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Fan Noise From Rear Seat

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TiogaJenny, Jun 23, 2006.

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  1. TiogaJenny

    TiogaJenny New Member

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    I was driving my 2006 Barcelon Red, Pckg 3 Prius last weekend up at the Merced River near Yosemite. It was very hot-probably near 100 degrees. I had the air con on and a few minutes after I started up again after a long drive, I noticed a fan noise coming from the rear seat area where the vent/grill is to make sure the hybrid batteries don't overheat. That grill area was not blocked in any way. Anyway, I thought it might be the AC making the sound so I turned off the AC and the "fan" sound was still there. When I turned off the car, the noise went away. And then when I turned the car back on, the fan noise started again. It only made the noise for a few minutes, and I have not heard the noise since then.

    I'm wondering if it was so hot outside and the batteries had worked hard since I had just driven it for 3 hours, that it might be a fan cooling the batteries down. I have not heard of this feature, though.

    Any ideas of what the "fan" sound might be?

    Thanks--and I LOVE PriusChat! I have learned so much from these forums!

    Shelby
     
    #1 TiogaJenny, Jun 23, 2006
  2. Wildkow

    Wildkow New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TiogaJenny @ Jun 23 2006, 12:48 AM) [snapback]275699[/snapback]</div>
    The same exact thing happened to me in the valley near Fresno today! Today it was 105F tomorrow it will be 109F. As a Real Estate Appraiser I drive between 120-200 miles a day.

    Wildkow
     
    #2 Wildkow, Jun 23, 2006
  3. greg4wv

    greg4wv New Member

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    You are correct, it is a fan to cool down the batteries. I had it kick on last summer on a hot, sunny day that I had neglected to leave the windows "cracked" or put the sunshade up.

    The fan is surprisingly loud, but once I got some air moving through the car it turned off pretty quickly. I am not sure how hot it was in the car, but I am sure it had to be close to 100 degrees F.
     
    #3 greg4wv, Jun 23, 2006
  4. NuShrike

    NuShrike Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TiogaJenny @ Jun 23 2006, 12:48 AM) [snapback]275699[/snapback]</div>
    From our FAQ and your manual, yes.
     
    #4 NuShrike, Jun 23, 2006
  5. jamarimutt

    jamarimutt New Member

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    The fan will turn on occasionally and not necessarily due to high outside or inside air temperature. It may turn on after a long uphill climb under cool weather because the battery has "worked" extra hard.
     
    #5 jamarimutt, Jun 23, 2006
  6. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    [attachmentid=3890]Here is a view of the Main battery vent system.
     
    #6 seasalsa, Jun 23, 2006
  7. tomdeimos

    tomdeimos New Member

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    For those with fan noise is it always noisy? I've never heard mine, but I checked the vent with a piece of paper and the fan was clearly going some.
     
    #7 tomdeimos, Jun 23, 2006
  8. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tomdeimos @ Jun 23 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]275962[/snapback]</div>
    Same here, I never heard the fan in the back. I even check the vent after a long drive, I can feel the wind, but no noise.
     
    #8 ScottY, Jun 23, 2006
  9. jamarimutt

    jamarimutt New Member

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    I have heard it five times in 42,000 miles; twice on consecutive days after going to the same spot high up in the mountains. It sounds like a laptop computer fan but louder.
     
    #9 jamarimutt, Jun 23, 2006
  10. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tomdeimos @ Jun 23 2006, 01:00 PM) [snapback]275962[/snapback]</div>
    The fan speed is variable depending on battery and inside air temperature. Usually the only time we hear it in when it is on high speed due to heavy battery usage or high inside air temps.
     
    #10 seasalsa, Jun 23, 2006
  11. Jack Straw

    Jack Straw New Member

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    zzz
     
    #11 Jack Straw, Jun 23, 2006
  12. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    A few days ago, I was able to hear the fan because it was running at max speed. The reason for this was I went down a long hill regen braking all the way and then immediately after the hill, I parked the car and turned it off. When I came back and started it again, there was minimal output from the electric motor. It felt like I was trying to get going in 5th gear. A quick check of the HV battery temperature revealed they were a balmy 55c (133F)! I've never seen that hot before. It took a few seconds, but the HV battery cooled down enough to drive the car normally. The fan should be kind of like a turbo timer where it stays on for a bit when the car is shut off.
     
    #12 Presto, Jun 24, 2006
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hmm, I've never heard the fan come on. At least, I've never heard any "abnormal" sound coming from the rear. Even in May when it was 31°C in Aldergrove (parked the car outside for ~2-3 hours)
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Jun 25, 2006
  14. Porridge

    Porridge New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Jun 24 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]276344[/snapback]</div>
    Just a short note to say this happened to me. 72F outside, went down a hill and battery charged itself to full. Had dinner, approx 90 mins, returned and heared this fan noise from the rear vent. Scary. I stopped and felt the floor in the trunk above where the batteries are and it was very warm. Vent stayed on for about 2 minutes. Parking my car away from the house tonight.
     
    #14 Porridge, Sep 4, 2006
  15. Jack Straw

    Jack Straw New Member

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    xx
     
    #15 Jack Straw, Sep 4, 2006
  16. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Porridge @ Sep 4 2006, 12:03 AM) [snapback]313820[/snapback]</div>
    What was scary and why park the car away from the house? There's nothing wrong, your car is operating properly.
     
    #16 efusco, Sep 4, 2006
  17. Spider Knight

    Spider Knight Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasalsa @ Jun 23 2006, 04:07 PM) [snapback]275786[/snapback]</div>
    Seasalsa, can you post me this picture again ?

    Thnx
     
    #17 Spider Knight, Feb 10, 2007
  18. Robert Fisher

    Robert Fisher New Member

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    I am a newbie with a 2007 #6 Prius that has started to emit a whisle sound above 50 MPH from the back seat area. The dealer told me it was coming from my rear licence plate. I checked, tightened and no change. Anyone had this sound in their vehicle?
     
    #18 Robert Fisher, Feb 15, 2007
  19. Soylent

    Soylent The v isn't a station wagon! It's just big boned

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fish @ Feb 15 2007, 04:51 PM) [snapback]391115[/snapback]</div>
    You might want to create a new topic for your question, instead of using an unrelated topic.
     
    #19 Soylent, Feb 15, 2007
  20. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Spider Knight @ Feb 10 2007, 08:01 AM) [snapback]388026[/snapback]</div>
    Sure, don't know what happened to the other one.
     

    Attached Files:

    #20 seasalsa, Feb 15, 2007
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