Is it unusual if I feel the engine shuts off very roughly (as if stalling on a regular vehicle) in the following scenarios: 1. Just started the car after work and it's starting to warm up just as I pull out of the parking lot. When I stop at the traffic light 45 seconds later, I suppose the engine thinks that it has warmed up enough and decides to stop. I find that the engine doesn't shut off as smoothly as usual. My co-worker was in my car today and he thought that we stalled... 2. After a 30minute drive home, I believe that the engine should be warmed enough. As I come up to a traffic light and stop, there're no arrows going to/from the engine and/or battery. However, I can still hear that the engine is running. After 5 seconds or so, the car shuttered and the engine finally turned off. This doesn't happen very often, but is annoying when it does. I've just crossed the 1000miles mark. Does it get better as the engine breaks in? Should I bring it back to the dealer to check it out? Thanks for your advice!
I think thats probably normal. with the next few hundred or thousand miles, you'll begin to get used to the ICE shutting off, and in addition, as the car breaks in (i.e. over 5000 miles) the transition may become smoother, and by then as you'll be more used to it, you'll notice it less. I don't think its anything to worry about. When new people ride in mine, and the engine stops at a traffic light, they always think something is wrong. It'll grow on ya....... :lol: p.s. on the other hand, if it gets worse, or if it really worries you, take it to the dealer to be sure everything is o.k.
You can feel it when the engine shuts off. And if it was running in warm up mode, which like a fast idle from what I have experienced, there is a bit more of a shudder. It shouldn't be enough to be unnerving. The lack of arrows on the energy monitor does not mean the engine is shut off. Engine shudder was one of things I didn't like about the Honda Civic Hybrid we test drove. It shuddered noticeably when shutting off at a stop. In addition, it has a tach that drops to zero which for some reason bothered me (don't ask me why- I don't know either). Plus there was an red "auto stop" light that comes on when the engine shuts down. It just didn't look right. The other issue was engine in the Civic seems harder to start. Even during light accelleration, you could feel more hesitation as the engine started as well as annoying shudder.
theroized that it's the engine burning off unburned fuel to help emmissions, and when things are fully warmed up there isn't any unburned fuel in the cylinders. It's normal. Your item 2 probably has something to do with the state of the battery charge. Happens to me too sometimes.</span>
When Lola was brand new, I experienced exactly what you are describing. Maybe with the miles, she has smoothed out or I have become used to it. Don't even notice it now. I really think she has smoothed out. Lola'05
It will always shudder more noticeably when the engine is cold (mine still does it at 40,000 miles). It is normal to come to a stop and have it take approx. 5 seconds for the ICE to shut down--it's just a gentler shudder when the engine is fully warm.
I sometimes get the rough shudder at the first stoplight after leaving work with a cold engine. After that the ICE shutoffs are much smoother.
Number 1 I'm probably used to, but cold vs. warm engine makes a big difference. Your second point, I've noticed that when I have the AC on, the engine doesn't seem to stop as quickly at redlights etc. I'd read somewhere that the 2nd gen Prius's (how do you pluralize that?) had more of a shudder on shut off because the computer opened the valves to let it spin more so that the generator could capture the last bit of momentum from the engine. Don't know if that's true or not, though, but it sounded plausible enough at the time. You will get more used to it after a while.
Two and a half years and Priapus still shutters when it's cold and we've just started to work. I notice you're in NJ. Has it been as cold there recently as it has here in Chicagoland? If so, you should keep in mind that if you've been stealthing or gliding for any length of time, the engine might be a little cooler than you think. Barring that, yeah, it settles down with age. Welcome to Priuschat!
Re #1, I've frequently encountered rough ICE shutdown while the engine is cold so I wouldn't worry about it. I'm past 10K miles right now. As for #2, I concur with the comment "The lack of arrows on the energy monitor does not mean the engine is shut off." I don't think the OP has anything to worry about.
I've been driving Priuses for a while now and it seems to me the rule has less to do with it being warm or cold and more to do with whether you're moving. If you're sitting at a stop, the Power Split Device (PSD) is just sitting there sapping energy off the gas engine (ICE) via the inner electric motor (MG1); in this case MG1 is spinning backwards quickly. When fuel is cut to the ICE, MG1 still has momentum spinning backwards, causing the ICE to sputter. If you're moving on the other hand, and the Prius cuts the fuel supply to the ICE, the ICE can keep turning freely because the outer ring of the PSD is spinning - instead of sputtering out the ICE can spin down gracefully. In other scenarios the ICE may not even spin down, it might just keep spinning without fuel in some high-speed, low-power scenarios. That transition basically has nothing to feel in the first place. I was initially very impressed with how smoothly ICE spins up and down on the Prius and then alarmed like you on the occasion it would sputter, but it's pretty consistent that it's when ICE turns off and has nowhere to go with it's waning momentum that this sputter occurs - normal operation.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(skg @ Sep 22 2006, 08:45 AM) [snapback]323143[/snapback]</div> This is the well known ceremony moving from S3 to S4. The Five Stages of Prius Hybrid Operation Ken@Japan
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ken1784 @ Sep 22 2006, 05:31 AM) [snapback]323282[/snapback]</div> Ken@Japan is absolutely correct, the engine is actually designed to do that. Soylent@USA
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pirateprius @ Sep 21 2006, 08:10 PM) [snapback]323216[/snapback]</div> Same here. It hasn't gotten any less rough for that first shutoff even with over 12K on my car. I don't mind it, but I certainly can't help but notice it.
