Toyota Prius Not Economic Or Using Electric Mode

[claire999]

Hello

We have recently purchased a 2007 toyota prius in March where we were getting a very good MPG of approx 58/59 doing alittle city driving but mainly rural roads per day. A couple of months ago something has gone wrong - the engine sounds very heavy, noisy & clunkcy - it doesnt seem to want to go and the electric mode doesnt stay on but the screen will say fully charged. The MPG is now 50 if driving carefully which doesnt seem like much of a drop but the car it self just doesnt seem right. Previously if traveling under 30mph or sitting in traffic the electric would cut in and it would run off that until i either accelerated too quickly or went above 30mph. Now it will either run on the engine or will cut to electric for a couple of seconds then switch back to the engine. Any ideas? it was serviced when i puchased it, the coolant, oil and spark plugs all seems ok.

[JSHarris]

Could it just be that the weather is colder?

The Prius has a marked change in behaviour (and economy) between summer and winter. In cold weather the engine will run for longer and the car will drop out of EV mode in order to start the engine to run the heater. The engine will also tend to run in fast warm-up mode, which can sound a bit harsh if you're not used to it.

The economy drop seems about right to me, generally the Prius loses around 8 to 10 mpg between summer and winter.

If there was a serious fault then the warning light would come on, but your dealer can plug it in and download all the latest fault codes, if there are any, which may give you peace of mind. Alternatively, if you know someone with a Scangauge they can do the same (I check mine with a Scangauge from time to time, just to see if anything's awry, like the 12V Battery showing signs of early failure).

Try turning the heater completely off and see how it behaves in traffic - you may find that it does as before and runs in EV mode for much of the time.

[Chris Dance]

58/59 MPG at this time of year using rural roads is quoite normal. In warm weather your MPG will be around 65 MPG. If you think something is wrong consult your Toyota dealer. Did you purchase the car from a reputable Toyota dealer and did have a full service Toyota history?

[claire999]

hello thank you for your response, it was purchased from a toyota garage with a full service history, so its normal for the electric mode not to be functional in colder weather?

[steverally]

Has it been serviced recently and is the right oil being used?

[Sagitar]

hello thank you for your response, it was purchased from a toyota garage with a full service history, so its normal for the electric mode not to be functional in colder weather?

It's not a question of it not being functional, it's just that other things are going on at the same time.

Today I popped over to the local plant nursery to get some indoor plants. It's only a mile and a half away and the external temperature when I set out was about 3 Celsius. The car ran in EV all the way. The display never showed the IC running, but I could hear it and it was clearly running to warm up the system and allow use of the heater and air-con facilities. When I stopped at the nursery, the display was showing only 39 m.p.g.

It did rather better coming back, but not a lot . . . . . . .

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I'd be curious what the OPs mileage is. I'd also question the health of the 12v and double check nothing is blocking the rear vent for the HV Battery.

[timberwolf]

I can't see anything wrong with that mpg for a Gen 2, if only my Winter mpg was that good...!

[JSHarris]

As I mentioned earlier, turning the heater completely off (including the demister) will probably force the engine to stay off, which may well show you whether or not this is a real, or cold weather induced, issue.

I very strongly suspect there's nothing at all wrong and it's just normal cold weather behaviour. Even my PiP starts the engine in EV mode during the cold weather we've been having recently, and my MPG has dropped from around 155 plus to barely over 125mpg over the past few weeks.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

We know nothing of the OPs car. If the car has a high mileage - 150K+ miles, then I'd say their HV Battery is on it's way out.

[timberwolf]

The 1.5L engine can be clunky when cold and it doesn't help that it has to stir the 5w-30 oil. I've owned mine for six years, on the very first day, picked my car up from the dealer, a cold start of the petrol engine, and the car physically rocked, I thought the petrol engine was going to rip its self off from its engine mountings.

It is true we don't know the history of the OP's car but her mpg isn't a cause for alarm, and the main symptoms appear to be a concern about the running of the petrol engine.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

hello thank you for your response, it was purchased from a toyota garage with a full service history, so its normal for the electric mode not to be functional in colder weather?

It's not a question of it not being functional, it's just that other things are going on at the same time.

Today I popped over to the local plant nursery to get some indoor plants. It's only a mile and a half away and the external temperature when I set out was about 3 Celsius. The car ran in EV all the way. The display never showed the IC running, but I could hear it and it was clearly running to warm up the system and allow use of the heater and air-con facilities. When I stopped at the nursery, the display was showing only 39 m.p.g.

It did rather better coming back, but not a lot . . . . . . .

