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Fuel pressure regulator causing misfires?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Priipriii, Feb 20, 2023.

  1. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    So from pin 1 to pin 4, the "from battery" connection to ground.

    igniter.png

    So you're measuring, in effect, a primary winding and the collector-emitter junction of a big transistor. As well as the rest of the components in there that aren't shown in the simplified drawing, like the inverter that makes the base drive for the transistor out of the +going IGT input, and the detector that makes the IGF confirmation signal, since all those bits are also powered off the "from battery" to ground supply.

    There just isn't a well-defined "resistance" for circuitry like that. I won't tell you not to draw conclusions from a reading a couple ohms different on one unit than the others, other than to mention that if you look in the ignition troubleshooting steps in the repair manual, they never ask you to measure that "resistance" or draw conclusions from it. They have you measure other things whose resistances are well defined, and think about replacing an igniter if you haven't found the trouble somewhere else. ;)
     
  2. Priipriii

    Priipriii Member

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    Thanks! You saved me a few dollars from buying a coil i wouldnt need. I replaced their order again and its still cylinder 1 misfiring. This is very frustrating, and im not sure what it could be at this point. Any ideas?
     
  3. Priipriii

    Priipriii Member

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    What are the chances the transmission can be causing misfires? The reason I ask is because I was driving in EV mode really slowly and I noticed an unusual clunky transmission. I thought it was vibration from the engine but i saw the RPMs were at 0 for the ICE. So what is going on. I get different misfires in park vs drive, but none in neutral. Is it possible or
     
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I'm not aware of a way for the transmission to cause misfires, but it's notoriously easy for Prius engine misfires to make the transmission clatter and bang.
     
  5. Priipriii

    Priipriii Member

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    Yup thats what its been doing, clattering and banging.

    Also, i have now replaced all spark plugs, all coils, all fuel injectors, and the MAF sensor. Still misfires same way. I think its because the fuel line itself cannot hold pressure. I am getting a code saying vapors are escaping and improper fuel to air ratio, in addition to the usual cylinder 1 misfire and occasionally the other cylinders as well.

    Is there anyway for me to test the fuel line for its ability to hold pressure? Is there a guage i can get or fitting to try pumping air into the line and see if it holds?

    Or better yet, i can try and re-connect the areas of connections. The paint thinner i used might of destroyed the O rings and hence why pressure might not be holding. Thats my hypothesis at this point, since i know it cant be the fuel assembly or fuel injectors due to replacing it.
     
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    More of us can help you more easily if you include the actual codes in your posts, instead of (or at least in addition to) paraphrases.

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Priipriii

    Priipriii Member

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    P0101 mass or volume air flow circuit range problem
    P0456 evap emission control system leak detected (small leak)
    P0441 evap emission control incorrect purge flow
    P0455 evap emission control system leak detected (gross leak)

    I got all of these.
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The P0101 is an interesting one. You can use a mass airflow reading to compute the overall load on the engine. You can also compute the same thing from driving conditions. So the ECM does both as a sanity check, and compares the answers. It sets this code if the first one is more than about 17% lower or 15% higher than the second.

    I wonder if there could be an intake leak allowing in unmetered air. Sometimes we get pretty long misfire threads here that turn out to be that.

    I could also possibly see P0441 being related to an intake leak, because the purge flow goes into the manifold.

    I don't, at least without further aha!, see the P0455/6 being related, as that sort of evap system leak is tested for a different way (using a little pump, about five hours after the car shuts down). There might really be an evap system leak.

    I wonder if there could be causality going the other way ... maybe when the purge valve is open, the evap leak can be the source of a big enough air leak to be trouble? Just thinking out loud....
     
  9. Priipriii

    Priipriii Member

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    So I dont get those codes anymore and i inspected the hose and O rings to it.

    But the misfire is still there. Not exactly sure what is causing it but there is a pattern that could maybe help narrow it down.

    When placed vehicle in park, cylinder 2 is the only one that misfires.

    When put in drive and foot on brake or slow speed, cylinder 1 is the one that misfires. Sometimes a combination of both 1 and 2, but mostly 1.

    When driving at highway speeds or accelerating to high rpms, all misfires stop.

    Im not getting any other code besides the misfire codes. I also know it cant be coolant flowing in because my coolant tank has been full since three weeks ago. Any ideas what is causing it?
     
  10. Priipriii

    Priipriii Member

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    Turns out it was a blown headgasket. Hope this helps anyone that is experiencing misfires between two cylinders, but no oil or coolant leak.

    This is what it looked like.
    Snapchat-2115627434.jpg Snapchat-1032808626.jpg

    Wasnt able to pin point it until I did a compression test and saw the first two cylinders were lower than the other two in terms of pressure. Thats when I knew it had to be a headgasket issue for sure.

    I think I've wasted at least $300 replacing the fuel assembly, pouring coolant gasket sealants, new fuel injectors, new spark coils, spark plugs, oil additives, etc. trying to fix my problem when it was the headgasket all along. Dont be like me lol and just do a simple compression test first before anything if you are experiencing misfires.

    Also: my oil leak on the back of the engine was being caused by my timing chain spring tensioner being loosely tightened. The spring load pushes against the bolts, so its one of the most common parts on the prius for oil leaks. It uses two small 10mm nuts to keep the thing in place, so its easy for it to come loose. Just needs to be retightened every now and then if you experience leaks there.
     
    #30 Priipriii, Apr 29, 2023
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2023