    so now I'll go out and see if I can figure how to get that grill off without wrecking it, and stuff some some surplus furnace filter material behind it.

    I've never heard that fan run at all, not even when I lean back toward the rear whilst the car is stationary and the engine is not running. Accessible points on the battery housing never feel significantly warmer than ambient temperature. ??
     
    #10 CR94, Mar 27, 2015
  11. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    My wife and I went on a trip. About 2 hours after we left home I smelled a very strong odor. Before we left she threw a light jacket in the back seat and it blocked the vent. You have to be careful about doing things like that. Easy to forget.
     
    #11 Okinawa, Mar 27, 2015
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