Help! Battery only charging downhill and braking

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by rheannonr, Sep 19, 2014.

  1. rheannonr

    rheannonr Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2011
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Paso Robles
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Hello. Right now my husband and I are driving from San Luis Obispo Ca to LA and back in a day. We noticed right before the grape vine on the I5 that the engine was really working, even on flat ground. Looked at the battery and it was purple. We have been driving for about 2 hours averaging about 70mph on mostly flat land. The battery finally charged itself on the big downhill of the grapevine (I5) but we're noticing we're running right through it again unless we start to break more. So, it's not getting any recharge during driving, just breaking. Can it be the generator? Does anyone know what causes this?

    Thank you!
     
    #1 rheannonr, Sep 19, 2014
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,556
    50,800
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome to priuschat, how many miles on her? have you done all the recalls? could be your hybrid battery, maybe the inverter, you should get to the dealer and see if there are any codes.
     
    #2 bisco, Sep 19, 2014
    rheannonr likes this.
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,632
    8,492
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I suspect it's the driving terrain you are going through. Since you are already on your trip, there's not much you can do. When you go home, see if everything goes back to normal. If it does, then it was just the terrain you were traveling through.

    You should also check the oil level in your car, just to make sure it's not running low. This does not have anything to do with the charging issue you are mentioning...
     
    #3 JC91006, Sep 19, 2014
    rheannonr likes this.
  4. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2009
    6,722
    2,121
    45
    Location:
    North Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Are there any air vents for the HV battery in the V? On my Prius there's on on the back seat. If it gets blocked (by a coat or a person etc) then the battery can exhibit similar symptoms to yours.

    So have you inadvertently blocked this vent? by a passenger, a coat, a dog, a box etc?
     
    #4 GrumpyCabbie, Sep 20, 2014
  5. Fifine

    Fifine Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2014
    106
    20
    0
    Location:
    So Cal
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    ^^^
    Passenger side backseat, next to door.
     
    #5 Fifine, Sep 21, 2014
  6. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    1. Did you start the highway trip with a low (2-3 bars) battery? I find it odd that it isn't charging even on the highway, because that's almost all my prius does on the interstate/highway.
    2. What kinda mpg have you been seeing lately?
    3. What is your energy monitor doing while cruising?
    Best of luck! Keep us updated
     
    #6 Aaron Vitolins, Sep 21, 2014
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)