1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Sudden drop in life-of-vehicle mileage

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Fuel Economy' started by mlbex100, Mar 25, 2018.

  1. mlbex100

    mlbex100 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2010
    49
    22
    0
    Location:
    South Bay
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    >"The only way to have that information is to never have reset either the A or B trip meters."
    The A and B meters have never reset the ODO mileage before, and I didn't reset them on this trip. I'm having a difficult time parsing the logic that drives that number... it is next to ODO, so logically it should be linked to ODO, but apparently it is not. But I reset the A and B trip meters every time I get gas (unless I'm travelling, then I only reset one of them). It has never reset that ODO mileage figure before.
     
  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,587
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'm intrigued why you reset both A and B. Most people would reset just one and have that as their "between fills" reading. And use Trip B for some other reason. I'm thinking that you may have accidentally had ODO instead of one of the others selected.

    Or that the TOYOTA got confused - it is a computer on wheels after all. Just hasn't got a CTRL-ALT-DEL feature.
     
  3. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,390
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I have never reset my B tripmeter; therefore I have lifetime data. I reset the A tripmeter every fill-up. And at the same time I “update” the eco screen.
     
  4. mlbex100

    mlbex100 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2010
    49
    22
    0
    Location:
    South Bay
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    Mea Culpa: There is no life of the vehicle mileage. That figure next to the ODO is just another resettable figure. I might have reset it by accident. Anyway, thanks for all the tips and advice. My user manual is about 800 pages long, and haven't read all of it yet.

    Mystery solved.
     
  5. mlbex100

    mlbex100 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2010
    49
    22
    0
    Location:
    South Bay
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    When I have a use for a different mileage reading, I use A or B, for example if I'm on a road trip. Usually I only care to track mileage between fillups and mileage since engine start. "Life of the vehicle" would be cool, but apparently it does not exist.
     
  6. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2016
    11,799
    11,362
    0
    Location:
    Central Virginia
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    XLE
    The manuals are online here. It is easier to search pdfs ;)

    2017 Toyota Prius Owners Manual and Warranty - Toyota Owners
     
    RCO likes this.
  7. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,390
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    It does only if you leave either A or B alone and never reset. It is said to be fragile, but disconnecting my battery has not reset it.
     
    RCO likes this.
  8. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,587
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I only reset A when refilling. If say I'm on a day(or 3)'s touring, I'll reset B at the start so I can track how it went over that period of time.
     
  9. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,184
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Perhaps there's something missing from my psyche, but I can't be bothered. It's all 'history' and can't be affected afterwards.
     
    Priifan likes this.
  10. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,587
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Well, yeah - that's life. Depends on your point of view - whether you're facing forwards or backwards.

    Me - I'm heading to bed now - look upwards instead for a new perspective.
     
    Priifan, Prodigyplace and RCO like this.
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,675
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Like the new digs Alan. (y)
     
    Priifan likes this.
  12. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,587
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    My Duesenberg? She's a 1934 - sadly not mine. I couldn't afford the petrol. Plus - I'm about a million dollars short of the asking price:

    upload_2018-3-30_12-8-19.png
     
    Priifan and Mendel Leisk like this.
  13. Priifan

    Priifan Member

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2017
    93
    143
    0
    Location:
    Cary, NC
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    It probably sounds criminal on this forum, but I just drive my 2017 like it is a ....... car. With every car owned, I have always reset the mileage with each fill up to have a decent picture of my gas mileage. It is wonderful that some techies want to analyze every ying and yang of their Prii, and it does produce some interesting reading. And helps the rest of us non-techies to better understand what the heck fuzzy is happening with our dear (both expensive and close to our heart) ......cars. There are so many factors that significantly affect gas mileage that we will never find the perfect key to the relationship between how much fuel we feed our cars and how far they go. Besides road speed, it seems to me that wind speed and direction, temperature, condition of the pavement, passenger weight, and the amount of air in the tires are some of the biggies. (As long as my car averages 50 MPH or so, I am thrilled.) Y'all are welcome to discuss this til the cows come home.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,675
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Right... ;)
     
  15. OV7

    OV7 Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 30, 2018
    2
    1
    0
    Location:
    Albany, GA
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    I joined this forum to research this specific topic. My 2016 Toyota Prius Eco Two has 35500 miles on it as shown on the Odometer reading. Up until this, my ODO mpg was right around 58 to 59 mpg. All of a sudden, sometime around 35000 miles, the odometer started giving me a mileage between 52 to 53 mpg. I have always driven the car in PWR mode. The sudden change in that reading has me worried that I have a gas leak and/or wondering if something has malfunctioned electronically.
     
  16. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2016
    11,799
    11,362
    0
    Location:
    Central Virginia
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    XLE
    Tire pressure? Sticking brakes?
     
  17. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2004
    12,766
    5,251
    57
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    New tires? Oil change?
     
  18. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,184
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Welcome to Prius Chat @OV7 . There are two suggestions for you, but was your route identical, or was the a significant wind/temperature variation. Even driving on wet roads will pull your mpg down. B hour you can find a simple answer without resorting to the dealer's shop.
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,675
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Our fuel economy seems stubbornly high this spring, not sure why. Seems like it's hitting the wall around 4.9 (litres per 100 km) vs 4.4~4.5 in previous years.

    Possible culprits:

    1. Lots of shorter trips, while long enough to be fully warmed up and efficient, are leading to deposits somewhere, maybe possible injector clogging, something like that.

    2. Something obscure, like Oxygen sensor, or spark plugs. Only 75K kms though.

    3. Poor gas??

    4. Engine air filter? It's never been changed, but I've read it's not a factor in modern computer controlled and fuel injected engines, AND it looks clean enough to eat off, still.

    Seems like whatever it is, it might be time related, as Vehicle ages. Tire pressures are fine, a bit over spec as usual, and hybrid battery seems to be behaving normally. I checked voltage by block and they're all apparently between 16.42 and 16.48 ish.
     
    #39 Mendel Leisk, Jun 1, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2018
    RCO likes this.
  20. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,587
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Could be a human thing (no, I don't mean putting on weight) - but our driving isn't consistent, even though we think it is.

    My first tank of fuel is always my best - I figure I'm getting used to the car, I'm also trying hard to find out how good it goes, economy wise. As we get used to the car, economy may not be uppermost in our minds.

    The other thing I notice is my economy improves the closer to empty I get - particularly if the tank average (TRIP A for me) isn't as good as I hoped. Psychological incentive.
     
    RCO and Mendel Leisk like this.