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15 miles with no charging, no battery - and just one segment..?!

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by benlovesgoddess, Oct 2, 2016.

  1. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    Okay, I'm calling the dealers at 8:30 but thought I'd ask your valuable opinions.
    Up to 11,500 miles, a week after my first service and my first real issue....
    I notice a sudden drop in power, but think nothing of it as I'm up on the Moors, driving uphill.
    After digging up bits of a Junkers 88, we start a 10 mile descent from the Moors.
    After a mile I noticed, for the first time ever, my battery only had one segment coloured blue - it has never been less than 2.
    As I rolled down the hills, no braking charged the battery - though it was shown as occurring. No accelerating, or rolling without throttle dipped added charge to the battery.
    At the bottom, no electricity was available at all.
    After 15 miles, the battery very slowly went from 1 to 2, then 3...after 15 miles it appeared to be back to normal.
    Someone forgot to tighten something at the hybrid health check...?!
    I rarely overtake, but if I do, I don't want to run out of power mid move...nor do I want my hybrid car to become a petrol car.
    Anyone experience a similar failing? Any ideas?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds normal, but i don't have a gen 4.
     
  3. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    Cheers - so on previous models, every now and again it is normal for the hybrid system to randomly fail for periods of time? I'm not glad to hear that! The loss of expected power during an overtake, or pulling out of a junction I don't believe to be safe.
    I also don't fancy watching my economy take a hit. I hope the dealer can help. I popped in this lunchtime, but there were only salespeople in - they want me to call as soon as the service dept. opens.
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Keep posted on this.


    This bit I don't understand: the display showed it was charging, but you didn't feel charging drag? Or?

    So bottom of a long hill, it's showing next to no charge? That's strange.
     
  5. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    Will do. I may have been the first Gen 4 to be serviced at the local dealers. They had a glitch with their hybrid health check computer that added to the wait. I was told the connection issue was with their system, not the car. It meant I had no print out of the hybrid heath check to take with me.
    I was told it would be on "My Toyota" - where I can see the notes say hybrid health check carried out, but that was all I could see - not what actual checks were performed and the status theof (though
     
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  6. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    My hybrid system info showed the flow of charging energy from descent and acceleration and rolling, but the battery showed just one of the 8 segments full. No electricity was available in EV mode, or as an assist to acceleration. I forgot to look if it falsely showed it was assisting on the hybrid energy screen. I noticed a strange lack of power initially, which would have been the loss of the battery power as I accelerated after turning a corner. As I was looking for a place to park, though annoyed, I put it down to gradient and altitude.
    Descending I was looking forward to arriving at the bottom with a full battery - 7 or 8 segments - and maybe 100 mpg indicated - so I was shocked shortly after setting off to see a single battery segment in blue (never seen less than 2, no matter how hard I've tried to deplete the battery fully!).
    Still the one segment at the bottom of the hill. I think there was still drag without the throttle gently pressed, but no charge whatsoever.
    I tried accelerating hard once on the flat and had the same weak response, not the normal surge of power. Then the battery very slowly charged, ending up performing normally.
    I was able to accelerate and overtake normally.
    Though I am now a bit worried!
    It will make me late for work, but I can't risk damaging the car, or finding myself losing power at a crucial moment.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    perhaps i'm misunderstanding, but my 3 pri have never done anything 'reliably'. even though they are very reliable, they seem to have a mind of their own, and i have learned to ignore short term anomalies for long term mpg's.
     
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  8. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I had one situation where I started with only 2-3 bars of electricity, and drove down a gentle downhill incline of a few kilometres, expecting that it would charge up, but in reality, it was using EV mode (alternating with not many segments with regeneration charging) so much that the charge actually decreased during that stretch - and a few times, unexpectedly the ICE cut in obviously to provide charge to compensate for the EV mode. Then with level and gentle uphill sections, all went back to normal, the ICE drove me and charged the battery back up to 7/8 level.
     
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  9. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    It didn't sound like it failed. The car should always be able to overtake someone, even if it's battery is low. Large mountain roads uphill have been known to nearly empty the battery. I've gone down to 2 bars on an uphill mountain freeway. It was slow, but I could overtake people.
     
