I was driving today with no music on and noticed something strange. I heard something "roasting" in the backseat...and looks like the noise comes from the battery vents. It sounds more like "roasting" noise than fan noise. Do you know if the battery was overheating?
View 7 RepliesA few weeks ago I started to notice that the battery vent fan was turning on way more than usual. I've had the car now for five years (34K miles) and I've only heard the fan go on a handful of times, even in the hot Las Vegas summers. Once I really started to pay attention to it I noticed the noise only started once I hit about 30-35 mph and got louder as I went faster. As I slowed down, the noise would get quieter and eventually stop as the car came to a stop.
This week I caved and brought the car in to the dealer to get checked out and they did an inspection of the vent, fan and did a complete diagnostic on the hybrid system and batteries. I was worried about damage to the traction battery if the vent fan was malfunctioning or clogged. I'm out of warranty with no extended coverage so I was pretty shocked that the dealer didn't charge me a dime to do the tests. All the tests came back clean and they said all the systems tested above average and that the fan was operating normally so I shouldn't worry about it.
But the noise still persists and it's starting to drive me a little batty. It has never made this much noise before. Is there something else that could be going on that the dealer missed? Maybe the noise I'm hearing is something else and it only sounds like it's coming from that area?
is there a fan in there...I was driving home no music and in the quietness of my Pri...I hear this sound....
View 12 RepliesOK, I've been reading a lot about this problem occurring in the pre 2010 prius where there is a crack around the hatch that fills the 12V battery well with water. About a month ago, I started getting a whiff of something rotting. A mix of the dead smell and rotting fruit. I was certain one of my kids left some food in the car or something got in the HVAC vent. As time has gone by, the odor has changed to more of a rotting leaves kind of smell.
I got out my shopvac and a snake camera. I went through the HVAC system and found that the filter was pulled back a bit. I replaced it on the spot. I found a few leaves and dust and that was it. The air coming from the vents from the outside smells clean. There were lots of wet leaves in the engine bay, but it wasn't the problem.
I started tearing apart the trunk because sometimes stuff spills into the tire well. I found the spare tire had turned brown on the tread.
I opened the battery compartment and found about an inch of standing milky white water. The kicker here is that the water didn't seem to smell that bad! I dried it all up and bleached the metal to kill any mold that might be in the residue...but the odor remains. The car smells awful!
I have torn apart the back of the car but I cannot find the source of the leak. I actually think it was from the car wash or going through a puddle and water got in the rear vent. The battery fender vent vanes were flapping with gusts of wind today, but even after a heavy rainstorm no new water has gotten in.
The car was hit in the parking lot and the rear fender moved about an 1/8th of an inch from the bumper, but there are no obvious signs of water entry anywhere... in fact, I was even suspicious that it might have come from the battery itself, but I didn't touch it (used paper towels on a snake to dry it up under there). I didn't think to try baking soda to see if it was an acid, which makes bleach pretty stupid to use...but I didn't see any foaming.
TL;DR Found water in my 12V battery compartment. My car smells bad. Cleaning out water did not improve smell. Nothing in HVAC system, it is only clean air source in car. No signs of water ingress above 12v battery well. After rainstorm, no additional water found in battery well. Fender vent flaps in gusty wind, but still no new water.
On more than one occasion, when I have gone in my garage at around 5 a.m., I hear a hum/buzz coming from the back end of my Prius. It has to come from the battery pack because the sound seems to come from under the back end of the car and is not as audible when I open the hatch.
View 2 RepliesDriving home last night I noticed this strange noise coming from the back seat area. not very loud, just a faint electrical motor sound emitting from the passenger rear side of the vehicle. It was strange as in i've never heard it before, I eventually narrowed it down to what I think is the battery fan. When i stopped and got out with the car still running i went to the back seat and listened under the seat and could hear the fan running.
What I thought was strange though was the noise when driving. I would only hear it at speeds above 20 km/h. When I would pull up to a stop and slowed below 20 the noise would switch off, no change in pitch, it would just stop. Then when I would accelerate above 20 the noise would "switch on again". I was only driving through an urban area at the time so never got speed up to anything faster than 50kmh. I'm used to the typical regen braking noise, inverter whine, brake popping noises, etc but this one has me a little worried as it was a new sound and it was coming from the battery area.
I do live in a very hilly area with lots of short steep hills that usually gives me full bars on the battery at least once a day. Also rush hour traffic can be horrendous around here which can bring the battery down to 2 or 3 bars sometimes.
I have a 2003 Prius and replaced one of the failing batteries in my HV battery pack in hope that would fix the car. It now will not start, with the battery installed, and I have a p3030 code being thrown. Also, after sitting for a night, the main display goes black and has 'waves' in it when it does show. When I turn the switch on there's a clicking noise coming from the area around the battery.
View 19 RepliesI was driving into work this morning. I initially had my windows down, vent on, blower on 1, fresh air. It started getting warm as I sat in traffic, so I hit the A/C button, then hit the recycled air button. White fog started coming out of the vents for about a minute. After that, it went away. I didn't smell any freon, but it's got me concerned. Do you think there could be an A/C issue? I just got the car last Saturday?
View 21 RepliesEvery morning, just as I get into my car and right before I press start engine, I have to hold my breath for a few seconds because there is odor coming from my vents. It lasts for a few seconds. 2013 RX ...
View 13 RepliesMy 2010 Dodge Caliber has been leaking anti-freeze very slowly. I notice it when I start the car up and for the first minute I can actually smell the antifreeze coming through the vents when I have the air on. If I park the car and go in to the grocery store for a few minutes and start it up again the smell doesn't re-occur. I imagine I have a leak somewhere that is dripping onto the engine and when the car starts up from cold it burns it which is sending that smell through my vents.
