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2006 Prius high frequency vibration (HELP)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by That_Prius_Car, Oct 13, 2016.

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  1. That_Prius_Car

    That_Prius_Car Austin Kinser

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2009
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    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    So along with my new 2016, I still have my 2006 which now has 88,000 miles.

    So what's happening is when the car is under load (e.g. going up a hill or just accelerating) while in drive, all is normal and smooth until the engine hit's about 3,000 RPM, there is a noticeable high frequency vibration that goes away above 3,600 RPM. The vibration is only present in that narrow RPM band. It's NOT speed related. I took it to Toyota, they put it on a lift and made sure the heat shield was secure and did an overall vehicle check-over. All was tight with no issues.

    I took the Toyota Tech for a ride, he noticed it and acknowledged it, but said he wasn't sure what it could be. He threw out there that it could maybe be engine mounts, but I'm not sure if mounts could cause high frequency vibrations at certain RPM's.

    I replaced the spark plugs in July with new Toyota OEM plugs, but that didn't take care of the vibration. I only use top tier gas stations (e.g. Exxon, Shell, and BP) so it's not bad gas either.

    Vibration description: high frequency. Can be felt in the butt of your seat, and if you're the driver, you can feel it through the steering wheel, and gas pedal. It's NOT a knock, or a shake.

    Possible cause: I noticed this issue in March of this year after I performed a throttle plate/body cleaning using a throttle body cleaner I bought at Wal-Mart. I noticed after I started the car after performing the cleaning, the engine shook pretty badly for a couple seconds and even almost stalled before smoothing out back to normal idle. A day or two later is when the vibration was noticed.

    Idea's: Harmonic balancer? Does something like that even go bad? Engine mounts? Maybe the severe shaking of the engine after the cleaning caused a mount to crack?

    Idea's of your own are welcome.
     
    #1 That_Prius_Car, Oct 13, 2016
    uzairamir likes this.
  2. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

    Joined:
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    something became loose or disconnected and resonates? these things are difficult to find, but feel around in the engine bay.
     
    #2 Former Member 68813, Oct 13, 2016
  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The engine misfired after the cleaning because you hosed the throttle body down and filled the intake with choke cleaner. Not the way to do that.
    Since it started with the TB try cleaning it again onlythis time cut up an old t shirt into 2. Inch wide long strips. Stuff them in the TB past the butterfly and then soak them with carbon cleaner and using the now wet
    Strips scrub the TB throat and both sides of the butterfly. The soaked strips
    Will not allow any cleaner to accumulate in the intake. With strips in pull the black hose off the backside of the TB. Flush out that port thats the PCV hose
    And that port gets clogged. Pull the strips out and discard.
    Lubricate the butterfly spring. Put the air cleaner box back on and make
    Surr u tighten the 10mm throat clamp under the box. If loose unmetered air will sneak by and car will run poorly. Make sure your using a factory Toyota air cleaner not a parts store unit
     
    #3 edthefox5, Oct 16, 2016
  4. Todd Kamens

    Todd Kamens Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2019
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    Location:
    Arnold, MD
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    IV

    I don't know if this is your situation, but my 2004 Prius suddenly started having a vibration that went through the whole car at the point when the engine was just kicking in or about to turn off, ie. low rpms. Several mechanics and Toyota suggested engine mounts and tranny mount, and in the end, the problem was indeed mount-related. The lower engine mount is attached to the body by a bracket that normally has a small, heavy mass for vibration reduction attached to it (see picture). After 14 years, this object came loose and lodged between the mount and the body, effectively transferring all engine vibrations directly into the car body. Drove me nuts until we found this object just lying loose against the mount. The picture of the motor mount bracket shows the two iron masses designed for vibration mitigation; the round one in the middle came loose on my car. motor mount.jpg
     
    #4 Todd Kamens, Dec 2, 2019
  5. uzairamir

    uzairamir New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2020
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    Location:
    Pakistan
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Dear one,
    I see it's quite an old post but since I'm facing this issue in 2020 I need to ask this question. Was your problem resolved? I'm stuck badly and need a solution. Please help

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #5 uzairamir, Sep 15, 2020
  6. Hal E Galardi

    Hal E Galardi New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2021
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    Location:
    New York
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I have the same exact issue in a used 06' Prius I just bought with 168,000 miles.
    Did you figure it out?
     
    #6 Hal E Galardi, Aug 25, 2021
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