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Big mistake? after cleaning intake valve.....

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by masterh, Feb 3, 2023.

  1. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    I had intermittent engine rattle issues when starting and finally took the intake manifold off.

    Manifold wasn't bad at all other than some coats of oil.

    I noticed Cylinder 4 was pretty gunked up sticky oil residue. So I had to spray intake cleaner a lot and clean with plastic brush like I saw on youtube. I did all 4 cylinder. I tried to clean as much as residue possible with a paper towel. (I wish had an air gun or I should've bought one of those computer cleaning spray)

    I started the car and it knocks pretty bad. Do you think I might have ruined the engine? Maybe it's making the sound because of lack of lubricant on valves? I ran the car about 1 minute. I didn't drive yet.

    Please help :(
     
  2. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    F-CK.....so I took the intake manifold off. all other valves were sitting at the same position except cylinder 1.
    Both valves are sitting low so there is a big gap. It doesn't look like it's bent but....Is my engine pretty much done? I mean it's better to engine swap than fixing it?

    The thing is my car got hit last June and the insurance company Just accepted liability. I was supposed to take it to the bodyshop to get estimates and stuff. It has about palm sized dent on left rear quarter panel right by the door. Door has very slight damage just by the edge.
    I don't think it will total the vehicle. Kbb shows $6000~7500 for private party even though it is 2013 with 240k miles.
    Maybe I have to drive the car in this condition to the bodyshop for an estimate. This is really depressing :(
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    At most points in the crank's rotation, some valves in some cylinders will be down. Do the two that are down go back up as you turn the crankshaft by hand? They may just be doing what they do.
     
  4. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    Could you tell me how I can turn the engine? I couldn't find it on google for prius C.
    When I was cleaning it, all valves were sitting tight. only cylinder 1 has a gap....It was the cleanest one. I don't know how it happened. maybe some oil gunk got left or I pushed the valve with a tooth brush while cleaning it...:(
     
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    No, the valves are moved up and down by cams while the engine runs. They are sturdy steel on stout springs and you did not move them with your tooth brush. :) When the engine comes to a stop, it is not always in the same place, so the valves will not always look the same as they did a time before.

    You don't have to google for Prius c specifically to learn about turning the crankshaft on an engine. It is widely transferable knowledge.

    It does sound as if you got into this job a little ahead of your knowledge of working on engines. But you still can catch up, and things may seem less dire after that.
     
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  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Any error codes when you cleared the dash lights?
     
  7. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    Here is cylinder 1 and 2 (2,3,4 looks the same)
    sound of the engine.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/prius/comments/10syafk/knocking_after_cleaning_intake_valve/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf


    I freaked out after hearing Dadadadadadada. I ran the engine about a minute hoping it will lubricate but turned it off to prevent further damage.
    What should I do at this point?




     
  8. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    F484B7E2-04AC-4436-8A4A-EBCEDF3BE5FD.jpeg B3149282-B423-4102-9D38-BE6182E09902.jpeg
     
  9. Kerrynzl

    Kerrynzl Junior Member

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    Pull the rocker cover off [easier job than the intake manifold] and pull the spark plugs out so there is no compression.
    Then rotate the engine 2 turns with the crank pully and observe all the valves.

    You can access the front pulley nut by removing the R/F wheel and the lower plastic shield and use a socket and ratchet to rotate it.
    If the valves got some shit stuck under them the could bend, and it is head off and replace the ones that are bent.
    with the engine in this position [photo] and the rocker cover removed, check the position on the cam lobes on that paticular cylinder'
    upload_2023-2-4_14-45-36.png

    Also while the plugs are out, give it a compression test on all 4 cylinders.
    If one cylinder is down on compression, squirt some oil down the plug hole and retest it. [oil will seal the rings]
    If it doesn't come up with oil , the valves are leaking

    You wont need to mill the head because it hasn't been warped from a blown gasket .
    But you will need a new head gasket and head bolts. [plus the valves]

    A lesson here is.................Don't disturb anything.



    edit: If you want to be ruthless [and try it and see]
    With the rocker cover off, sqirt some oil around the valves and use a large screwdriver under the retainer to close the valves.
    It could be dry valve stems sticking them open [but be prepared for bent valves on a 13:1 compression engine]
     
    #9 Kerrynzl, Feb 3, 2023
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2023
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  10. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    I will squirt some marvel mystery oil through the spark plug hole and try to hand crank it to see how it moves.

    If I push this part up, would that close the valve? :0

    I hope I am just overthinking and freaking out for nothing like the other person said lol.
     

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  11. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The idea of taking a little break from poking at the car for a while, to sit down with a good general book on how 4-stroke gasoline engines are built, might feel like it would be a distraction taking you away from your project. But it wouldn't be, really; you would still be on the project in a constructive way, just working a different angle of it.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    There's no way valve timing could be messed up by simply removing the intake manifold.
     
  13. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    My guess is that there was some leftover cleaning fluid or water from the valve cleaning that is getting into the cylinders.

    After cleaning my intake manifold, there was a bit of water remaining inside, because I didn't have access to compressed air to blow it out.

    The engine ran like cr@p for a few minutes, shaking and knocking pretty violently. I was pretty worried that something was going to break or a rod was going to get bent, etc.

    However, it did smooth out and ran OK after the initial minutes.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  14. Kerrynzl

    Kerrynzl Junior Member

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    That won't work.....
    You need to squirt lubricant around the valve stem, which requires removing the rocker cover.
    Be careful squirting too much liquid into the cylinder.

    This ^^^ could "hydro-lock" the engine and do more damage.
    The standard protocol is to crank the engine over with the plugs removed.

    Pull the rocker cover off and have a look
     
  15. masterh

    masterh Junior Member

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    Update: I was able to turn the engine manually. I removed spark plugs, poured some oil and also applied some oil directly on intake valves with a brush.
    The sound has gotten a lot better but the ticking noise is pretty loud. (loud enough to hear with window closed. it gets louder as I accelerate)
    I idled it enough and also drove around the neighborhood but it stayed the same. No check engine light. Driving was fine.

    I don't know if this would take care of intermittent engine rattle issue but for now I am stuck with a ticking noise. :(
     
  16. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    I had a ticking noise after cleaning the intake manifold, EGR cooler, and EGR valve.

    It turned out to be a bolt I forgot to put back in at the air intake hose, near the passenger headlight. It was vibrating against the frame of the car.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.