NOISY TRANSITION TO BATTERY MODE

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by joe fortner, Jun 23, 2015.

  1. joe fortner

    joe fortner New Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2015
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    new jersey
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    I'm looking at a 2007 Prius I've never had one before so I posted in the General section with a few questions. From what I have read and from the responses I've got, the transition from gas engine to battery power should be unnoticeable. the car I'm looking at is anything but. I thought the car was stalling. the transition was very noticeable. It seemed as if there was a slight delay for the battery drive to kick in. It only did this at stop lights and stop signs etc. Is this a major issue or possibly just an adjustment?
     
    #1 joe fortner, Jun 23, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,600
    8,478
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Drive another to compare, walk away if it's bad after comparing
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 23, 2015
  3. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    326
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    My ICE will often "stutter" and run on a bit when shutting down when the vehicle is not moving. I understand it's designed to run on as long as possible to burn off all possible hydrocarbons to lower emissions, and this is normal. It was disconcerting the first time. It is silent though. If you have audible noise, something may be wrong.

    It will also sometimes hesitate on acceleration in battery mode if the battery is mostly discharged. If I have a full charge, no problem at all. With a large electrical load (like A/C) it will be more noticeable.
     
    #3 andrewclaus, Jun 23, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,169
    50,604
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    so, you're sitting at a stop, the ice shuts down, you press the go pedal, and it takes a moment for the car to start moving? or, it starts moving on the electric motor, but takes a moment for the gas engine to fire up?
     
    #4 bisco, Jun 23, 2015
  5. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2013
    1,160
    392
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    with the age of the car Id say the motor mounts are worn that's what you feel when it changes from gas to electric
     
    #5 Beachbummm, Jun 23, 2015
  6. joe fortner

    joe fortner New Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2015
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    new jersey
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    I think the best way to describe it is compare it to a regular car. It feels like when I pull up to a red light or stop sign the motor stalls. Ya know how a motor just dies out. I don't think its the motor mounts though. And compared to the other 2 Priuses I have ever test drive, this is way different. Something isn't right. But is it a minor thing or a major thing??? At this point I'm inclined to walk away.
     
    #6 joe fortner, Jun 23, 2015
  7. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    2,002
    746
    0
    Location:
    Finland
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Once every drive cycle the engine does the idle test. When the idle test happens car idles couple of second and then the engine is shut off. When this happens system kind off stalls the engine on purpose.

    So if it only happens once its normal. If it happens more or all the time you have problem maybe throttle plate just needs cleaning maybe something else.
     
    #7 valde3, Jun 23, 2015
  8. joe fortner

    joe fortner New Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2015
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    new jersey
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    It happened around 4 or 5 times in the course of a 15 minute test drive.. Made me think "Oh crap, the car just died.* Then the display showed it went to battery mode and we kept going. I know its not normal. The other Prius I test drove was so smooth I didnt know it had even changed modes....and that was an 05.
     
    #8 joe fortner, Jun 23, 2015
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,169
    50,604
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i always feel my engine shut off when i come to a stop, if it was running. the only way it would stay running is if it hasn't reached operating temp.
     
    #9 bisco, Jun 23, 2015
  10. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,021
    4,061
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    It is possible that you can get this ("idle dance") happening more than once per drive cycle if the ICE cannot maintain the temperature, it will drop back to stage 3b and once this happens, it will need to do the "idle dance" to transition back to stage 4.

    If something is wrong, then it is probably at the minor end of the scale but ultimately if you gut feel is that something is wrong, you need to just walk away from it.
     
    #10 dolj, Jun 24, 2015
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)