I was told a while ago it could be the heater core, however I would assume that if it was the heater core I would have had a fog up on my window or a constant smell, not one that dissipates after a minute.
I had this problem last year except I was losing a lot of antifreeze (about a whole reservoir in 3 - 4 days. The problem was found to be a broken clamp on one of the hoses. This time however I cannot find any broken clamps or a source of the leak for that matter. I did notice that when I shut the car off the one time, and checked under the hood of the car I seen one air bubble spring up from the reservoir tank. I cannot see any signs of a leak from under the hood. However under the car I can see it is dripping from the frame, but not where it is coming from.
My 12 volt battery is flat. I attached my CTEK MXS 5.0 and started on the Normal setting. I figured (wrongly it seems) that having the battery charger attached would support in starting the car. The green light displayed when I depressed the brake pedal and I pressed the Start button, but everything went dim and the brake pump slowly wound into life. The Start button glowed was on but no other functions started.
I pressed Start again and the light went out. Now when I connect the battery charger, a whining noise starts from near the inverter. The speed varies; dropping from a peak and rising again, and there's probably a pattern to it.
I've disconnected the charger a few times and the noise stops immediately. I wonder if the car has not switched itself off. I've disconnected the charger and I'm waiting some period of time before connecting it again to see if something will fall asleep. If not, I'll just have to climb over the back and disconnect the battery from the car before I charge it.
I have a Corolla XLi 2010 (1.6) which from the moment I bought the car it had this problem with the AC (I bought it used and was informed about the issue so I got it with a good price).
The AC sometimes starts and sometimes it doesn't I thought it was just lacking of freon gas but wasn't that, and except this problem the second one is that sometimes it smells like mold coming from the AC. May be are related or maybe not, but I really want to resolve these issues asap.
I'm adding some more info, when the AC isn't working I don't hear the AC sound, and of course when it's working I hear the classic AC sound, and another "thingy" is that when I push the car around 120km/h the AC keeps working more , and also some times if isn't working and I hit the turbo increasing the RPM and making the car scream like a sport car , suddenly the AC starts (but I don't do thsi all the time) and it's just my impression of daily-use.
What is that little noise coming from the engine bay when you unlock and open the drivers door?
View 14 RepliesI purchased a used 2007 prius last month. Back then, I noticed a faint smell that reminded me of a barn, horse along those lines. I didn't smell too often because the car still smelled of whatever dealer cleaned with. Now that "fragrance" has worn off, the "horse" odor is more intense. I notice that it smells more in the back seat.
This morning I smelled the vent, and it seems to be coming from there.I heard it was the battery duct battery insulators that accumulate a sticky substance that smells.
Recently I noticed that I still have hot air coming through the vents with the climate control system completely off. I can tell that the fan is off because it's not blowing through the vents but the vents are very hot.
View 13 RepliesRecently I started to hear engine pinging/knocking-like noise when the hybrid battery level becomes low like two bars and the car starts a charge cycle. I also hear it occasionally when I accelerate on uphill. Is this normal or should I take it to a mechanic?
View 2 RepliesSince new my Prius V has had a metallic clattering sound that comes from underneath the car. This can be replicated when driving over lane divider dots on a quiet street with the windows down. To investigate, I put the car on ramps and looked around; I was almost certain the sound was coming from a thin aluminum heat shield that is just behind the engine. Tapping this shield made a similar sound to what I heard coming from under the car while driving over bumps and such. The shield is poorly attached with those "fun" push pin fasteners that seem to be liberally deployed all over the undercarriage. I decided to re-attach the shield with a judicious circular application of silicone under each of the holes in the shield and let it dry. The clattering sound I heard previously when tapping the shield was gone. Out for a test drive and still there!
I just had the first service done, and of course the tech couldn't hear it on his test drive. Unfortunately I was pressed for time, so I wasn't able to take a test drive with the tech. I will drive the tech around next time and demonstrate it.
Parked Prius making awful sound from brakes. Could it be Suspension? However, I am not sure how to describe this one.
View 10 RepliesMy dad has a 2010 prius IV. He told me the other day when he backed out of the driveway and put it in drive he experienced a clanking noise coming from the engine. He said it sounded like metal rattling around. It lasted about 30 sec. then went away. What this may be?? It hasn't happened since.
View 7 RepliesAbout a week ago I noticed this weird noise that sounds like it's coming from inside of the center vents area/console.
The noise definitely only occurs when moving, or at least it seems that way. At idle there is no sound. The sound seems to get a little louder the faster I go.
It's kind of a "whirring" sound. It's not really loud and if someone that had never been in the car were driving they probably wouldn't even notice it. It almost sounds as if I have the heating/ac fan turned up high but I don't. The sound appears even if I have the heat/ac fan off.The heat/ac works fine.
It may have nothing to do with the heat/ac but I'm wondering if something could have got stuck in the vents from outside?
My 2010 Prius V just past the 24000km mark. I have a buzzing noise coming from the engine bay during startup. It happens when the interior fan is on. You can hear it clearly after you start the car, during the silence of the "boot up", before the ICE kicks in. I can't be sure if it continues to buzz after that because the sound of the ICE drowns it out. However, If I shut off the fan during the boot up, the buzz disappears. Finally, if I leave the fan off and start the car, there is no buzz.
During a recent oil change, a hybrid technician claims that this is normal. It used to happen infrequently but now it is consistent, so if it was normal, I should have heard it when the car was new.