I only use my Prime in HV mode once a month to keep the ICE lubricated etc. I notice two oddities I don;t think I had with my original Gen 2 back in '04. I wonder if these are considered "normal". 1) I start the car which is initially in EV mode and before backing the car up while in Park I depress the EV/HV button to put the car in HV mode. When I do this I get a noticeable "clunk" sound as the engine starts. It starts but the sound is something I did not notice on the Gen 2. 2) During the first block or two the car is running in HV mode on the ICE only from what I can feel. During this time the ICE sounds louder than after it's warmed up. Is it normal for the ICE to be louder during this initial phase of warm up? Thanks all. J
1) i don't think this is normal, but a clunk can be difficult to decipher over the net. perhaps try it a few days in a row to see if it changes. 2) the engine revs high in the warm up phase and slowly comes down in stages. you are likely using more battery than you realize. iirc, both my gen2's revved high during warm up
Not sure about the clunk sound, I don’t think mine ever does it (but then again, I use hv mode like every other day) My car seems to rev high in general when on hv. Especially during the warm up and driving up hills
I couldn’t reproduce it today. Perhaps it was related to: A) Not using the ICE for several weeks Or B) Switching to HV while in park shortly after starting the vehicle. Or C) Pressing the HV button at the same instant the ICE was starting on its own due to a colder ambient temperature. Or C) Absolutely none of the above.
I’ve only taken one longer trip and noticed it’s much easier to drive the ECO indicator into the PWR range when in HV mode than when in EV mode. I felt the engine strain much less if I put the car in EV mode during uphill runs. This required managing the level of charge to have some available when needed. I wonder if leaving it in EV/HV auto would have helped?
Not sure what you mean by "clunk" sound , but what I can say is that, at startup, the engine is '' shaken '' a little more than usual in the engine compartment when it has not worked for 2 weeks or more .. i don't believe the "clunk" is internal , but something attached to it that vibrate. I guess it depend on how stiff the engine mounts are. It's a lot smoother in winter time ... because it start at least 3 times a week or more due to the cold weather ( -15C / -20C ) because the heat pump is not working for temp below -10C ...if I experience a 'rough' engine start it will most likely to happen in summer time because it can take a month or more before i use the engine .. so yeah i think we need to keep the parts oiled . So , maybe one engine warm up cyle / week is a good pratice ?
