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This miss has me stumped

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by tv4fish, May 12, 2014.

  1. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    Hi people: Checking to see if anyone else has any suggestions on what else could be wrong or what I could check. I had to replace the air/fuel sensor in my 2010 Prius last week. The engine light had come on and threw the P2195 code probably 3 weeks ago. It took me a while to get the proper Denso sensor and while driving the car, it would "stumble/miss" - I think the ICE is/was missing. Well, even with the new sensor installed, it is continuing to stumble, primarily when not accelerating, but mostly when going slightly "downhill", i.e. NOT under power. I have not had the CEL come on again, but the darn thing still is missing/stumbling. Anybody have any ideas?? (Thanks in advance).
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Does this happen when you idle? How many miles on the car?

    SM-N900P ?
     
  3. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Need to check for vacuum leaks, exhaust leaks, check/clean MAF sensor, clean throttle, and check/replace spark plugs. It could be bad electric connections and dying coil, too. Am I forgetting something else?.

    One more thing, plugged EGR pipes.
     
  4. neez

    neez Member

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    I would hook up a bluetooth obdII tool and use the torque app and takes some logs. If any of your sensors are dropping out, that's likely your culprit. Check wiring for bad connectors, or pinched wiring etc...

    Was it a plug and play A/F sensor, or did you have to splice the wires?
     
  5. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    Hi guys - Thanks for the prompt replies, I appreciate it. I do run a Scangauge II permanently on the vehicle. The car has 90,000 miles on it. The plugs have been changed about 1,000 miles ago. It does not miss while idling. I did not have to splice wires - I bought the Denso 234-9090 sensor (the one prior to the cat converter). IF it were any of the other items mentioned - wouldn't I get the CEL and be able to pull a code??
     
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Maybe remove and check the plugs? 1000 miles ago is quite recent.

    SM-N900P ?
     
  7. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    What plugs did you use?

    Not always, depending on severity of the issue.
     
  8. neez

    neez Member

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    Scanguage II is nice, but it doesn't do what the TOrque app does. I have a $13 bluetooth adapter i bought on amazon, and the torque app on my phone is $5. So for $18 total, you have an incredibly powerful diagnostic tool.

    You need to log and graph all the parameters. If you take a log and post it, perhaps we can all help analyze it for you to see what's dipping out and potential causes. It's hard to diagnose intermittant problems without putting it up on a graph.

    Also, spark plugs could cause this problem too. You might have gotten a bum one. Are they NGK? Check those and the wires. I normally replace the spark plug wires with a spark plug change because resisitance in the wire will build over time, and even a small increase will lower the voltage and current seen at the spark plug tip. Now 90k miles, the wires should still function just fine, i just do it because i'm anal about making sure everything is optimal.

    Check this answer:
    Will spark plugs and wiring cause the car to cut off while driving
     
  9. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Modern cars have the coil-on-plug technology, hence no HV wires.
     
  10. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    I will have to check to be sure, but I'm pretty sure I used the correct/specified plugs. Since the Prius has the coil/wires as a unit - THAT c/b the culprit, as it does not do the "stuttering" right away, it seems to only happen after being driven for a while, which in my experience is more typical of a coil failing (when it gets hot).
     
  11. neez

    neez Member

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    Oh yea, i forgot. Either way, i would normally still replace them when i do plugs. It's just much saltier at $200 for a set of 4 coil/wires.
     
  12. peterjmc

    peterjmc Ping pong in Ding Dang...

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    Did you end up getting your problem fixed?

    I'd check to make sure the spark plugs are properly gapped. Even pre gapped plugs sometimes are a bit off. Id also check to make sure the coil on plugs are properly seated, and that the spark plugs are torqued properly.
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If the gap is close to spec I'd leave them alone, they're fragile and manufacturers caution about re-gapping: it's not impossible, but should be done with extreme care, and only if really necessary:

    Frequently Asked Questions: DENSO Iridium
     
  14. Den49

    Den49 Member

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    Have you solved this yet? If not, it sounds like you may have a weak ignition coil, which is difficult to diagnose until it gets bad enough to set a code. A weak coil will cause a miss in lean fuel conditions like you describe, but will disappear when you step on the accelerator and give it more gas. You could buy one new coil and substitute it for the existing coils until the miss goes away or you could wait for a code which will tell you which coil is bad. Other less likely possibilities are defective power or signal wires to the coil(s). Good luck.
     
  15. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    Was it solved? My 2010 Prius has had a gradually increasing misfire that sounds like this same problem. I do OK in self-diagnosing engine problems. It is a regular miss, not a random miss, and doesn't occur while it is warming up. It only happens with very light throttle. Sounds like a single coil problem. I'm going to order a set of four coils on Ebay.
     
  16. kenichols29

    kenichols29 Active Member

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    If they are iridium plugs and the mechanic gapped them they could have been damaged. Most iridium plugs are not supposed to be regapped due to the fine tipped electrode. The other thing that could be is if one of the plugs is gapped differently. Due to the plugs being a fixed gap it is important to measure the gap to make sure one of the plugs hasn't had the gap changed (ive seen this happen when the plugs have been dropped in the auto parts store).
     
  17. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    Sorry Dave (and others) I didn't realize this thread was resurrected. The answer is Yes, it was a bad coil pack. Replaced it and she runs like she should,
     
    alekska likes this.