Toyota Prius Transmissions For Sale
Toyota Prius Transmission Question: I am not sure whether I am having a transaxle issue, battery issue, or inverter issue… When I get into my car at the end of the day after it has sat outside in the heat I experience a condition where the car hesistates to go when the accelerator is pressed. There is a one to two second pause from the time that I press the accelerator pedal to the time that the car actually starts moving. If I move my foot on the accelerator pedal any at all, the car jerks and hesistates as if the transaxle is slipping. It does not act the same way as if the SOC of the battery was low. The battery charge goes from what ever it was when I first parked it down to one bar. Once that happens I get no regen braking. I thought that it was the A/C load that I was putting on the system, so I raised the temp up to 85 and that had no effect. Tried driving with the windows down to let out the heat but that has had no effect either. The engine runs constantly (which is expected due to the heat and the battery SOC). When the temp is lower (in the mornings) I do not have this issue. I do hear the battery fan running. My main concern is the way that the car behaves when accelerating or even crusing. I am concerned that if someone else drives the car (my wife) that they will not know that the car hesitates and get into an accident. I don’t think this issue is normal, even due to the heat as there are alot of Priuses around here. Anyone else experience this issue or have any suggestions? The inverter pump failed early this summer and was replaced so I am thinking it could be that rather than a transaxle issue. Vehicle is MY 2004 with 78k miles. Mileage has taken a nose dive this summer to the upper 30’s, FWIW.
Possibility: First, fuel economy in the upper 30s in the midst of an Arizona summer doesn’t surprise me if your driving is mostly at non-highway speeds. The AC really pulls fuel economy down at low speeds; it forces the ICE (internal combustion engine) to run considerably more than it would otherwise.
Second, the transmission has nothing to “slip” (I’m not dismissing your symptoms). There is no changing of gears in the Prius’ continuously variable transmission.
One of the first things to come to mind is “hot battery.” When the battery and the rest of the hybrid system reach a certain high temperature, the car takes steps to reduce battery use (using it heats it more). The battery fan runs, as you’ve observed. Because the electric motor is doing less work, its normally-available immediate torque is reduced and the ICE, with less instantaneous torque, is doing more of the work. I can see how what seems like the sensation of a slipping transmission can be felt in those conditions.
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