This is going to be complicated I fear. I was told by my dealer that the only thing affecting mpg that I could deal with was the air filter. I opened the air filter box and took out the filter and had a small rats nest under it. I replaced the filter and withouth thinking ran a bunch of water down the air intake hose. When I saw how slowly it ran out the bottom I wondered if I had made a mistake. Is there something at the bottom of that hose that could be ruined by running water in it?
After you get the engine checked and the car back from the dealer increase the tire pressure until you aren't happy with the ride or the handling. Try setting the climate control higher & leave it on auto. Generally I'm comfortable with it at 79F. You may want to buy a Scangauge to get more info about the car.
I'm fairly stupid but no, I didn't run water into the engine. I pulled the hose off of the air filter and ran water from the top down through the air intake near the right front wheel. In case there was something down there that got wet and so that I wouldn't even get any heavy water vapor in the engine, I drove it for half a day with the air intake hose disconnected from the air cleaner box then reconnected the hose later and it runs just fine. I mainly just wanted to know if there is a secondary air filter down there (near the front wheel, not at the engine) or just a difusion box of some sort. Thanks for the help and concern. azsaxguy P.S Playing sax doesn't make you stupid it just seems that way.
BTW - I just guessed about the "package" I have no idea what package I have. How do I find out? Azsaxguy
I hope this is helpful. The air intake has a resonator, essentially a big plastic jug, in the right-front fender area. It helps the Atkinson Internal Combustion Engine perform more efficiently. I doubt running water through it will have any bad effect, it's not sealed tight. As for which package you have, go to the Prius web site and "build" your car. By matching what you have on your car to the package options, you can determine what package you bought. Actually, the best way to increase MPG is to adjust the nut behind the wheel. There are lots of thread in the Fuel Economy forum to help. :welcome: Welcome to PriusChat AZsaxguy!
Thanks Bill, I appreciate the advice about the nut behind the wheel. I do drive fairly conservatively but I live in the mountains and have to drive to Tucson two or three times a week. So, it's up and down and round and round and then back again. BTW - does outside temperature and or humidity make any difference? I'm going to go check out the forum. Thanks again, Saxguy
You really need to get copies of both the Prius Owner's Manual and the Prius Scheduled Maintenance Guide. They will save you money and grief. Available online or from a dealer.
How did the rat 'manage' to get under the filter area in the first place? The plastic intake air hose is pretty 'slick/smooth' inside, this rat got skills...... The resonator box should have a drip hole in it. But the hole is small so when you flush water down it'll not immediate clear the water quickly. Still, it'll take some time to dry itself out even the water is cleared eventually.
If this air resonator boxes is anything like the others I've been around it does little more than reduce noise from the intake. When I put air horn set ups in my Nissan and Honda I disconnected the resonators. Gas mileage was unaffected, and power improved. (Of course, making use of the extra power hurt gas mileage, but not during cruise.) Doing this gave the Nissan a more throaty sound but not in an objectionable way--probably because the 2.4L had the same bore & stroke as a V-8. It had a mellow burble after the change. The Honda without air resonator connected had more of a staccato sound at higher rpm when the VTEC kicked in, otherwise it wasn't really noticeable. FWIW, I suspect disconnecting the air resonator in the Prius with Atkinson compression would be more objectionable sounding than the Accord was.
Um, just whip it out and measure it. The package determines what kind of goodies you get to play with. The best goodies are for guys with 9# packages. /END JUVINILE DIVERSION
Yes, humidity & air temp are factors. Too cold & the ICE runs just to keep itself & the catalytic converter warm. Too hot or cold & the battery is not as efficient. Humid air is less dense so performance takes a hit. Altitude is also a factor. My car seems to run best when the temps are in the high 60's to low 70's.
Yes, outside temperature can make a BIG difference in your mileage ... especially if your car sets out in the sun and cooks for awhile. It's not so much that the heat itself cuts mileage ... but rather it's what the battery pack does when it gets really hot. I live near Dallas, TX and it can get pretty hot here. My normal MPG on any tank averages around 52 mpg. On a recent fillup, the car had been outside in the sun for hours on a 105 day ... so the car ... and the battery pack got really hot. For the rest of that day, my mileage was about 44 mpg. I park in a garage and the next couple of days the temp outside was in the 80's. Two days of that much lower temperature and my mileage reading was back to over 52 mpg. The battery pack is air cooled with the air conditioned air from inside the car ... but when it gets really hot from cooking in the sun, it just doesn't cool down very fast. And when it is really hot, it has a lot less power. Old Bald Guy 2008 Prius package 2
