Strange and unwanted ICE start AFTER car is warm

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Steepndeep

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 12, 2016
Messages
139
I know a lot has been written on unwanted ICE start in cold temperatures but this week I had on two occasions a very mystic ICE start. Case is this, note short journey within EV distance.

I preheat the car and start my journey in ECO mode slowly increasing the temperature from 15,5 to 17 or 18 degrees. I run fansetting on 2 or 3 "bars" and monitor electric heater powerusage. When on one tempsetting, say 16 degrees, the electric heater reduces power I increase tempsetting one degree and slowly in that way increase indoor temp. I usually stop at 18 or 19 degrees, depending on how frozen I am. I reach equilibrium after say 20 minutes and electrical heater eases off, sometimes even down to no consumption at all for a few seconds, then it settles at a low consumption. I am down to say 40% SOC, on the meter, electrical heater is down to on average 30% of max, ECO mode on and watch my right foot. THEN suddenly, even when the car is stopped for a redlight, the ICE kicks in. I turn down tempsetting or turn off heater and ICE stops after the usual 1-3 minutes of useless fuelburning. What on earth goes on??? This did not happen last winter, afaik.
 
There are more things between heaven and earth, Horatio, etc... :lol: The PHEV never fails to surprise us. Fortunately we have the Anko Oracle. ;)
 
Well, yes there are correctly engineered things, and then overengineered. But I think the PHEV adds another class.....

I am eagerly awaiting the Anko Oracle to maybe explain this. I am totally at loss trying to even come up with one theory making sense
 
. . . and at Mitsubishi, the engineers are congratulating each other for another win. The owners are again at a complete loss as to what's going on! :roll:
 
I now have a theory. Comments welcome.

Theory is based on other discussion where I believe Anko stated there are more parameters than temp diff between current and wanted indoor temp. Notably there are sensors in the heater package as well.

Theory is that ICE starts when diff between current and wanted indoor temp is larger than X, OR when heater package goes below Y. You could also have a trigger when heater demand is larger than what electrical heater can produce but I do not think that is the case. I have in cool temps been driving with max electrical heater output for quite some time, without ICE start.

So, in the last days in Stockholm the wheather has been quite grim, plus 1-3 degrees and very humid, which means cooling effect is large. Running then with low cabin temp, say 16-18 C instead of 22, the electrical heater does not need to work heavily. Picture in the hysterisis of the heater and it COULD be so that the overall temp of the heater package could go below Y, as a result of outside cooling, and result in ICE start. Running at a higher cabin temp would result in the lower point on heater hysterisis curve would never go below Y, maybe be that the heater never shuts off, and the ICE will never start

Come think of the past two occurences I think the ICE started when heater was not on, i.e. lowest point on hysterisis was actually heater off.

So what do you say?

I will try to repeat over weekend and monitor behaviour with this theory in mind.
 
I have thought earlier that it might be 'dangerous' to allow the car to cool down. Whether that would be related to cabin temp or heater internal temp? No idea.
 
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