Unfortunately the only time I come here is when I'm having problems... So my 2007 Prius has 160,000 miles and has over all been very, very reliable for the 4 years that I've owned it. The past year, it's starting to show it's age. The main issue I'll take up here is what I notice after starting it in cold weather, even when it's not -2 like it is now. It may or may not be related to another issue which I'll go into a little bit below. I start the car, and it sounds like I'm revving the accelerator pedal, but I'm not. At the same time, the energy flow-screen, or whatever it's called, shows that energy is only moving from the engine into the battery whenever the engine revving sound is happening. It starts and stop in cycles of a few seconds. It really doesn't sound good. I wouldn't think of this as anything other than cold weather, but even in more temperate weather, when I drive and watch the energy flow screen, sometimes the battery doesn't even seem engaged. Energy flows to the battery, but doesn't flow out as much as I've seen it in the past. Lots of gaps in the flow overall when driving. I've also seen a noticeable dip in MPG over the past 6 months. Does any of this sound familiar, or can someone help me to understand the energy flow screen better? I haven't had much luck with internet searches trying to learn more about that.
How's the hybrid battery state of charge, pretty steady, or up and down a lot? As it's been in the past, or?
Funny, I never thought of having the codes read because I haven't gotten an engine light (yet...) Not a bad idea. The 12 V is 2-3 years old. I don't sense any issues with that, everything works fine, no dimming lights, etc. But maybe I'm not looking for the right symptoms.
It actually seems pretty fine right now, nothing out of the ordinary. BUT over the summer and fall, there were some times where I'd start my (new) 3 mile, all uphill commute with a full battery and after a mile, it'd be down to 2 purple bars. The roads are bad, so I was driving really slow. After I started to drive at a more normal speed, the battery didn't drain as quickly. It also didn't drain as quickly when I started it and let the car warm up for a few.
it may be something like a dirty throttle body or o2 sensor. injectors or plugs. is the air filter clean? even a leaky air hose can cause problems. not everything throws a code unfortunately
Welcome Back! If you're experiencing a dip in your fuel efficiency first you want to make sure that it's not linked to the environment. The next things I might look at are the mass air-flow sensor and, as mentioned above, throttle body. These are both VERY DIY friendly and there should be G2 videos out there for each. WARNING!!! It's January out right now, and anyone in the boat or RV biz knows that this is when you start planting seeds for the spring tax refund season, so they'll often schedule boat and RV shows for JAN and FEB. Mentioning "Throttle Body Cleaning" while your on a dealer lot or in a mechanic's shop this time of year can have some unfortunate consequences. The reason that there are a lot of jokes about mechanics and boat payments is a lot like the whole Cops and doughnuts line with the exception that mechanics who buy boats often fall for the same sort of hi-jinks that they pull on automobile owners. .....it's a circle of life thing.
Interesting, I just did some reading about the throttle body. I'll have to get in for a closer look when the weather isn't below zero. What happened this morning: I experimented with stepping on the pedal while the engine was doing its revving up and down thing, and it stopped! It evened out and became a regular idle. What you you think? Maybe I helped open the throttle/butterfly by stepping on the gas or something?
Both air filters are clean; cabin was replaced a couple weeks ago, engine about 3-4 months ago. The plugs are about 3 years old.
The car is drive by wire, so you pushing on the gas petal tells the computer to open the throttle plate. It will be interesting to know what caused this. Please keep us informed.
Hah, you're the first to ask. I really thought it'd be @alanclarkeau... Anyway, no: Saucer Full of Secrets.
I did notice them the other day - but I couldn't make anything out of them. Obviously not classical music that I knew .
