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2010 Enginge Clicking Noise. Normal?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by ThinkingPrius, Jul 24, 2012.

  1. ThinkingPrius

    ThinkingPrius New Member

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    I bought a used Certified Prius with 49k miles on it. I noticed when accelerating (and the display shows that I am using the ICE but not so much that it shoots up into the "Power" portion on the far right) that the there is a clicking noise coming from the front passenger side of the car.

    It sounds very much like this:



    I don't hear it when only the electric motor is running, and I don't hear it when I really punch it and the power meter is completely filled up. Its more when the power meter is in the middle of the display and the ICE kicks in and I am slowly accelerating.

    Any ideas if this is normal? Car rides very quiet and smooth other than that and the user manual says certain noises are normal when accelerating so I don't know if this is normal or not.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 ThinkingPrius, Jul 24, 2012
  2. ThinkingPrius

    ThinkingPrius New Member

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    guess i'm the only one who has heard this before? that's not good
     
    #2 ThinkingPrius, Jul 26, 2012
  3. phoenixgreg

    phoenixgreg Senior member

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    Maybe if you can get a mic very near the instrument cluster, you could tell if it's coming from there.
    It's probably in the cluster. Unfortunately, the cluster is extremely complex in its design. The fuel gage, speedo, instant MPG and gear indicators are all projected up from an area below where you see it (just put a piece of paper over that lower area in front of the speedo and watch the display disappear!) The touch tracer components are actually behind the lens you view. When the cluster is extracted, the components making up the projection and viewing areas are all held together by some screws and many little "stab-lock" plastic connectors. This is what abrades making the ticking sounds you hear. I got my "ticking" noise to go away when I soaked all the stab-lock connectors with silicon spray.

    Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/rattle-noise-at-low-rpms.112335/#ixzz21lRrRRks
     
    #3 phoenixgreg, Jul 26, 2012
  4. ThinkingPrius

    ThinkingPrius New Member

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    as long as it's nothing mechanically wrong, i don't care. the noise is faint and you can only hear it if you listen for it in dead silence
     
    #4 ThinkingPrius, Jul 27, 2012
  5. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

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    This sounds like when my ex-Lexus RX-300 would adjust (oxygen?) for low octane fuel. It is hard to match the sound in your video to my memory, but I appreciate the effort you extended to investigate this mystery.

    I just started to notice a sound like this in my 2012 Prius v wagon with just under 8000 miles. My sound is also coming from passenger side behind the glove compartment (I think, hard to tell). I have a scanguage and it only happens when the ICE is running between 1250 and 1350 RPM. So it could be some sympathetic vibrations in the engine compartment. I'm kind of hoping that it is a tank of low(er) quality gas that is making the engine adjust like my former Lexus SUV did when I put 87 octane gas in it, and that it will go away when I fill up next.

    My next experiment will be to try to get my Prius v (wagon) to run at 1300-ish RPM while standing still with the hood up, so I can try to pin-point the source. Let me know if you can think of any more experiments to help solve our sound mysteries.

    ThinkingPrius, can you make the noise come and go by accelerating and easing back on the gas? Could your sound also be RPM related?
     
    #5 Chazz8, Jul 27, 2012
  6. ThinkingPrius

    ThinkingPrius New Member

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    Chazz, i don't think its bad gas.

    When I accelerate very hard i don't hear it. When i accelerate at a moderate clip and the "power" meter is in the middle of the gauge is when I hear it. As soon as I back off the accelerator the noise stops. It seems to really only happen at a certain "RPM" or area in the "power" meter.

    Its strange, but I don't think anything is mechanically wrong with the car
     
    #6 ThinkingPrius, Jul 30, 2012
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