Possible First Problem with my FFH?

[Howie411]

So I got in my car today, ( I keep it in the garage) and the gas engine started up right away, I put the car in reverse and felt a big jolt/thud. I headed over to the grocery store about 1 1/2 miles away. The Electronic Motor never came on at all, got some groceries and headed over to my friends house to watch football, no electric motor either. Headed home and the electric motor finally went on while I pulled into my development.

 

It was not to cold out, I'd say it was about 50 degrees out went I first left and around 41 on my way home.

 

Any ideas?

[FtLewis2002]

So I got in my car today, ( I keep it in the garage) and the gas engine started up right away, I put the car in reverse and felt a big jolt/thud. I headed over to the grocery store about 1 1/2 miles away. The Electronic Motor never came on at all, got some groceries and headed over to my friends house to watch football, no electric motor either. Headed home and the electric motor finally went on while I pulled into my development.

 

It was not to cold out, I'd say it was about 50 degrees out went I first left and around 41 on my way home.

 

Any ideas?

 

Low battery pack maybe?

[jeff_h]

Low battery pack maybe?

 

This sounds like mine has been acting over the past week, since the weather has changed (and snowed me in for 3 days) and it sat there without running for that time. Once I turn the key, the ICE starts up immediately and seems to run a lot more than normal -- but the battery doesn't show low, it shows very high and I think the ICE may also run in those situations to bleed off energy somehow (my Prius used to do the exact same thing). I've run a vehicle health report and it doesn't indicate any problems, I will keep an eye on it but it may straighten itself out in the next couple days as my long commutes (54 miles each way) start again and the charge cycles maybe get into a more steady state instead of the short trips down the road to the store.

[neal702]

So I got in my car today, ( I keep it in the garage) and the gas engine started up right away, I put the car in reverse and felt a big jolt/thud. I headed over to the grocery store about 1 1/2 miles away. The Electronic Motor never came on at all, got some groceries and headed over to my friends house to watch football, no electric motor either. Headed home and the electric motor finally went on while I pulled into my development.

 

It was not to cold out, I'd say it was about 50 degrees out went I first left and around 41 on my way home.

 

Any ideas?

How many miles do you have ? Maybe the battery was reconditioning, there should be some info about it in owners manual.

[Howie411]

As of tonight the battery was listed as fully charged. I just hit 1060 miles.

[lrymal]

Any ideas?

Not a problem at all..... 1 1/2 miles, the ICE needs to get up to temperature, the other components need to come up to temperature. After about five miles or so, all will be humming just fine.

 

You guys are too antzy.... Let the computers do their jobs.

[Howie411]

I dunno, something is definitely different. Went out driving today didn't come on, even when stopped at stop lights. I turned off the Climate control and then it started working again. Turned back on the climate control and it went back to using gas again. Its been cold around here for the last 3 months this just started happening after the big snow storm.

[Sporty]

The difference is its cold outside and the gas engine needs to run if you want to warm up the car. Change your display to the second one from the bottom (Engage) and it will show the electric motor separate from the gas engine. When its hot outside the air conditioning is all electric so the engine doesn't need to run except to charge the battery (other than driving).

Edited December 28, 2009 by Sporty

[Icebreaka]

I'd be more worried about the thud you heard than the ICE coming on too much. I think all of us have noticed a massive difference as the temperature has dipped in how much the electric comes on. Nature of the beast it seems but if you go on a longer drive you get up to temperatue and will get more electric. You can always call the dealership about the thud noise and get them to do a once over. The thud is not normal!

[lolder]

Has anybody heard the click from the battery area that the owners manual predicts may be heard when the battery is conditioned? This implies less noise than this "thud" but maybe that's it. If there was a problem I would expect the system to report it.

[SRACP]

I have noticed since it got cold that the mileage has gone from an avg of 34 to 28. The gas engine seems to run a lot more now and the batt is almost fully charged where in the warmer months it always stayed half full.

[lolder]

The ICE is running more to keep it and you warm. If you turn off the climate control, it will run in EV normally right away but who wants to do that. If you can store or park your car where the passenger compartment is comfortable, you can use your climate control much less. When it is calling for heat, it will run the ICE. This behavior shows how difficult it is to get much over 50 mpg. in a reasonably sized car with creature comforts in all climates. Only new engine technologies and weight shedding will yield improvements. Battery improvements will mean little in non-plug-in hybrids.

[Zacher]

The ICE is running more to keep it and you warm. If you turn off the climate control, it will run in EV normally right away but who wants to do that. If you can store or park your car where the passenger compartment is comfortable, you can use your climate control much less. When it is calling for heat, it will run the ICE. This behavior shows how difficult it is to get much over 50 mpg. in a reasonably sized car with creature comforts in all climates. Only new engine technologies and weight shedding will yield improvements. Battery improvements will mean little in non-plug-in hybrids.

 

lolder has it bang on. I'm in Canada, and the temps have been in the -15C range and lower. when I remote or just plain old start, my ICE turns on instantly, and stays on until both the cabin temp is at 21C and all Environment pieces (ie catalytic convertor) are warmed up. I've become accustomed to it, and my mileage has changed from 6.4L/100KM to 8.4L/100KM in a matter of a month. The ICE likes to rev High too, nearly 2000RPM's when ideling. I can "force" the EV mode by turning off the Climate but, that's too darn cold. I'm happy that my car still gets mileage that most people see on the highways. Majority of my driving is in the city, and still gets better MPG then the Grand Prix in which I replaced w/ the Hybrid.