Newbies - Let's See Some Pics!

Exactly!

 

Hi All!

Long time lurker, but finally pulled the trigger! Took advantage of Toyota’s special and got a pair of Prius Prime this weekend! She’s rolling with the Met Grey Prime Plus and I got the Silver Prime Plus Premium! Here’s the couple! Will update more pics when available.

 

Newbie to Prius but long time Hybrid Tech Author. I just purchased a one owner dealer maintained 05' Gen 2 Has all the service records with it. I got to talk to the original owner they replaced it in December with another Prius. They still have a lot of love for the car and shared some really cool stories about it's life with them.

I have always been a VW TDI guy and still own a 2015 Jetta TDI (dieselgate updated) I did really well on my 2014 Passat I actually got 1k less than I paid for it new after all the payouts and it had 76K miles on it.

I have worked with the Allison H 40/50 EP Hybrid for 8 years as the Primary Technical Author writing all the Service, Troubleshooting, Operation, Mech Tips and all of the NHTS documents.

This was ultimately what sent me towards buying a Gen 2 since they are both parallel hybrid systems using the PEVE battery systems, a DPIM, and similar HV management software.

I am enjoying the car it is a vary sprite, spartan little unit and has some cool tech going on.

So far it is doing exactly what I expected.

 

That's true, even here in Texas. So I bundle up. But I run the AC to keep the battery happy. I can still wear polar fleece if I get too cold.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

True! I went from a Camry V6 LE (sporty to me) to a Gen 2 and loved playing the Prius game. My dream car is a Lexus LFa, but I doubt I'd ever be able to afford one.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

here is one

 

You mean you run AC to keep the battery cooler? I've never seen mention of this by Toyota, seems an urban myth.

I monitored battery temp for a few years on our 3rd gen, saw it settle in on 35C, driving in pretty much ideal conditions, fully warmed up, on a coastal highway, cool evening, around 80 kmh, and no AC. I don't think it needs to be cooled, by assiduous cabin cooling. I've also monitored battery temps under those conditions, then turning on AC, and saw little or no change in battery temperature.

In keeping with the thread, this is back a couple of winters, semi-rare snow:

 

Probably not in British Columbia. But I have seen my battery temps drop when using the A/C herein Florida. But it takes a while to see even a couple degrees drop. I think the general rule of thumb is that the battery likes air temperatures similar to what people like.

 

Maybe... But really: if I'm running on a cool coastal highway, fully warmed car, and it settles in at 35C, I'd suspect that higher temps are by design.

I mean, we don't say the engine likes temps like people, why assume a little warm-up is that detrimental with the battery.

Bottom line, I don't like running the AC much, and even when it's warming to the point it's warranted, I just start regulating temps with windows. But yeah, we're a wee bit further north, I know...

 

Yes, higher battery temperature, but not the intake air. It seems to need about the same intake air temperature as what makes us comfortable in order to maintain that 35C internal temperature. You and I would overheat at 35C ambient temperature if we did any work and so would the battery. Although in my PiP, the battery intake air temperature is way hotter than that when I start out in the summer. Often well over 40C. That's when I need lots of A/C and I suspect (but don't know) that the battery likes it, too, based on the sound from the fans.

On the other hand, if the ambient is too low, the battery does poorly too, as we discover every winter.

 

more pics

 

Bought this 2004 in March as I needed something inexpensive to drive (just moved back to the states, looking for work, can't do much without a car here, etc). Really clean for a car with 187k miles, and seems to be in pretty good shape and previous owner recently bought a 12v battery. Has a Dorman HV battery that is dated 2014, previous owner said it was installed in 2015 - seems to be working just fine. Please excuse the beat up Ford 8N in the back ground.



I've been lurking around here mining information since I got the car and had some minor issues to work out. First thing I did was wet sand and clear coat the headlights. Removed the awful hubcap ring things. Had one dim Brake light, got a junkyard replacement that was good, but it's dim now. Changed the transmission fluid, used Toyota WS+new metal gaskets, and checked out the undercarriage while it was on my buddy's lift. Sealed the hairline cracks at the top of the hatch with silicone as there was a little water in the drivers side rear. Drove to the NC mountains and did about 900 mi, no problems until we came down the mountain from Asheville and got the triangle, CEL, VSC lights. Seems like something may have overheated, but no ongoing problems - lights went away after a long stop. I cleaned the battery fan after that, wasn't bad, but needed a cleaning. Also got a OBD2 bluetooth reader and Torque to monitor things better. Combo screen went dark the first time my gf drove the car, went away with a battery disconnect, but that's on my radar for a fix. After 6 fillups I'm averaging 42.5 mpg.

Other things on the radar: upcoming oil change at 190k, starting to plan coolant replacement at 200k and considering if I should just do the pumps and thermostat at the same time, also thinking about inspecting spark plugs then too.

 

Congrats!! Gen 2s are still great cars.

Concerning the lights you got on the long down-hill run: I'd guess you had put as much charge in the battery as it would accept. That's when you switch from "D" to "B" on the shifter to use engine braking. That Dorman battery has already lasted longer than most from what I've read here. I'd start saving for a replacement. Thankfully, HV battery prices have dropped quite a bit lately, plus you can get full sets of cells from totaled newish Gen 3 batteries transplanted to the Gen 2 case. Just something to be aware of and prepare for.

 

Another item to check would be the inverter water pump. Those have also been known to provide issues during normal operation. Check the inverter coolant and see how much turbulence there is in the reservoir.

If none or not much, that could also be a cause.

 

Battery was definitely full at that point so I figured there was a heat dissipation issue from the extra charge the car was receiving. I tried using the B drive in the mountains some, but really soured on it due to the high revs it caused in the ICE. Guess no one ever posts about their Dorman battery until it's a problem, seems like something we all have to monitor to some extent. I do expect it to be a future project, luckily I'm a pretty good DIYer.

Good point, I've been meaning to take a look at that, just takes a second to peek in there. I mentioned thinking about replacing pumps during the 200k coolant replacement - meaning the ICE coolant pump (no leaks observed atm) and the electric inverter pump. I suspect they've both been in service for a long time because they just look like they've been there a long time. For example:

Excuse the dirt, passenger fender liner is missing and it allowed things to get dirty, also on my list of to-dos.

 

The high revs are good. It's not burning any gas. It's just acting as an air pump to bleed off speed without burning out your brakes.

 

This is my 2014 Yaris Icon Hybrid - French built, I believe. The original owner specified full leather, which must have cost something like £1500-00!

I bought it six months ago and have done 11000 miles. Mostly teaching people to drive - but also one trip from here in Cambridge via a channel ferry to my in-laws in Holland. In the colder weather I got about UK 60 mpg on a long run. Now the weather is warmer, I seem to get anywhere between 65 to 75 mpg around town and with a learner-driver at the wheel. I managed to buy a set of almost new winter tyres on steel rims on Ebay for £50 - which just has to be the bargain of the century! But now have the standard alloys back on. Beleive it or not, the steel rims, with bigger tyres, were about 1kg (2 Lbs) lighter than the alloys!

 

updated without hubcaps

 

few more

 

I got my 2013 Prius C last December. Here are a couple of pictures, taken at a local park:


And one more for good measure: Iowa in the early spring:

It has been a hard winter. Good to see some green at last.