Engine start when turning on

[ThudnBlundr]

Sorry if this has been answered before - I have searched through the forum, but "ICE" "engine" and "start" are too common for the search engine and I can't find anything in the first few pages...

We have just bought a 2015 4hs. This morning the ICE started when I turned the car on even though the battery was full. It did turn off a minute later. I thought that having the electric heater would mean the engine stayed off till "needed".

What causes the ICE to start?

 

[ps44]

Probably because you had the heating set at a level high enough above ambient (10C in ECO mode, not sure in non-ECO mode) and hadn't done a pre-heat.
In this case it will start the ICE to warm you up.
Many threads passim on this interesting design decision !

 

[Harald]

Probably because you had the heating set at a level high enough above ambient (10C in ECO mode, not sure in non-ECO mode) and hadn't done a pre-heat.
In this case it will start the ICE to warm you up.
Many threads passim on this interesting design decision !

From one of these threads:
Pushing the start button twice without pressing the brake pedal will activate the car incl. heating (or aircon).
Now you can switch off or reduce heating level before starting the car.
This should always allow to start without the ICE coming up.

Best regards, Harald

 

[ThudnBlundr]

Cheers both. I'm still getting used to the PHEV's "foibles" so thanks for that. I did a search, but couldn't work out what else to search for that wouldn't include those common words! And I scanned a few pages of the sub-forum but maybe I should have looked further

I guess I should choose pre-heat if I know when I'm off, or alternatively turn the car On without the brake pedal. FWIW on our Zoe, you can pre-heat the car on a timer like the PHEV, or do a quick 5-minute burst from the keyfob or via an app and the car's inbuilt SIM. The only downside is that there's an occasional random bug which causes the car to stop heating all together if you use the burst option!

 

[Harald]

You also may reduce or shut off the heating requirement before switching off the PHEV at arrival on your place.
But that's exactly, what I usually forget...

 

[ghoti]

I have a new 2018 in Canada. I've had the car for just 3 weeks and I still can't figure out what triggers the engine to run when the car is started. Today it was 18C, the climate control was off, the battery 90% full, and the car had been driven on a few short 1-2 km errands. Foot on brake pressed start and the engine came on right away. Turned the car off then back on and raced to hit the ECO button and the engine stayed off.

Any ideas why a warm car in warm weather with no climate control on would start the engine before taking the car out of park?

 

[jaapv]

It probably still remembers your winter. :lol:

 

[ghoti]

It probably still remembers your winter. :lol:

Yeah but that was the day before yesterday!

Happened again with car showing 22C. Turn on and engine starts. Turn off then on again and engine stayed off. Turned on again briefly while driving.

 

[elm70]

From one of these threads:
Pushing the start button twice without pressing the brake pedal will activate the car incl. heating (or aircon).
Now you can switch off or reduce heating level before starting the car.
This should always allow to start without the ICE coming up.

Best regards, Harald

Nice trick

My approach is quite simple ... before switch off the car .. I switch off the air ventilation ... so no risk to start the ICE on the next "start"

I think to press on ECO mode as soon as the car is started is a MUST :mrgreen:

For be extra safe .. before switch off air ventilation ... I also set 15C temperature .. and AC off ... just for be on the safe side

 

[ThudnBlundr]

Do you have the "EV Mode" button?

 

[ghoti]

Do you have the "EV Mode" button?

Yes.
1) Press Start with foot on brake
2) press Eco button
3) press EV button

 

[ThudnBlundr]

My MY14 version doesn't have an EV button, and I wasn't sure if it was fitted universal post-facelift.

I've not had the ICE start since it got warmer here, but yours doesn't seem to fit the criteria...

 

[elm70]

My MY14 version doesn't have an EV button, and I wasn't sure if it was fitted universal post-facelift.

I've not had the ICE start since it got warmer here, but yours doesn't seem to fit the criteria...

My PHEV is old and has not the EV mode

As far as I know, both new and old PHEV, when they got switch off .. they forget if the car was in EV mode or in ECO mode .. so at next start the car will start in normal mode.

But ... the PHEV does remember the requested temperature before switch off .. so if the car was left with 18deg temperature in the cabin ... this will also be shown as soon as the car get switch on again.

I don't think EV mode does prevent the ICE to kick in for "speed" up the cabin warm up ... only ECO can prevent it, up to some level (if outside temperature is 10deg colder then requested cabin temperature, ICE may kick in also in ECO mode).

The only way to prevent the ICE to kick in this cases .. it is to switch off ventilation, or set air temperature from ventilation to 15C (the lowest possible value) ... yes .. it may implies to drive in the cold .. but this avoid starting the ICE ... personally I'm happy to pre-heat my car in the winter and drive without any ventilation or with cold air blowing on the front window for avoid moist/fog on it (which does not happen normally for short trip and for only 1 or 2 person inside the car)

 

[greendwarf]

Also the OP's reference to temps is presumably the ambient external, not that inside the car. Unless it has been sitting in the sun, this could be considerably cooler, especially after an overnight drop. :idea:

 

[elm70]

Also the OP's reference to temps is presumably the ambient external, not that inside the car. Unless it has been sitting in the sun, this could be considerably cooler, especially after an overnight drop. :idea:

I believe : The PHEV check the cabin temperature, the external one, and for sure the temperature of the fluid used for warm up the air flow for the cabin

Based on these 3 temperatures (plus the requested temp + the ECO mode on/off) the PHEV decides how to warm up the "fluid" ... it could be using only the electric fluid heater ... or by merging the motor fluid with the cabin air warmer fluid and then starting the ICE

 

[ghoti]

Also the OP's reference to temps is presumably the ambient external, not that inside the car. Unless it has been sitting in the sun, this could be considerably cooler, especially after an overnight drop. :idea:

I believe : The PHEV check the cabin temperature, the external one, and for sure the temperature of the fluid used for warm up the air flow for the cabin

Based on these 3 temperatures (plus the requested temp + the ECO mode on/off) the PHEV decides how to warm up the "fluid" ... it could be using only the electric fluid heater ... or by merging the motor fluid with the cabin air warmer fluid and then starting the ICE

The temperature I referred to was the one displayed under the speedometer. The car was in the sun so that measurement is probably inflated by heating of the black car body.

I'm getting more convinced the car is using the heater fluid temperature for this decision since the cabin temperature control was off so shouldn't have been available to check. If had been below freezing overnight so I can believe the heater fluid was still very cold.

Whenever I have used the pre-heat, even for just 5 minutes, on much colder days the engine hasn't started. So heater fluid temperature seems likely to be the main factor.

Thanks for all the input.