  10. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    On that occasion i had NO battery assist or EV. Of course i could still overtake, but at reduced power, on petrol alone.
    Imagine pulling out to briskly overtake a lorry, mid way through the move your power drops off...
    I understand normally you cannot use up the last of your battery, it always leaves enough for assist. Then you always have at least 2 bars - this time just one.
    Apart from this occasion, i have always had a minimum 2 bars of battery, and never lost the battery assist during acceleration.
    Anyway, the service chap thought it unlikely he could he see what it was unless it happened while he had it...if it was taken out it was for about a mile...! At least they cleaned it really well, and i had an Aygo for the day. That was suprisingly fun!
    Fingers crossed it wont happen again.
    If it does, he requested i have a passenger film it, the displays etc..
     
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  11. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    On that occasion i had NO battery assist or EV. Of course i could still overtake, but at reduced power, on petrol alone.
    Imagine pulling out to briskly overtake a lorry, mid way through the move your power drops off...
    I understand normally you cannot use up the last of your battery, it always leaves enough for assist. Then you always have at least 2 bars - this time just one.
    Apart from this occasion, i have always had a minimum 2 bars of battery, and never lost the battery assist during acceleration.
    Anyway, the service chap thought it unlikely he could he see what it was unless it happened while he had it...if it was taken out it was for about a mile...! At least they cleaned it really well, and i had an Aygo for the day. That was suprisingly fun!
    Fingers crossed it wont happen again.
    If it does, he requested i have a passenger film it, the displays etc..
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Or making a left turn, with limited time before the next oncoming car comes through the intersection.

    This sounds similar to Honda's hybrid system (Integrated Motor Assist) when it goes into a "recalibration".
     
  13. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    Yeah - i work on a business park. The exit road that joins the main road is uphill. 3 roads within a couple hundred yards exit the same estate onto a 40 mph main road (where most people are exceeding 40 mph).
    At rush hour, with a half dozen cars behind me, i have to accelerate from dead stopped on a hill to a right turn into fast two way traffic.
    Its not a great junction - i never pull out dangerously, but i often have to do it as fast as possible.
    It is exactly here where the unexpected removal of much of my power could have disastrous consequences.
     
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  14. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    Being in the UK Mendel, my right turn is your left turn, etc!
     
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  15. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Imagine how confused I am in Australia - it's upside down as well ...
     
  16. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    (y) right turn in the UK ;)
    Although I tend to ignore the HV battery meter most of the time because it's not exactly an instant accurate readout, I would be worried about the loss of power and the fact that the meter went right down to 1 bar. The fact that the dealer mentioned a problem with the HV check would lead me to believe that this has caused some anomaly with the battery and it may have entered some sort of reset mode. As far as power is concerned, I would expect and only rely on the amount of power that may be available if there is no EV assistance and drive accordingly until you get it checked out.
    Keep us posted on the results.
     
    #15 kithmo, Oct 6, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2016
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  17. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    Thanks. The car is back to normal after those EV-less 15 miles. I imagine if i ever see a single segment again, i'll be ready for it. I keep the battery status in my HUD and on the energy monitor, so will try not to be taken by suprise.
    As the car has otherwise proved awesome, i trust it may have been a one off.
     
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  18. alexgrigori

    alexgrigori Active Member

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    IMHO, if battery was overheated in uphill climbing it may not take charging for a while upon its temp goes down.
    That is why I think that battery temperature info is very useful for every hybrid car driver. Unfortunately it is not available in current SW/GUI version.
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Scangauge (with an added "XGauge" programmed in) can show you the temp sensor readings (there's three, the central one is best, it tends to be hottest). I've disconnected ours for about 6 months though, it might have been causing a communication problem, constantly weighing on the OBD port. But yeah that's one option. Torque does this too?

    The Prius is an odd mix: all this gee whiz electronics, and it doesn't even show the dang coolant temperature.
     
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  20. alexgrigori

    alexgrigori Active Member

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    Are there any SW hack or back door to access an engineering section pages?
     
  21. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Well you need something to display it. The info's in there. That's where ScanGuage (or Torque?) come in.