My 2002 Prius quit on me on Saturday, with a display of three problem icons on the screen. Had it towed to the dealer. They diagnosed a bad throttle motor. Had it replaced today. Parts: $833.07. Labor: $315.68. Bottom line: $1,230.44 All this came exactly one day after I made the last payment on the car. Ouch. Has anyone else had a throttle motor go bad? I'd never even heard of the thing. Are these prices about right? Is this likely to be a serial problem? Service guy said they see about one a year.
Bad luck. There have been reports about throttle plate sticking, which can be cleared by using a $10 can of throttle cleaner. But there have been throttle failures. Did you get the failed part back? I or Hobbit might be interested in doing some forensics on it. Send me a PM and we can work out the shipping. Thanks, Bob Wilson
I had a local friend who got a throttle body replaced on a Classic for $700-odd out of pocket. He loaned me the old one for a bit of analysis, and I could find nothing wrong with it [the motor was fine, the flap was only a little sticky at full-closed]. I think he was handed a line. If you've bought a new throttle motor/body/whatever you should definitely demand the "failed" one back and test it. . _H*
I did not get the old throttle motor back. It wasn't offered and I didn't think to ask. I was shell-shocked by the bill. But I will call them in the ayem on the off-chance that they still have it around. I'd rate that a long-shot. But if I get it back, I'd be happy to ship it to you.
Sorry to here it froylance, In CA it's the LAW, that they have to give you the parts back if you want them. Check to see if your state has the same rule. Don't know how long ago this happened, but if real recent, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Okay the same type of thing happened to me. Last Wednesday I brought my 2003 Toyota Prius to the Toyota Dealership. They said the throttle motor needed to be cleaned. That was why the engine and battery lights were coming on. I forked over $325 for the diagnostic and repair. Today, the same thing happened again! The dealership said, "The throttle motor itself is bad." They want to charge me $1300-$1600 for a new one. Is the throttle motor just sticking? When I let the car cool down (after the engine/battery lights come on), the car runs fine. Do I need to pay for a new motor?
The diagnosis sounds reasonable. MSRP on the throttle body assembly is $972 plus $4 for the gasket. You might try spraying WD40 on the moving parts to see if that helps. You'll probably have to remove the air cleaner assembly to reach down into the throttle body and spray on the throttle shaft, turning the spring-loaded shaft by hand to exercise it. Then use throttle body cleaner to clean off any black gunk and excess WD40. You don't want to spray WD40 or throttle body cleaner on the mass air flow sensor, so this is why I suggest removing the air cleaner assembly first.
Can I be sure the throttle motor is bad? It sounds like I should try cleaning it first and see if that stops it from sticking.
Yes, I suggest that you try cleaning the throttle shaft first. Further, you may find Hobbit's webpage of interest if you are ambitious and wish to take the throttle body assembly apart. http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/tb/ In that case, you will want to replace the throttle body gasket with a new one when reinstalling the cleaned unit.
Thanks for the replies. My car is running fine now. But I'm not sure if or when this condition will happen again. This makes me think the throttle is getting stuck. It seems to me (and I could be way off!) but if the throttle motor was bad, wouldn't I experience these symptoms all the time?
