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-11 deg F this morning, The turtle came on

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by freidawg, Feb 2, 2011.

  1. freidawg

    freidawg Prius Recycler

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    It was -11 degrees F in Denver this morning. My 03 started right up, but the turtle light came on. First time I have seen it. It stayed on for about 15 miles.

    Everything seemed to be OK with the car, although it seemed a little slow to accelerate. (as one would expect with any car at -11F).

    (for the first time) I looked this up in the owners manual, and its simply states "avoid hard acceleration".

    Does anyone know specifically which conditions illuminate the turtle?

    Eric
     
    #1 freidawg, Feb 2, 2011
  2. jk450

    jk450 New Member

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    Yes. Limited battery output.
     
    #2 jk450, Feb 2, 2011
  3. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    I think the HV battery is too cold. Turn on the heater. The HV battery gets warmed up by the cabin heat.
     
    #3 usbseawolf2000, Feb 2, 2011
  4. freidawg

    freidawg Prius Recycler

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    What was interesting was the SOC indicator on the dash was showing nearly full charge. (not a precise measurement, I know). I didn't have my techstream with me, so I could not instrument it and look.

    I was wondering if there are other conditions that would illuminate the turtle. (like high load on MG2 from very thick, cold ATF?)

    Don't see those temperatures around here too often, its an opportunity to gather some knowledge.

    Eric
     
    #4 freidawg, Feb 2, 2011
  5. jk450

    jk450 New Member

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    Battery output is not the same thing as SoC, although the two are related. If the system decides to limit battery output enough to noticeably affect performance, but is not doing so because of a fault that will set a DTC, then the turtle light *may* turn on. Extreme temperatures as well as low SoC can do this.

    It's pretty much battery-related.
     
    #5 jk450, Feb 2, 2011
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