Is this normal? Warm-up related

I also suspected this was part safety feature, part warm up.

 

it does go thru the warm up cycle if the coolant temp drops below 130. but don't think of the cycle time as fixed. the warmer the coolant temp when the ice fires up, the shorter the cycle. when you're out of ev power, it acts like a regular prius. if this is you're first, read some non pip threads for advice on how and why the car behaves as it does and the best way to get great mpg's.

 

that is the problem when trying to maintain EV range in winter. my LEAF's heater uses 150-300% more power than the A/C uses.

DaveinOlyWA: Battling Winter Range Degradation

 

On my Advanced PiP, there's an INFO button which gives a view of the last 30 minutes of driving fuel economy, by the minute. Per this info, which separates the current drive session from the previous drive session by yellow & green colors of the minute bars, every time I force HV mode, like at the last light prior to getting onto a freeway, the 1st 2 - 3 minute bars are low in MPG, like 15 - 20 MPG. After the 3d minute, the HV MPG minute bars reliably become Prius-normal for my driving environment of the moment. IMHO, this is a reliable indicator for when the ICE is cold and when it becomes warm. Of course, I never went through a Winter yet with the PiP.

I am not sure if the base PiP has this INFO button to the right of the LCD map screen.

Separately, I remember reading the Pip and all the other Prii have an "insulated vacuum canister" or some similar gizmo where the hot coolant goes into some minutes after the car is shut off to conserve the coolant's heat for the next drive. I remember occasionally hearing the sound I identified as that coolant evacuation about 10+ minutes after the car was shut off, while listening to a radio program in my driveway. This insulated warm coolant state should positively affect the state of ICE warm-up if the drive session is soon enough after the previous drive session that the insulated coolant container kept the coolant still warm. I have no idea how long it takes the insulated coolant to draw down its temperature to what passes for "cold" for the ICE, and of course some coolant must have remained in the engine and therefore will naturally cool faster than the insulated coolant, resulting in a lower-temperature mix of the two when the ICE is started again. Any ideas out there?

 

The Gen III Prius (and the PiP) does not have the insulated canister for coolant like the Gen II does. Instead, it has a heat exchanger where the coolant is warmed by the exhaust, to speed up the warmup.

 

The base PIP does have that screen, though the button is labeled CAR and the colors are dark blue/light blue instead of yellow/green

 

yes indeed...its located on the nav screen.

Dan

 

OK, thanks.

 

When I turned OFF the PIP, the Temp Control was in LO.
When I later turned it ON, I turned on the Defrost, turned off the AC and lowered the Fan to 2 bars.
Then the ICE started !!! WHY ???
When the Temp Control is in LO, there should be NO call for HEAT. Therefore, the ICE should not be needed.

What Happened?
No Guessing. Just comment if you Really Know.

 

you broke the rules.......now you're being punished!

 

??? Rules ???

 

yes, don't press the defrost button, use regular A/C with the floor and windshield vents set to ON.

 

Lensovet, Why? I only wanted Defrost. Why did the ICE start?

 

i didn't program the system. i'm just restating what was mentioned in the other thread about preventing ICE startup for heating purposes.

 

See #28

 

OK, so I started the PIP with Temp Control again set to LO.

I needed Defrost (defog), but did not push the Defrost button, since it starts the ICE.

Instead, I pressed the Fan to get 2 bars and pressed the middle Air Outlet button until it displayed Defrost and Feet. It gave me the desired Defrost without the ICE starting. GOOD !!!

I still don't understand why the Defrost button starts the ICE when the Temp Controls is set to LO.
The manual Page 362 simply states: Press Defogger button - The air conditioning system control operates automatically. (The gasoline engine may operate during EV mode driving, depending on vehicle conditions.)

I say, Depending on WHAT ???

 

i'm not sure why, but several times i have had to use the defrost button because the floor/defrost setting wasn't enough. the ice did not fire, but i don't know why or why not.

 

Bisco,

Can you Repeat it?
Maybe you found "depending on vehicle conditions". But What Condition?

 

i'm going to have to try it again. tonite i used the floor/defrost option and it was effective. i'll try to remember to use the defrost button tomorrow and get back to you.

 

Today I was using the Fan on 1 bar, Temp Control on LO and Air Outlet on Defrost/Feet. The ICE stayed off as expected.

OA Temp was 43 degF.

After a while I changed the Temp Control from LO up one step to 65 DegF. The ICE immediately started. Yep, just like I expected.

Then I set the Temp Control to 72 DegF and the Fan to 4 bars. The ICE cycled on and off the rest of the way to work. The cycle was about 1 minute on, 1 minute off.

I guess I need to Block my Grill to save the heat from the cold Outside Air.