Since I bought my 2010 Prius, I've always believed the whining sound I hear whenever I open the door is the coolant being pumped from the thermos to the ICE to help warm it up. Today I read that the 2010 Prius eliminated the thermos. If so, what is the noise I am hearing? It drones on for about fifteen seconds. Obviously the car is doing something but I can't figure out what?
I hear it as well and was going to search the threads for something. Everytime I open the door I hear it, it's about 8-10 seconds...I believe it is a pump of some sort but will see what I can find as well.....and I am sure someone in the forum has the answer already.. Just waiting for the post...
Maybe you guys can help me out, there is a series of "Clicking" sounds that occur about 80-90 seconds after the car has been turned OFF, I understand these sounds are the Hybrid relays for the Inverter...but, where are they coming from? Sitting in the passenger seat I always thought the sounds were coming from the back area, but logic says it would come from under the hood where the Inverter is located...RIGHT? David (aka Blind Guy)
Well David, I suspect the whining noise is the fuel tank depressurizing through the evap. system. The brake booster only runs for a second or so. Kind of a "bruup" sound. There is one click from the back for the traction battery disconnect, then there are others for the evap. system configuring for -not running- (as opposed to running). Remember, because the 2010 doesn't have the bladder fuel tank, it has to have a "better" vapour recovery system. That means more "stuff" back there. I'm not aware of any relays in the inverter, but there could be a few. It's a pretty big box compared to the GII. At any rate, most of the switching in the inverter is electronic.