I'd be getting your car checked then, even in EV mode if the ICE kicks in on my PiP it'll let you know by making the big EV Car thingy a silouette if in energy monitor view (just as it would with the smaller EV indicator when in HV mode, or if you go above 59mph / accelerate hard in EV mode).

[Joseph D]

I'd like to add that a common mis-conception of new Prius drivers is that they should run on the electric motor in order to achieve good fuel economy.

Your comment that you are "driving carefully" leads me towards thinking maybe you are babying the car to try and run in EV as much as possible. If this is the case, you need to stop doing this, because as counterintuitive as it seems, you will get worse fuel economy doing this.

Initially, you need to relax and just drive the car normally. If you want to achieve better than average MPG's then just do the normal economical drive techniques. Here are some ideas:

Keep your vehicle well maintained

Keeping your car well maintained could result in lower fuel bills.

• Get your vehicle serviced regularly – get oil and air filters changed as required, use the right tyres (for the Prius these must be LRR--Low Rolling Resistance for best fuel economy) for the conditions, and have your wheels properly aligned
• Check your tyre pressure monthly - low tyre pressure can make vehicles work harder to overcome road resistence and impact on vehicle handling and braking. It can also speed up the wear and tear on your tyres. For the Prius, most drivers find the placarded 35 PSI (Front) / 33 PSI (Rear) slightly low causing higher rolling resistance and uneven wear on the tyres (wearing excessively on the both edges). Increasing tyre pressure by ~ 3 PSI is enough to overcome both so 38F/36R, but monitor every 2,000 mi and adjust accordingly.

Drive efficiently

Changing your driving habits can help improve fuel consumption and general wear and tear on your car.

Try some of these tips to help make a difference:

• Drive smoothly - maintain a steady speed, use the highest possible (instantaneous) MPG reading without straining the engine. Speed up, slow down and brake gently and smoothly (provided it is safe to do so)
• Adjust your speed early – check ahead, slow down early and maintain a safe following distance
• Corner smoothly - don't brake hard for corners and accelerate out of them. Instead, slow gently, negotiate and exit corners on a light throttle
• Make hills work for you - build up speed before an uphill stretch and go up hills at the highest possible (instantaneous) MPG reading that allows you to maintain your speed. Lift the throttle as you crest the hill and use the vehicle’s momentum to get you over the top
• Lower your speed - travel at 60 mph instead of 70 mph
• Keep your load down and your vehicle streamlined - take unnecessary items out of the car, remove roof racks/boxes and cycle racks if you’re not using them
• Minimise airconditioning and open windows - air conditioning and open window drag can add up to 10% to your fuel bill so use air conditioning when you’re on the motorway and A roads, and open windows when driving at lower speeds
• Plan your journey - a well-planned journey will get you to your destination in the quickest and easiest way - which means less fuel and time wasted

Of course the terrain and roads you drive all come into the mix too. If you live in a hilly area (e. g.) you will not get as good economy as someone who lives on the flat and can drive a mix of 30 mph and A roads only. It's just a fact of hybrid life.

Hope that helps.

[Joseph D]

I'd be getting your car checked then, even in EV mode if the ICE kicks in on my PiP it'll let you know by making the big EV Car thingy a silouette if in energy monitor view (just as it would with the smaller EV indicator when in HV mode, or if you go above 59mph / accelerate hard in EV mode).

Unfortunately, Claire does not have that in her 2007 Prius.

As others have said, for a new driver, Claire is doing quite well. On the information given, I'm not sure she needs to worry or have her car checked, just yet.

[Joseph D]

Also I meant to add to my previous post two links I have found useful.

This first LINK, describes the 5 stages of hybrid warm up. Note that useful pulse and glide (see next link) can't be done until Stage 3b and Stage 4.

This second LINK describes how to use the hypermiling technique of Pulse & Glide (P&G). Note that P&G is less successful when the OAT (outside air temperature) drops below ~8-10℃, due to the ICE cooling too much while in the glide phase. Typically there is better success with this technique at speeds below 42 mph.

These maybe of interest, or it maybe too much, I'll leave that to you to decide.

The key secret is to not fight the HSD, but work with it.

HTH, happy hybrid driving. :)

[MEP's Yaris GS]

I'd be getting your car checked then, even in EV mode if the ICE kicks in on my PiP it'll let you know by making the big EV Car thingy a silouette if in energy monitor view (just as it would with the smaller EV indicator when in HV mode, or if you go above 59mph / accelerate hard in EV mode).

Unfortunately, Claire does not have that in her 2007 Prius.

