2010 Prius Build Thread

[hayden55]

Going to spin the wheels and check for dragging pads, tires are at 50psi, had car aligned when i bought it but could be better with shimming the left rear hub to get rid of that -.28 toe, and every other wheel had-.02 toe. Will check my resting voltage of the battery, and will take the battery to be tested at the parts place. Muffler tip wasn't discolored with soot so i guess it's doing okay.

[elhigh]

Somebody else here reported that they were using their Prius as an ersatz RV, even sleeping in it, and the engine would come on every half-hour or so while they were running the AC during the night.

Them reporting that, and you reporting yours loses a lot of charge in just about 15-20 minutes, makes me think your battery needs some attention. I don't know what a Prius battery needs but a deep discharge and full balancing grid charge have worked wonders for my HCH, maybe that would improve matters?

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Somebody else here reported that they were using their Prius as an ersatz RV, even sleeping in it, and the engine would come on every half-hour or so while they were running the AC during the night.

That doesn't sound right to me. It might take that long before the ICE kicks on the first time, but the ICE will only run long enough to get the battery above the bottom 2 bars. I would say that it kicks on every 5-10 minutes for a minute or two while running the AC.

The car uses a few hundred watts when it's powered on for the various computers and pumps. The usable charge range of the HV battery provides in the neighborhood of 600-800wh (from completely full to empty on the display). The charge display isn't an exact thing, either. There's a charge range for each bar that overlaps the other bars. It'll go from 5 to 6 bars at a higher charge than it'll go from 6 to 5 (that's why you never see it switching back and forth quickly). You could have just been at the very bottom end of "60%" when you started, so you might not have used as much charge as the display led you to believe. Here are some charts on Google Images that help illustrate it https://www.google.com/search?q=priu...=lnms&tbm=isch

[hayden55]

Car was also in normal mod instead of eco, i guess i didn't notice. Would that have an effect?

[Ecky]

It can. I'm no Prius expert but I've driven quite a few. The most noticeable difference between normal and eco is that the throttle mapping on the gas pedal is changed, so you have to press it farther to get the same acceleration. This is more a psychological effect, people will tend to accelerate more slowly and efficiently. However, I believe it also affects some other things such as the behavior of the A/C compressor.

[straight5]

Originally Posted by hayden55

Looking like $150 for an optima yellow top.

You kinda lost me on that comment. From my limited understanding, it sounds like maybe you're talking about two different things.

[redpoint5]

You won't get much MPG difference between Normal and Eco mode; it's mostly a gimmick. The throttle pedal is remapped so that a lot of pedal movement is needed initially, while the top end of the throttle map is extremely touchy. The silly thing is that brisk acceleration is efficient, so I don't know why everyone including vehicle manufacturers think you need to accelerate at a snails pace to conserve fuel.

Other than ruining the throttle map by making it non-linear, eco mode also chooses more efficient times to run the AC. It won't make much difference though.

I have heard many problems blamed on a weak 12v battery, and wouldn't be surprised if poor fuel economy could also result. The 12v battery is used to activate the traction battery circuit, and once that happens, the 12v converter uses the traction battery to power all accessories. The engine will then come on whenever the traction battery needs to be charged.

If the vehicle is not fully on, meaning it isn't ready to be shifted into D for driving, then the 12v battery is used exclusively to power accessories such as the radio, lights, and fans.

Oh, and I just read the part about you having an extra plug for the wiper hole. I'd love to get that from you if possible. I have 10 of the wrong size and have just been using black duct tape to cover the hole.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Somebody else here reported that they were using their Prius as an ersatz RV, even sleeping in it, and the engine would come on every half-hour or so while they were running the AC during the night.

I slept in it, but did not run the climate control overnight, so I haven't observed firsthand how often the engine has to turn on. There's a whole thread on Prius camping on Priuschat, and several people in there said it's every half hour or so--but take that (secondhand information) for what it's worth.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'd be curious to know the percentage of tires that have irreparable sidewall damage vs punctures through the tread.

I have thought of that, but I never kept track. I would estimate around 10-20% are not repairable. This number includes when the tire is worn enough that we recommend replacement, has been driven on flat (rubber dust in tire), or is close enough to sidewall that our patch would not stick. I don't know about the mushroom plugs, but our plugs were a plug and patch in one, and they would not stick close to the sidewall.

I keep the spare in my car.

[ECO-AKJ]

Get ahold of Bill The Engineer, he would be the guy to ask on movement and cable length of hybrid battery.