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Hesitation/Shudder from a dead stop to moving

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by cardana24, Jan 19, 2015.

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  1. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    Yeah, I would say new IRIDIUM plugs instead of copper.
     
    #21 CooCooCaChoo, Jan 19, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there was another guy who just replaced his transaxle recently, he was having startability problems, iirc, he crushed some wires putting things together.(n)
     
    #22 bisco, Jan 19, 2015
  3. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    I have a few other threads here about the trans swap...check those, there are pictures there.

    Yes the trans came from a junkyard. I have a lifetime warranty on it but that does not guarantee it's good.

    I bought the car at the end of June with a busted trans case. So I drove the car home like this, it was about a 40 mile trip cruising down the highway. I don't remember having any issues. So once I got home the car was parked for about 5 months until I had time to source and installed a used trans. Since I have replaced the trans I have driven about 300 miles. When the car was down for the trans replacement I did normal "tune up" stuff on the ICE. I replaced the plugs will standard NGK copper plugs, new air filter, new pcv valve, oil change...
     
    #23 cardana24, Jan 20, 2015
  4. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    Have other people had trouble with plugs other than Iridium? I have always run just standard plugs in all of my vehicles and never had a problem. I understand they will not last as long but I am fine with that. I just want to know if a standard/copper plug would really cause a problem.

    I am probably that other guy. I smashed the resolver plug when I was doing the swap.
     
    #24 cardana24, Jan 20, 2015
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Oh....your the resolver guy. So you have never driven this car without the shudder than? So it could still be the trans?
    Crap this is confusing....
     
    #25 edthefox5, Jan 20, 2015
  6. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    Sure, it could be. I'm just curious what would cause it to sputter on start up but no other time. It seems that the ICE does not fire up fast enough IMO...or maybe I am receiving insufficient power off the line from the electric side. I don't know, but it does seem that the ICE sputters to a start and then kinda of puts out when it is coming to a stop. But when I am driving at speed I don't notice any problems.

    *What is supposed to happen when a prius takes off from a dead stop? How does the power delivery work? Should the ICE always be kicking on leaving from a stop? A lot of the problem is that I don't know exactly should be happening since this car is new to me, and I don't know any different. *
     
    #26 cardana24, Jan 20, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it depends on how much power you call for, and the level of the battery. ambient temperature and hvac settings aside, if the battery has a moderate charge, in typical traffic, i hit between 5 and 10 mph before the engine fires. if you you goose it a little, the engine fires right up. if you want to, you can feather it on ev up to 25 mph or something, without the engine firing.
     
    #27 bisco, Jan 20, 2015
  8. stonerider

    stonerider Member

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    Spend $20 and go get the correct Iridium Spark Plugs, either NGK or Denso, I have used NGK and prefer it over the Denso ones myself.
     
    #28 stonerider, Jan 20, 2015
  9. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    Just ordered the NGK laser iridiums...
     
    #29 cardana24, Jan 21, 2015
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  10. PriusGuy32

    PriusGuy32 Prius Driver Extraordinaire

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    I mean, sometimes my prius isn't smooth during the ICE start or stop transition, or when it first starts... I almost wonder if what you are feeling is somewhat normal. Except for the whole car shuddering, mine doesn't do that.

    In addition to installing the proper iridium spark plugs, I'd also recommend cleaning your throttle body and MAF sensor for process of elimination. (y)
     
    #30 PriusGuy32, Jan 21, 2015
  11. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    All the cars that I have ever owned have always shuddered a tiny bit on cold starts. This is because all the oil has drained into the pan, leaving only a thin film to protect the moving parts. This is the reason why you need good oil in your motor.
     
    #31 CooCooCaChoo, Jan 22, 2015
  12. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    So I replaced the plugs with the Laser Iridium plugs and nothing changed. I am still getting the hesitation/shudder from a dead stop. I am not sure it is an ICE problem, it seems to be with the initial power delivery. Once the car is up and moving it runs smooth, I feel that the car is slow/weak, but again I am not used to these cars yet. From reading over other threads, I am wondering if the tps/tb could be out of wack. What are problems that people report here from a failing tps/tb?
     
    #32 cardana24, Jan 26, 2015
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  13. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    The transition to the ICE is noticeable. Sometimes more than others.
    At 8 years and 160K miles old, you might be chasing a ghost.

    I think you really need another Prius owner or trusted mechanic to take it for a test drive.
    I hate to see folks fret over things that don't really have a solution.
     
    #33 Easy Rider 2, Jan 26, 2015
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  14. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    Yeah, only an original owner would be able to tell you if what your car is experiencing is normal.
     
    #34 CooCooCaChoo, Jan 26, 2015
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all you gotta do is stop in at a dealer and take a test drive....
     
    #35 bisco, Jan 26, 2015
  16. CrazyLee

    CrazyLee Member

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    Check out your motor mounts. It sounds like the bushings are worn out and the engine rocks too much at start up.

    Look under the engine while it starts up. If it is loose it will be easy to see.
     
    #36 CrazyLee, Jan 27, 2015
  17. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    It's not, I talked to them and it did not do this. What I am experiencing is very harsh, it is not normal. I am not really sure if it has any thing to do with the ICE at this point. It seems that it will mess up too when it is just the electric portion going. The car feels sluggish to me, if I was having a problem with the electric power delivery would that point to the HV battery? Would HV battery problems so up on my battery gauge on the car? It normally runs in the bright green bars and some in the blue bars...it never gets very low, but the car did sit for about 5 month with out running before I started driving it.

    I agree, I just need some time.

    I know its hard to explain a feeling in a car online, but it is not bushings. The power delivery is not smooth, it's not the engine moving a little bit.
     
    #37 cardana24, Feb 2, 2015
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i have never heard anyone with a bad battery describe it as sluggish, or transitionally challenged. if there is an issue, it may be in the transaxle, but you should have a code.
     
    #38 bisco, Feb 2, 2015
  19. cardana24

    cardana24 Junior Member

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    Yeah, I need to plug in that mini (don't remember the name) cord I have and see what that is showing because the only OBDII code I show is the P0420 converter code.
     
    #39 cardana24, Feb 2, 2015
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    going back to your other thread, i have to think you've got a tranny problem. you did say that you didn't notice it when you brought the car home with the old tranny.
     
    #40 bisco, Feb 2, 2015
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