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Battery Not Charging and Rough Idle

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Deleted member 137491, Jun 9, 2018.

  1. Hello everyone! I really hope you can help me. Earlier today I followed a couple Youtube videos and did the following to my 2007 Prius:
    1. Cleaned MAF sensor
    2. Cleaned throttle body plate
    3. Replaced all 4 spark plugs
    A couple hours after completing all the work, I took my Prius out for a drive. Now it's acting up! First, it was shaking a lot when I started it. While trying to warm up the car it continued to rumble, even at idle. Then the hybrid battery complete drained and wasn't charging while accelerated or braked. To top it all off, there is some type of rotten smell that appears while driving it. There aren't any warning lights on the dashboard though.

    My Prius had no issues before I did the work. I only did it because the dealership recommended it the last time I got an oil change. What's wrong with my Prius now? :( Please help!
     
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Perhaps you forgot to hook up vacuum lines?
    Maybe didn't fully seat one of the coil pack connectors?
     
  3. audiodave

    audiodave Active Member

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    Possiblity the maf after cleaning. Otherwise go over every connection you made.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    How did you clean the throttle body?

    The plugs got properly seated and torqued?
     
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    You probably dumped alot of cleaner down the throttle body and the engine has to ingest that.

    Did you just hose down the throttle body?

    I recently did spark plugs on my prius and found the 2 hoses that go to the throttle body from the valve cover were shot had cracked ends.
     
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  6. Thanks everyone for your responses so far. First, I would like to add that I don't know much about cars and this is the first time I ever tried this type of DIY work.

    Here is the method I used to clean the throttle body:

    I cleaned the throttle body plate by spraying the throttle body cleaner directly on shop towel wrapped on a screwdriver and a soft bristle toothbrush.

    Update: I just redid all the steps to make sure everything was connected securely then took it for a drive away. The good news is the battery was finally able to hold a bit of charge and the engine did turn off when I came to a complete stop (like it used to). The bad news is that my Prius is still rumbling every time I hit the gas.

    I was thinking would it be possible that I damaged the MAF while cleaning it? I sprayed it very liberally at kind of close range. I did wait about 5hrs for it to dry before reattaching. If the MAF was damaged, would the check engine light show up?
     
  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    It could be the MAF. What cleaning solution did you use?

    What about the spark plugs....
     
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You need to reset the car, disconnect the 12v negative for a minute and reconnect.

    Do this everything you clean the maf and throttle body
     
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  9. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    The Maf sensor is/was on my 2005 a glass/hard plastic, small housing. The first time I removed it and cleaned it. 2nd time I cleaned it gently by hand using MAF cleaner.
    The toothbrush and screwdriver seem harsh to me. Try removing it and cleaning with a clean white cloth.
    Be careful it’s delicate. When the sensors out then you can use the toothbrush and screwdriver routine.
    But, you don’t want to flush the dirt down the throat, so I just cleaned it last time with my clean cloth, minimal cleaner plus clean sensor.
     
  10. These are the cleaners that I purchased:
    MAF: Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance
    TB: Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

    As for the spark plugs, they were on really tight (had to use 2 hands to remove them). I don't have a torque wrench so I tried to tighten it as much as I could when I replaced them. I made sure all the wires around the spark plugs were securely reconnected.
     
  11. Thank you! I will do that now...is this how to do it properly?

     
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This should work
     
  13. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Typical torque spec for plugs is around 15 foot pounds, so you may have overdone it:(.

    How did the plugs look that came out? Were the boots in good condition? Did you put anything on the threads or electrodes of the plugs? Hand thread the plug in before using a wrench to tighten?
     
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  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    To answer your question on whether maf is damaged, you would get a warning light on the dash if it's not working properly, I believe it's the check engine light.

    If you used proper maf cleaner, it should dry in a couple minutes.

    As for the spark plugs, the part should be by NGK or DENSO. Other brands may not work as well with your prius. Be sure not to over tighten as that could damage the threads
     
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  15. These are the spark plugs that I bought...
    Bosch OE Fine Wire Platinum Spark Plug: Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

    The boots were in decent condition. These Bosch spark plugs specifically stated:
    1. Do not gap (not really sure what this means)
    2. Do not use anti-seize (I did not apply any)
    3. 21 ft. lbs.
    Yes, I did hand thread them before using a wrench.

    Thanks! So I can rule that out as a culprit.

    After disconnecting the 12v battery, I waited a few minutes then reconnected it. Took it for a drive and still the same rumbling. BUT now the driver window won't auto up or down! :cry: Any ideas?

    Lastly, before I go out and buy a torque wrench to reinstall the spark plugs, do you think that would be the cause for the rough idling and acceleration? Is it possible that the throttle body cleaner residue is the main issue? If so, then would all I have to do is drive my car for x miles before it acts normal again?
     
  16. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    To fix the window issue, roll the window around half way down, then hold the up button until the window is all the way up...and continue holding for another 5 seconds.

    What brand spark plug did you buy? If it's not denso or ngk, you may have issues

    1. How much throttle body cleaner did you spray into the throttle body? Or did you spray onto a towel and then wipe?

    2.. What type of cleaner did you spray onto maf sensor?

    Don't go out and buy torque wrench yet....
     
    #16 JC91006, Jun 10, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2018
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Bosch spark plugs have created issues here before:(.

    Follow @JC91006 advice and look for Denso or NGK;).

    Then get the torque wrench and keep us posted (y).
     
  18. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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  19. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Pit old plugs back in and see if rumbling goes away.

    Setting for Auto window down sometimes gets cleared when unhooking the 12v battery.

    You can reenable.
    Basics roll window down and keep holding the button for a few seconds, roll window up and hold for a few seconds.
    I'm sure there are better written instructions, but that's the general idea.
     
  20. Good news!!! The issue was the Bosch spark plugs. One of those stupid spark plugs broke in half when I tried to take it out and was stuck in there. Took me almost an hour to retrieve it but thankfully I was able to. Here is the method that I used in case it happens to anyone else:



    I purchased Denso spark plugs and now all the issues went away! Thank you guys so much for your advice! I just really hope it didn't cause any permanent damage while I drove it around...
     
    #20 Deleted member 137491, Jun 11, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 11, 2018
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