Wanting to keep the engine running when coming to a stop

[Nodak]

Hello again all,
Okay, today I was able to experiment with my Platinum runner and here is what I experienced;

First I tried the easiest which was sport mode and neither sport or sport+ kept the engine running at a stop. I did not try the manual +- suggestion.​

Second, as recommended by yakalak (and rightfully so as the manual stated) when at a stop with the engine off, I went into Tow-Haul and Yup, engine came on and worked very well and also as stated, torque was exceptional leaving from a stop which is exactly what I wanted.​

A question was posed about just why would one want to keep the engine running...well, for a couple of reasons; the first being if some knot head pulls up along side me at a stop and gives me some crap, I want to give him all I got which means I dont want the engine off when I stomp on the gas and I want the full torque available...hehe. Second, the continual start stop is a bit annoying and more aware in this vehicle than any other hybrid I have experienced but this second reason is minor to the first and I am getting more used to it and have decided not to let it bother me.
thanx all for contributing here, love this forum and all the objective contributions...look forward to learning more n more about this fantastic 6g 4runner!

fyi; I come from a Rav4 hybrid and the start-stop transition in hardly noticeable and my friend has a new hybrid Camry and very hard to notice the transition in it as well.

willie

you have to put into manual shift mode to keep the engine running. sport/sport + mode doesnt do it.

all those modes do is change the shift points, suspension setting (if you have avs) and the steering input (stiffer)

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[127.0.0.1]

be in 4wd (or AWD if you got the bling edition)
put in tow mode
mash the gas

probably the most you can squeeze out of it

 

[rockymtncole]

Hello All,
Is it possible, in our hybrids, to over-ride the engine shut down and eliminate the start-stop "feature" when coming to a stop? There are situations that I would like to keep the engine running at a stop.

thanx in advance,

willie

Yeah my hybrid 4Runner spends all its time in Wisconsin and Ontario and the heat works just fine. But the auto off feature seems to turn the engine off a lot less in the winter too. Now in terms of reliability, who knows if its something that will wear out prematurely but as you eluded to, Toyota has been doing this hybrid thing a long time so I am not concerned.

Hello All,
Is it possible, in our hybrids, to over-ride the engine shut down and eliminate the start-stop "feature" when coming to a stop? There are situations that I would like to keep the engine running at a stop.

thanx in advance,

willie

Hello All,
Is it possible, in our hybrids, to over-ride the engine shut down and eliminate the start-stop "feature" when coming to a stop? There are situations that I would like to keep the engine running at a stop.

thanx in advance,

willie

Thanks for posting. The reason I want to keep the engine running is that the start/stop is too clunky. It drives me nuts in traffic. I’ve tried the “shift to manual and leave er in 8” and it works well. Tow/Haul works well, too. I’m looking into one of the plug in bypass options as well.

 

[willie2323]

agreed, it is a very clunky transition, let us know if you are able to find a plugin bypass option, IMHO that would be the best!
cheers,
willie

 

[127.0.0.1]

hybrid is clunky ?

that sucks...prius and rav4 are butter smooth in all drive phases,
but of course they've a different hybrid system...4runner is parallel
where all other 'normal' toyota hybrids are series-parallel with
the 'synergy drive' planetary

 

[rockymtncole]

hybrid is clunky ?

that sucks...prius and rav4 are butter smooth in all drive phases,
but of course they've a different hybrid system...4runner is parallel
where all other 'normal' toyota hybrids are series-parallel with
the 'synergy drive' planetary

 

[rockymtncole]

Yeah, it’s the one big complaint I have. Otherwise it’s darn near perfect.

 

[willie2323]

hmmm, I would call the 4Runner IForceMax drivetrain in series, not parallel as the motor is between the engine and the transmission so the engine and motor are in series....eh. But yea, it is a clunky transition when the engine fires up and engages with the clutch pak in the motor. IMHO they could have done a better job with this. That is why so many of us are interested in keeping the engine running all the time irrelevant of trade offs like mileage..

 

[Joestac]

hmmm, I would call the 4Runner IForceMax drivetrain in series, not parallel as the motor is between the engine and the transmission so the engine and motor are in series....eh. But yea, it is a clunky transition when the engine fires up and engages with the clutch pak in the motor. IMHO they could have done a better job with this. That is why so many of us are interested in keeping the engine running all the time irrelevant of trade offs like mileage..

That is interesting to hear. My TH is almost not even noticeable when switching while I'm in traffic. Coming from a Subaru where the auto-start/stop would shake the entire car, this thing is fantastic and not a bother at all.

 

[willie2323]

well your reply is interesting as well...shouldnt be much if any difference between the TH and other iforcemax hybrid models...hmmm. thx for your input which makes me very curious...

 

[rockymtncole]

hmmm, I would call the 4Runner IForceMax drivetrain in series, not parallel as the motor is between the engine and the transmission so the engine and motor are in series....eh. But yea, it is a clunky transition when the engine fires up and engages with the clutch pak in the motor. IMHO they could have done a better job with this. That is why so many of us are interested in keeping the engine running all the time irrelevant of trade offs like mileage..

Agreed. Live the truck, hate the thunk.

 

[Joestac]

well your reply is interesting as well...shouldnt be much if any difference between the TH and other iforcemax hybrid models...hmmm. thx for your input which makes me very curious...

I'll keep an eye on it for sure, but I've been sitting in traffic going home for two weeks now since coming back from Christmas break and haven't seen any issues. I doubt this is a factor, but I run 93 in my car.

 

[rockymtncole]

I'll keep an eye on it for sure, but I've been sitting in traffic going home for two weeks now since coming back from Christmas break and haven't seen any issues. I doubt this is a factor, but I run 93 in my car.

Yeah I’d say it’s mechanical. I drive a couple similar drive trains recently (I drive a lot of rentals for work) and none of them had the same clunk. So far if I’m in a lot of traffic I just drop in in 8M. But it’s still annoying. Otherwise DANG! I love this truck. Girlfriend digs it too!

 

[willie2323]

maybe clunky infers the wrong notion...I will say from engine to motor is seamless (of course cause the engine just shuts off). when motor to engine starting its loud and I feel a jerk/pull especially when it just starts at a fairly high rpm, hence the pull.
After watching a good vid of exactly how the hybrid drivetrain works, I can see how this happens when the clutch pack in the motor engages too rapidly. It needs to be smoother to bring the engine into play smoother...here is the vid I am speaking of, its quite good...



cheers,
willie

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