I was driving to someone house today who lived in a very steep area, there's a steep hill going from his house, driveway, up to the main street. Right over the top was a huge lip/cement bump/ridge. The entire bottom of my car scratched over it. I was going VERY slow, like from stopped. But about 1 foot in, my car was actually stuck. I couldn't reverse back down. After trying for a while longer, the only way to move it was to continue driving over it. The entire bottom was scratched/scraped, etc. Immediately after this I checked for visible stuff (not that I know how) but there weren't any leaks. Since then, Now my car kinda feels funny, like the engine is trying harder than it needs to, or the battery is charging and discharging differently than before. Does anyone know what might be broken? Thank you.
It needs to be placed on a lift and looked at. It may be as simple as a loose under panel - it's acting like a parachute when your traveling down the highway.
I don't think there are any plastic panels in the middle area between the front and back wheels, which is what would have scraped if it high centered on the hump. Also possible though that the hump hit something before the front wheels, and there are all sorts of plastic panels up there.
May have bent something on one of the rear wheel suspension - that model is 4-wheel independent suspension; correct..... Everything else is routed up and out of the way except maybe a emergency brake cable.
There are pictures of the bottom of the second generation Prius here: Gen II Prius underbody photos | PriusChat It does look like all of the exhaust is normally too high up to have been smashed by dragging the bottom. Normally. If any of the exhaust hangers were broken then it could have been low enough to strike. In the section between the front and rear wheels there are some high voltage cables visible on one side, and what look like brake or fuel lines on the other. Was the hump/bump all the way across the road or only a few feet wide? If the former it shouldn't be able to smack any of the suspension, but it would be possible for a section where one or both wheels can go around rather than over it. We can speculate all day, putting it on a lift and actually looking is the right move. If the OP has a regular mechanic they would likely be willing to crank it up for a look and not charge anything. Well, unless something was broken that they needed to fix.
I'm gonna suggest that there isn't any damage to the car because cars slowly driving over "...a huge lip/cement bump/ridge" will scrape as designed without damage. The symptom of it seeming "like the engine is trying harder" is simply the result of driving on steep hills when the hybrid battery is worn down more and depending on the gas engine. Had you actually done damage to your vehicle the object you slowly drove over would be jagged or sharp in some way and you'd have to hit going faster than you were. As in my friend who owns a cab company of hybrid cars that are on the road 24/7 occasionally has a cab driver hit the underside of the car really hard and the only time it's a problem in need of repair is if they get warning light on the dashboard, the car is making a strange noise, or the car no longer steers correctly. If you don't have any of those symptoms then you don't have a problem.
The Gen 2 has very nice under covers that hug the under seat area like a glove . You might not notice them.
Is the combination meter working? Asking because I agree with PriusCamper that damage that made the car drive funny would probably throw a code. The OP might not see it though if the combination meter was out.
Thanks everyone for answering so quickly. I'll try to answer in 1 post I went at an angle, the bump wasn't perfectly level, so im not sure if it was across or just between the wheels. The combination meter is working. I DID take it to a mechanic, who put it up on a lift, and he showed me where all the scratch/stuff marks were (new and old). It did scratch up the bottom in multiple places including the cat shield, and places i don't know the names of, but he said there shouldn't be any serious damage. No charge. That being said, I still feel there's something going on with the acceleration, and battery charge/discharge (could be in my head) but I just feel that way. Is there nothing under there that could affect it? Like maybe the regenerative breaks? Anything that would affect the hybrid battery supplying power to the ICE? I'll take it to 1 more just to ease my mind. Thank you all again.
Another update, there is 100% something wrong. I filled up the gas, and the miles in the bottom right corner didnt reset like usual on the MDF. Before when I said it feels like the hv is charging/discharging differently, it was also on the MDF readings. What's under the car that can affect those readings?
