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Prius Shaking at Idle

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SeattleArchitect, Dec 10, 2010.

  1. SeattleArchitect

    SeattleArchitect New Member

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    I have a problem with my car shaking at idle with the gas engine running. I've noticed that this happens at a stop, with the foot on the brake and this happens more in cold temps. The engine is running to provide heat in the car. When I have my foot on the brake, the car will shake at idle. But I've learned that if I lift my foot off the brake a bit, there is a point where it feels like something disengages, and the shaking stops. It's almost like something in the powertrain is trying to push the car forward when it shakes. I thought it was an engine misfire, but the dealership says no error codes. I also think the shut down of the engine is very rough at times, and will actually rock the car. It can also take about 5 seconds to shut the engine off, and the entire time it feels like the engine is misfiring, and visibly shakes the car. Again, no error codes, so Toyota says 'no problems here'. This doesn't seem right to me. Does anyone else have a rough idle like mine?
     
    Steven lakes likes this.
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Many people have reported this. It's annoying, but normal.
     
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  3. GigaTigga

    GigaTigga New Member

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    Mine does this first thing in the morning on a cold day. I find if I shift into neutral right away it doesn't do it...who knows.

    SCH-I800 ?
     
  4. wolfeberg

    wolfeberg Appreciative Member at large

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    II
    Mine does the same thing. I actually had my CEL come on about a month ago and the codes that the dealer downloaded were for a general misfire and misfire of pistons 3 and 4. They recommended I have all 4 fuel injectors replaced at a cost of over $1000. I took it and have done some of my own research plus used advice from folks on here. Use top tier fuel like Chevron with techron, use fuel injector cleaner every so often but the most helpful in my opinion was to clean the mass air flow sensor which is located on your throttle air intake housing. There are other threads on here about how to do it but it is simple and only takes 10 minutues. I have done all of these now and have not had my CEL come back on since but still holding my breath a bit since I am not sure if my injectors are totally working right yet or not. You may want to take a look at your MAF sensor though.
     
  5. bobo325

    bobo325 New Member

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    IV
    I have reported the same problem here on the forum. My dealer reported the problem to Toyota and they opened a case, but Toyota has no fix. Dealer wants me to clean the injectors at my cost. From what I have read here and on other sites this is becoming a common problem. I use injector cleaner regularly and feel its more a ECU chip problem. I suggest we keep reporting the problem to our dealers and demand they report it to Toyota and get a case opend with a number. Keep demanding an answer from your dealer and Toyota. There are so many complaints Toyota may soon have a PR problem. Only then will it be worthwhile for them to take action. Keep reporting it to your dealer!
     
  6. petrik

    petrik New Member

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    2008 Prius
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    How many miles on the clock ?

    The heated oxygen sensors take some time to heat up and when those get older they loose the ability to react quickly enoug to compensatenthe fuel.

    You should be able to monitor the oxygen sensors using obd2 gauge to verify that those are cycling fast enough. Slow cycling or a straight line indicates a work out sensor.

    Dont know whats the replacement interval for the prisu sensors, but its common in other cars that those can go bad well below 100000 kms.
     
  7. tf4624

    tf4624 Active Member

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    If you have this happening during warm or not super cold weather or cold weather.. u might have a crack in the porceline on the spark plug(s) which means changing the cracked one(s)

     
  8. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    Agree a couple times dealing with this in non-hybrid cars were traced to burned spark wire insulation.. If one of the cylinders missing spark it would be noticeable at idle the most.
     
  9. epoch_time

    epoch_time Active Member

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    I believe this happens if you shut off the car when engine is running. leaving unburnt fuel in cylinders. and when engine is cold, I always shut the car off when engine is stopped.Some shaking is also apparent only for the first 30 seconds when oil is overfilled. Keep oil about 1/8 inch below full mark.The best engine shut down happens automaticly when fully warmed up.Then the ecu cuts fuel while motor/gen one spins engine for about 5 additional seconds clearing any unburnt fuel/ exhause gases from cylinders.
     
  10. Hangfire

    Hangfire Junior Member

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    Glad to hear this is a somewhat common issue... mine started to do this exact same thing today. Of course I was out of town so I thought for sure it was on the verge of blowing up! lol It got me home safe and sound without any problems. I'll look over the spark plugs and wires if it continues! Thanks for all of the great info guys!