As others have said, for a new driver, Claire is doing quite well. On the information given, I'm not sure she needs to worry or have her car checked, just yet.

It was Sagitar I was referring to with their PiP not showing the ICE running - the quoting system on this forum seems to be a nightmare in comparison to another than I frequent :(

[Joseph D]

... so its normal for the electric mode not to be functional in colder weather?

It depends what you mean by functional. The electric motors are doing something all the time.

If you mean that your car is not running on electric only, then yes in late autumn, winter and early spring, when temperatures are cooler, the ICE (internal combustion engine) will be used more. Note that even if the ICE is running, it does not mean it is providing power. For example while in stage 1 of warm up, the ICE is running (but with gentle accelerator use) the car is running exclusively on electric power. Providing there is plenty of HV Battery storage and no demand for power, this will remain until stage 2. If however, power is needed/requested, the car will jump to stage 2 and will provide the power requested. If possible, you should allow the stage 1 warm up to complete normally for best fuel economy.

HTH.

[Joseph D]

I'd be getting your car checked then, even in EV mode if the ICE kicks in on my PiP it'll let you know by making the big EV Car thingy a silouette if in energy monitor view (just as it would with the smaller EV indicator when in HV mode, or if you go above 59mph / accelerate hard in EV mode).

Unfortunately, Claire does not have that in her 2007 Prius.

As others have said, for a new driver, Claire is doing quite well. On the information given, I'm not sure she needs to worry or have her car checked, just yet.

It was Sagitar I was referring to with their PiP not showing the ICE running - the quoting system on this forum seems to be a nightmare in comparison to another than I frequent :(

Whoops, sorry. :)

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Be good if Clare came back and updated us.

It's universally known that I'm a cynic, but I am very wary of negative and/or strange symptom posts from new, one hit wonder members who don't return. The symptoms to me sound like a failing HV Battery OR one where the rear vent is blocked and it's over heating - possibly the fan is clogged with dog fur IF they own dogs. The Battery could be in warranty and perhaps they had a HHC carried out recently?

For a thread to work it must have input from members AND the op. So I'll ask that they answer the questions I asked in my first post back at the beginning of this thread.

[RunningInPleasePass]

Hello We have recently purchased a 2007 toyota prius in March where we were getting a very good MPG of approx 58/59 doing alittle city driving but mainly rural roads per day. A couple of months ago something has gone wrong - the engine sounds very heavy, noisy & clunkcy - it doesnt seem to want to go and the electric mode doesnt stay on but the screen will say fully charged. The MPG is now 50 if driving carefully which doesnt seem like much of a drop but the car it self just doesnt seem right. Previously if traveling under 30mph or sitting in traffic the electric would cut in and it would run off that until i either accelerated too quickly or went above 30mph. Now it will either run on the engine or will cut to electric for a couple of seconds then switch back to the engine. Any ideas? it was serviced when i puchased it, the coolant, oil and spark plugs all seems ok.

Take it to your local dealer and explain the problem.

I don't know enough about hybrid cars, but I would suggest they are not a DIY type car, your problem could be almost anything, from just a change of weather, to a problem with the engine or electrical drive.

If you google this type of problem you will come up with many suggested solutions but no definite answers, example:

Wrong oil. (Common)

Short journeys. (very common)

Engine problem, spark plugs etc. (Uncommon)

Duff HV Battery (Very very rare)

Inverter fault (Very rare)

Over heating HV Battery. (Common)

ECU problem. (Uncommon)

I'm sure it can be sorted with a bit of professional help, good luck.

[mark999]

As a first step I would head to your dealer and get a £39 hybrid health check and take it from there.

Mark

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I hope I'm wrong but I smell Troll. Get us all buzzing about an uncommon fault and don't return.

[barrycoll]

A nice oportunity to ask the more worldly wise, where the word "troll" has come from, and what does it really mean????

It has shot into common parlance, without even a by-your-leave!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

A nice oportunity to ask the more worldly wise, where the word "troll" has come from, and what does it really mean????

It has shot into common parlance, without even a by-your-leave!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

"In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,^[1] by posting inflammatory,^[2]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response^[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion."

[Cyker]

It's actually quite an old term in 'internet land'. Like most Internet slang the meaning is a bit vague but grumpy's quote pretty much sums it up. Basically a ***** trying to start an argument.

Not sure when it first came about, but was certainly already a common term on Usenet when I first started using the Internet in the early 90's! (Ahh those sweet modem handshake sounds ), and apparently was in use on BBS' and things like fidonet before the 'proper' Internet started to become more widespread.