Engine temperature

You can buy a scanguage here in the Priuschat shop and plug it into the connector just under the instrument panel by your right knee.

 

Keep an eye out for smoke or steam.

I hate not having temp / tach / oil pressure / oil temp etc. guages. There is probably an "idiot light" for the temp.

 

Hi Livein,

No need to worry if gas engine goes too hot, one of the many onboard computers will shut it off and display will show you the problem by blinking a corresponding icon.

 

i have a lot of mileage on my prius.. i just finished towing a corolla 20 miles or so over a mountain pass... i've towed cars before.. the last thing i would worry about would be engine temp.. more like oil temp.. and pressure. that tends to warm a lot more. if you're pulling extra weight all the time (about 0 people on here do.. er.. maybe 2 or 3) use better oil.

 

It to late then. It would be nice to have a gauge so you could pick up a problem before it was enough to have the computer shut the system down. There are things you can do to to help keep it from overheating if you are aware early enough.

One thing that saved me a few times in the old days was if you're stuck in traffic or climbing a long grade on a very hot day and the gauge begins to climb you can turn off the air and turn the heater on full. Yeah it sure gets hot in the cabin, but it also dumps a couple of quarts of cooler water that have been sitting in the heater core into the system and often tips the balance in your favor.

All that being said, modern engines are much less likely to overheat than those of 20 or more years ago so a temp gauge is no longer a necessity.

 

Get a scangauge from the Prius Chat Shop, displays up to 4 gauges at once in digital format and pretty well plug and play. Mine currently displays tach, ICE coolant temp, intake air temp, and battery charge level. Can be set up to display all sorts of information, useful and otherwise.

 

You haven't owned a Toyota before have you?

 

Yes I have. Why do you ask?

 

There is absolutely no reason to ever been concerned about engine temperature in a Prius. It is far better managed than with traditional vehicles, which don't have any other option than to run their engine continuously.

Having a digital gauge is still handy though.

I liked seeing when the coolant threshold of 145°F was reached. That indicated when the engine would restart to provide warmth for the heater.
.

 

I'm a new driver, I found it wierd not having that information. As long as there is a warning somewhere if something wrong with my car. Which icon will light up if the engine is overheat? Also how do I know if the car is fully warmed up so I can drive faster? maybe the energy usage?

No RPM either?

 

:target:
ound:

 

It does seem odd that, with all of the information that the MFD provides, Toyota did not provide an engine temperature gauge. Engine temperature may never be a problem in my Prius, yet it is satisfying to monitor engine and inverter temperature using my Scangauge II.

 

+1 That it's an odd omission. I typically set a couple of my ScanGauge gauges for RPM and coolant temperature. Most every other car on the road has a rudimentary coolant temp gauge, and most have RPM.

 

Hey Boss,

I didn't know that we can monitor the "inverter temperature" via Scangauge II. I've had the damn thing for 2 plus years. What is the acronym for the "inverter temperature." Thanks.

 

How are you able to get inverter temp?

 

I monitor engine coolant temp with a scan gauge and find it useful for two reasons:
1) when I reach 160f, I know I can push EV up to 25 mph with my foot on the accelerator.
2) When I need heat, and I reach 135f(I think...I forget the exact number), then I know I can put the heat on and not worry that the engine will restart simply to heat the car.

 

I've been monitoring FIA using the scangauge II and though it was inverter temperature. If not inverter coolant temperature, what is FIA?

 

No, FIA is intake air temp. See ScanGaugeII : Linear Logic - Home of the ScanGauge under Digital Gauges tab.

Do you have a Gen 2 or 3? On Gen 2, you only can monitor it with SG with 4.xx firmware or higher.

 

Thanks for the correction. I was monitoring hot air, instead of hot coolant.