2011 Prius IV Having Trouble Getting Air In / Breathing Can't Figure It Out

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Frank MM, May 16, 2025.

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  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    The miles and when the first EGR cleaning occurred.
     
    #21 Mendel Leisk, May 19, 2025
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Give all the credit to Mendel

    I have a feeling that the preemptive parts cannon exploded in the barrel causing collateral damage.

    About the only time a hybrid engine runs at idle after an initial two minute warmup is when the hybrid battery is discharged.

    Aftermarket egr valves are a different design than oem and are known to stick open. An egr should have no flow at idle and will cause the engine to run rough if it is sticking. If it is significantly open the engine may stall.

    Air leaks at the egr system gaskets or missing gaskets will also make it run rough.

    Aftermarket egr valves for these cars are a bad idea. Luckily there are no aftermarket egr coolers so if you bought a new one it must be oem. Hopefully the new "cooler" was not simply an egr pipe.
     
    #22 rjparker, May 19, 2025
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  3. Frank MM

    Frank MM Junior Member

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    I g ot a new EGR pipe and cooler. See my original post. That's exactly when the problem occurs. At idle when charging the hybrid battery.
     
    #23 Frank MM, May 20, 2025
  4. Frank MM

    Frank MM Junior Member

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    #24 Frank MM, May 20, 2025
  5. Frank MM

    Frank MM Junior Member

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    Oh good grief. I've been spending hours on Youtube trying to find another video like the one I just posted above. After I was about to give up for now in disgust I clicked on the description of the above video and the original poster of the video wrote that the problem was a bad EGR valve. DOH!

    Hmm, so I have the exact same sound. Could the new EGR valve I got be defective? Could that be it?

    I suppose it's possible in the sense that this problem didn't occur until after the new one was put on. Could a defective EGR make the engine go bonkers like mine is?

    It's a Delphi from Rock Auto. It's under a 12 month warranty so I just ordered a replacement and once I send back the old one they refund what I paid for this new one. Ok let's hope this is it.
     
    #25 Frank MM, May 20, 2025
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  6. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    rockauto, that's your issue. cheap chinese copies....
    Get the EGR kit from Toyota.....

    rockauto has really gone down in quality to crap.

     
    #26 ASRDogman, May 20, 2025
  7. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Only an oem valve is reliable. Even then there is a revised Toyota part for 2010-12 Prii.

    Newer EGR Valve is 25620-37120
    Egr valve updated Kit 04004-58137

    Valve TSB Kit With Gaskets $154
    04004-58137 - Toyota Parts Deal

    Valve alone $302
    25620-37120 - Toyota Parts Deal

    Yes the kit is a far better deal and includes the valve.

    The egr valve tsb also referenced an updated ecu software "calibration id" that varies by year and model. It is recommended to have a dealer do this software update after the revised valve is installed. The ecu update offers many improvements and a similar tsb in the European market promised improved hg reliability due to water pump logic.
     
    #27 rjparker, May 20, 2025
    Last edited: May 20, 2025
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  8. Frank MM

    Frank MM Junior Member

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    Sorry, it's been a while I have a lot of things going on with life right now sad to say, but it's only temporary. Just so everyone knows, this specific problem was indeed the new EGR valve being bad. My mechanic ending up cleaning the original (OEM) EGR Valve very very well. So much so to my eyes it looked brand new. Installed that one, and the problem went away immediately and has been fine since. The rough idle is solved. The weird MPG issue is not.
     
    #28 Frank MM, Oct 3, 2025 at 1:19 PM
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  9. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Back in May
    This is more than some generic advice to always use oem parts. The aftermarket Prius egr valve is a completely different mechanism cheaply made. Some are sold as oem on ebay but are the cheap version. Same goes for maf sensors and water pumps.

    Today
    You have to pay attention to people who have more than 300,000 miles on their car and have been there and done that.

    This is bad information. A clogged egr will code and does not cause head gasket fails. Your old egr components with no codes were fine.

    A puddy knife and 5 minutes of wrenching could have saved this whole episode.

    Mpg problems are often a weak hybrid battery if the maf sensor was not damaged.
     
    #29 rjparker, Oct 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2025 at 2:35 PM
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Yup, everything EGR is readily cleanable, with the "possible" exception of the cooler. There is a chance the EGR valve has internal damage, but I would only replace with one from Toyota dealership. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?

    And with the PCV valve, the genuine one from Toyota is about $10, spec'd by Toyota, and a darn sight better than "this'll" do from Rock Auto.
     
    #30 Mendel Leisk, Oct 3, 2025 at 2:23 PM
  11. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Another rockauto cheap chinese crap parts....
    Sorry you had to go through that.

     
    #31 ASRDogman, Oct 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
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