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heavy vibration of engine on idle

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Umar Ali, Jun 8, 2015.

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  1. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    i recently noticed that when at idle, the engine is vibrating heavily. i know for sure it was really smooth and now as if there is something loose in there due to which it is vibrating. i dont know what is causing this i have always keep changing oil myself every 10k miles and transmission oil at every 30k. anyone have any idea what might have caused it and whats the fix
     
    #1 Umar Ali, Jun 8, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    maybe a misfire?
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 8, 2015
  3. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    I dont think it is misfire since i plugged in the obd device and check for any codes but didnt find any . or how can i find out if its a misfire/?
     
    #3 Umar Ali, Jun 8, 2015
  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Do you use top tier gas with detergent? If not, your injectors may be dirty or clogged, causing some misfires and vibration. You can use something like Techron fuel injector cleaner to try to remove the deposits.
     
    #4 xliderider, Jun 8, 2015
    Avi's Advanced Automotive likes this.
  5. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    Well ive owned it for past 70k miles and ive used only tier1 mostly shell in it. never put any low quality gas ever. checked the air filter in engine cleaned it with air, changed the cabin air filter about 30k ago.
     
    #5 Umar Ali, Jun 8, 2015
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    What year? How many miles on it? How long have you owned the car? A misfire would produce a DTC code. How long have you noticed this?
     
    #6 JC91006, Jun 8, 2015
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You can try cleaning the throttle body and the MAF sensor.
     
    #7 JC91006, Jun 8, 2015
  8. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    this is 2010 prius IV, bought it at 70k and right now it has 140k. since ive owned i put only mobile 1 0w20 oil and toyota AT oil for CVT. no DTC codes and ive been noticing this vibrating for last about 15k miles. i was driving 1000 miles a week so that is like 3 months ago when i started noticing it. and vibration is considerably loud.
     
    #8 Umar Ali, Jun 8, 2015
  9. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    is there any DIY for cleaning throttle body and maf sensor?
     
    #9 Umar Ali, Jun 8, 2015
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Since you've only been doing oil changes and transaxle fluid changes. I think you are due for some maintenance.

    1. change your spark plugs
    2. clean throttle body
    3. clean maf sensor (same place as throttle body)
    4. change engine and inverter coolant

    #1 and #2 will hopefully resolve your issues. If you happen to have a faulty ignition coil and/or bad injectors, that could be the cause of a misfire as well.

    Maybe you can take it to a mechanic to look at it? A misfire is very easy to detect.....even without techstream.
     
    #10 JC91006, Jun 8, 2015
  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    #11 xliderider, Jun 8, 2015
  12. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    Have your vehicle diagnosed at a reputable repair shop, yours doesn't seem to be a Toyota Stealership issue. In short and with the proper tools, a seasoned mechanic will tell you the car's faults
     
    #12 mrbigh, Jun 9, 2015
  13. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    I have not had it diagnosed anywhere yet, was trying to figure it out on my own first. but yeah i am definitely not going to stealership.
     
    #13 Umar Ali, Jun 9, 2015
  14. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    thanks for the link, looks like that is hat causing the issue, will give it a try whenever i have some free time.
     
    #14 Umar Ali, Jun 9, 2015
  15. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    This is how bad the vibration is
     
    #15 Umar Ali, Jun 16, 2015
  16. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    any feedback on the sound if it is misfire or just needs air filter or manifold cleaning?
     
    #16 Umar Ali, Jun 16, 2015
  17. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    so i took everything apart finally and now i see there is really bad carbon deposit. ill post pics in a lil bit
    now what should i use to clean that carbon deposit and while i was unplugging the coolant pipe, the coolent gushed out and went into that valve which rotates at 90degree. i dont know if that is something i should be worried about.
     
    #17 Umar Ali, Jun 21, 2015
  18. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    #18 Umar Ali, Jun 21, 2015
  19. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    i posted all these pictures for the reference if someone comes across same problem. i found it in another thread that the carbon buildup is what is causing vibration and drop in mpg.
     
    #19 Umar Ali, Jun 21, 2015
  20. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Throttle body cleaner will clean up carbon deposits
     
    #20 JC91006, Jun 21, 2015
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