Last update before bed. I think i found out what happened. There was a large scrape on the engine mount thing, which the guy said was the lowest point of the car. I think it got hung up on there, did some damage. Here's what I found so far.. along with a 2000-3000 dollar repair cost.. please let me know what you guys think (this is from google) "The "Engine Moving Control Rod" in a Gen 2 Toyota Prius is a component of the engine's mounting system. Its primary function is to manage the engine's movement. Essentially, it acts as a torque rod or torque roll restrictor. Here's a breakdown of what it does: Transfers Engine Motion: It helps to transfer the engine's motion to other parts of the vehicle. Restricts Engine Roll: It restricts the engine's tendency to roll during load transfer, which helps dampen the impact of torque. Prevents Vibration and Noise: By restricting motor roll, it also prevents the transfer of vibration and noise from the engine to the chassis. Supports Recuperation Functions: It is particularly important in hybrid vehicles like the Prius because it helps to support the engine's roll in both directions, addressing the challenges presented by recuperation functions (regenerative braking). In simpler terms: When the engine in your Prius is running, especially during acceleration or deceleration (including regenerative braking), it naturally generates torque, which can cause it to twist or "roll" within the engine bay. The engine moving control rod, along with other engine mounts, helps to limit and control this movement, ensuring a smoother and quieter ride while preventing excessive stress on other components."
Unless that mount is damaged such that one end or the other is disconnected, you are clutching at straws. I'm struggling to understand how it has any effect that "supports recuperation." Look up force charging and charge the battery up to 8 green bars, then go for a drive. See if the feeling that there's something going on with the acceleration and battery charge/discharge is still there.
I'm in the middle of changing an engine and transmission now I have this part on ground . Torque strut on bottom instead of on top think dogbone. Put hand on valve. COver . Try n rock engine front to back ?
Maybe damaged inverter wires under plastic tray that covers .it's a big stretch though.my MFD gas don't reset I push odo/trip or such. How I get my numbers to know mpg. Doh!..
As im driving, im becoming more confident that the issue is there, and clearer about what it is. The biggest thing I notice, is that the hybrid engine doesn't kick in during hill climbs or initial acceleration until much later. Its also charging the battery much higher than normal during freeway runs. (I think because its not discharging/engaging as much, so it's being charged more).
This is a picture I found online, these were the notable "new" scratches, both shallow and fairly deep IMO. - dog bone pretty deep scratch/part of it scraped off maybe 0.5mm-1mm ( just imagine it scraping on cement) will go check soon if it wiggles or is loose. - various locations on cat shield, partly pushed inwards, especially around the cutout words. - the 2 bars on the left and right, idk what they're called but as a non car things knowing guy, it looks like part of the frame. Had maybe 1-2mm deep scratches. - back end that dips lower than the rest, of that exhaust pipe also got banged (not deep or badly from what I can tell) but MIGHT it have been knocked and pushed out of position? So it didnt suffer surface damage or scratches, but dislodge or bent somehwere?
Right. When this car runs badly it will usually throw a code. Heck, it will throw a code when it thinks it is running poorly and the driver has not noticed yet. Banging up the exhaust system won't make the car run poorly. Actually poking holes in the exhaust system, at least downstream of the last sensor, won't either. Only crushing some part to the point it significantly restricts flow will do that. That sort of damage should be really obvious - a tube will be flattened or bent at an extreme angle. There is a sensor that goes to the catalytic converter. If that was damaged the car might run poorly, but there would absolutely be a code. Maybe if it was just a little damaged, reading slightly off? I'm referring to the one whose dangling wires sometimes short out after a cat is stolen, don't recall the name off the top of my head. That would be up behind the shield. If the OP has a borescope perhaps snake it in and have a peek at that. That said, this seems really unlikely to me. Does the OP have a copy of Dr. Prius and an appropriate OBD2 dongle? Run the capacity test. If the pack scores poorly that is the problem. If it scores well, then there probably is an issue - somewhere.
