Just bought a beautiful Blue Prius.... It runs like a dream... However there are some strange sounds that I'm just not use to. Is this Normal?? No lights are flashing on the dash, so I assume I'm okay. Also, sometimes I have the sensation that Im stalling.... is this the hybrid converting to electric????
You'll notice all kinds of odd sounds as the pumps work at seemingly odd times. The cars of yesteryear had everything belt-driven, so the power was being sucked all the time. Now the electric pumps just operate when they need to. You'll hear them operate even well after the car is shut down. No worries. As for the stalling... well, that's what this car does. On purpose. You aren't "switching" to electric mode. You're just stopping the engine. The electric motor is in the mix all the time. You just don't need the gas engine running when you are slowing, stopped, or barely moving. (And in fact you don't need the gas engine at ALL in real cars, but that's a whole different story for when you get comfortable not having the gas engine on all the time). The car takes care of itself and decides when to run what. You're just along for the ride. Have fun. And imagine driving without the gas engine on EVER.
yea the prius makes lots of odd sounds.. even when its turned off so dont be surprised that ur car makes sound in ur garage in the middle of the night..
After you shut off the car, a pump will run to 'store' the hot coolant in a thermos bottle; that way the next morning, the coolant is pre-warmed! (not kidding!) The engine runs more efficiently when it's "warmed up" ...
If you read the Owner's Manual, along the way will be little info boxes that tell you about some sound, and it will say "this is normal"... Occasionally, yes, when the ICE [internal combustion engine] shuts off, it will make the car shudder a bit, and will sound "funny"... it's fine. It's just the car's way of saying "LOOK! I'm saving the WORLD!!!"
Don't let the silliness scare you off, little foot. Some of us, not mentioning any names, tend to get carried away with that sort of thing. Welcome to the cult. And yeah, the car does that. No worries.
